James "J.J." Jernigan is an accomplished veteran living with dementia. He has received the Purple Heart and a Quilt of Valor for his service. Since then, he's found a new way to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Service and sacrifice — a debt owed by all Americans to fellow Americans who have served us at great cost. Who are these brave, caring Americans who live among us? In this special reporting, you’ll meet people like the 100-year-old veteran who fought for us at Anzio in World War II, first responders not afraid to confront what could hurt us and the special school teacher who cares so much about teaching our children that she spends her own time and money on that cause. There’s the missionary who carries healing medicine and consoling words to far off places, the doctor who puts her calling above her bank account, the Vietnam veteran who — after all these years — is still helping buddies cope with the trauma of that terrible war. What makes some of our neighbors so willing and ready for service and sacrifice? They come from every walk of life. The common thread in their stories? They are American stories: Stories of service and sacrifice.
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Stories
One man's trash was a local Vietnam veteran's treasure.
It's good news for one of our Service & Sacrifice families Wednesday night!
The eulogy that honored World War II veteran Joseph Hargrove's life was a few paragraphs. His life was was much more, of course. Still, his great-granddaughter was somehow able to capture the essence of who he was — and a life built on Service & Sacrifice.
Trauma changes the brain. Studies show that the impacts of physical and mental trauma are measurable. In more recent years, research is starting to examine the long-term effects of post traumatic stress disorder.
Cpl. Lansden R. Good III was killed when his helicopter crashed during a night training mission in France. In all, five Marines died that day. He gave it all in the name of Service & Sacrifice, and his memory lives on today.
PADUCAH — There are dark periods of our history many of us would rather forget. The Holocaust is one of those, and the horrors endured by the Jewish people and others targeted by the Nazis.
Over the past 20 years, more than 1,000 students have benefited from it. In 2019/2020, the amount given away will top $1 million.
During World War II, more than 15,000 U.S. Airmen were killed while training to fly. The Fairchild PT-19 was the plane many of them trained on.
A community continues to honor the Service and Sacrifice of a local Iraq war veteran and his family.
World War II veteran Newton Ruddle passed away in 1983, but a taped interview, letters home, and his daughter are keeping his story of Service and Sacrifice alive.
The number of veterans living with a service-connected disability is around 3.8 million across the country. For many of those men and women, their life plan of military service is no more. So what comes next? That was what Chase Matthews faced.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports 30% of Vietnam veterans, 12% of Gulf War veterans, and 11% to 20% of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom live with PTSD.
MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY — School is back in session for your kids, but most teachers have been hard at work for weeks. That might be the entire summer if their load is hundreds of kids.
July 29, 1967. The aircraft carrier USS Forrestal was engaged in combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin off of the Vietnam coast. A massive fire broke out when jet fuel spilled across the deck, igniting and triggering a chain reaction of explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161 more.
How can you possibly pay someone back for putting their life at risk for your freedom? A group of volunteers came together to try to do just that for World War II veteran Roy H. Duncan.
“Every week’s a little different, but every week’s the same at the core: love one another, be kind to one another. The world needs that a lot.”
On Dec. 7, 1941, 2,403 people died at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked the Hawaii naval base. A Paducah man survived. He passed away in 1981, but his story lives on thanks in part to a special interview he gave.
A piece of the USS Arizona is on display at Paducah’s Market House Museum.
Allard and Anita (center) and their seven children
Allard (right) and his wife, Anita
Four of James Allard Vessels children — Margaret, Kenneth, Chuck and Michael — stand near his exhibit at the Market House Museum.
The USS Arizona on December 7, 1941, burning after the attack.
Paducah’s Market House Museum
It took more than 40 years for him to talk about what he lived through in Vietnam and how PTSD has impacted his life. He’s now sharing his story of how he’s learned to live with the price of service and sacrifice.
