Edwards followed his heart to help the others during and after Vietnam War.

Ellis Edwards has been a Veteran Home Care client of SYNERGY HomeCare since May 2019.

He and his wife have been very grateful for the extra help they’ve been able to receive and have grown to view their caregivers as an extension of family.

His wife, Thao, said “SYNERGY is doing a great job to accommodate Ellis’ needs. They are a good company, especially to our veterans. Our caregivers are always there to help him, and it’s been such a relief for us.” The entire team is grateful to be able to serve the Edwards family and are honored to recognize his incredible service to our nation.”

Edwards might not see himself as a hero, but there are others that might dis agree with the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Infantry Badge recipient and a member of the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame.

Edwards, 77, has made a difference in peoples’ lives both during and after the Vietnam War.

He rescued 64 American allies when the Republic of Vietnam was falling to the North Vietnamese. In 1970, he was a second lieutenant in the infantry. He volunteered for the Republic of Vietnam for duty in Vietnam. He was promoted to Captain because of that rescue mission.

As an advisor, Edwards was aware of the instability of the South Vietnamese government. He promised his comrades that, in the event a communist takeover was imminent, he would return and help them escape. Edwards took this commitment seriously.

“I knew that I could do something,” Edwards said. “That was my Christian duty.”

Following his return from Vietnam and his release from his active duty, Edwards joined Operational Detachment 212, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Oklahoma City.

While working as a financial bond advisor, completing a master’s degree and serving in the Special Forces Reserve, Edwards closely monitored the Vietnam War, remaining in touch with his friends.

On January 3, 1975, Edwards suffered a serious injury on a night parachute jump with the Special Forces Unit, fracturing vertebrae in his back. The injuries eventually caused his retirement from the Army.

In March of 1975, South Vietnam was quickly collapsing. The North Vietnamese had started their push to destroy the remaining South Vietnamese military, and vast areas were falling into the Communists’ hands. Many soldiers abandoned their posts and fled in panic. The highways were clogged with columns of tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery pieces and trucks loaded with soldiers.
Remembering his promises, Edwards planned an emergency return to the war zone to rescue as many as he could.

At his own expense, Edwards flew first to New Orleans where he obtained an expedited passport, flying on to Washington D.C. where he received a visa from the South Vietnamese embassy, then flying to Saigon.

Edwards returned at the very moment that Communist forces were overrunning the country, exposing him to great personal danger.

The South was within weeks of capture and the whole country was in a state of pandemonium.

Further complicating matters, Edwards was in pain throughout his mission. He said his back injury required him to wear a brace, and he was constantly in need of unavailable physical therapy.

Despite his pain, Edwards diligently set about contacting those in harm’s way. Most of Edwards former counterparts were located on the Cambodian border in a province there, where heavy fighting was taking place.

Edwards found and hired a taxi driver who originally agreed to take him to that area.

As they traveled through the countryside, however, there were Communist roadblocks, which barely managed to evade.

When the driver refused to go any further, Edwards produced his only weapon, a pistol and told the shaken man that he had no choice but to continue.

They reached the area where Edwards found his former unit and the individuals whom he had advised. From both that province and Saigon, Edwards rounded up 64 people seeking to escape.

When it was time for Edwards to return to Saigon, however, the taxi had gone. Having no other transportation, Edwards was left with the unbelievable option of taking a public bus through enemy-held territory.

He said was lucky that the Communists caught a Republic of Vietnam officer who was riding a bus shortly behind him and hanged him.

Back in Saigon, Edwards then had to address the problem of how to get the refugees out of the country.

In a misguided effort to keep South Vietnam from collapsing, the US government initially refused to evacuate Vietnamese nationals, and the American ambassador attempted to prevent Vietnamese citizens from leaving.

Edwards was required to not only deal with the Vietnamese onslaught, but he was also hampered by non-cooperation from the American embassy.
Ever determined, Edwards resorted to unconventional tactics to accomplish his plan. He first found a South Vietnamese air force pilot who accepted $25,000 to fly the refugees to Thailand.

At the last minute, however, the US government changed its policy, and Edwards was able to convince the Air Force to devote an airplane to his refugees. Although he never recovered the $25,000 paid to the pilot, he now believes that expenditure was worth it.

Before leaving on one of the last military flights out of Vietnam, Edwards helped all those he could.
Among them were six Vietnamese women, each of whom Edwards “married” before the fall of South Vietnam.

Edwards managed to talk his way into the American embassy where, in the chaos, he found the empty office of an American general who had already been evacuated. He used his fortress to gain access to people who can help him get the refugees out. At one point, he even posed as a congressional staffer.

While in Saigon, Edwards was attacked on the street by an unknown assailant. The incident involved gunfire, and Edwards was shot by the assailant.

Once the refugees reached US soil, Edwards did not abandon them.

In fact, he sponsored more than 200 refugees in Oklahoma, finding them places to live, obtaining jobs, enrolling children in school, acquiring household furnishings, obtaining driver training licenses and automobiles.

The refugees who came to Oklahoma have successfully been part of the state. They have businesses and professions.

In 1998, Ellis and his wife Thao Edwards invited a young teenage girl who had been raised under the Communist regime in Vietnam to live in their home and attend Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City.

The girl’s mother was unable to support her, and she asked Edwards for help. After a successful semester at McGuinness, Edwards managed to get the girl accepted into the Oklahoma School of Science and Math. Upon high school graduation, she received a full scholarship to Mount Holyoke University, which she finished in three and a half years with double majors.

The summer of 2010, Edwards invited a Vietnamese college student to stay at his house, helping him with acquiring tuition for about a year. The young man went on to St. Bernard’s Seminary and School of Theology. He was ordained June 30, 2018.

“I’ve helped a lot of people, and I gave them (help with a new life in the United States),” he said.

Edwards also helped raise funds from private sources to build a much-needed grade school in Vietnam. He personally ramrodded the project to completion only to hear that the Communists demolished it after his departure.

Thao Edwards said her husband of almost 49 years has a heart of gold. “He’s extraordinary. He can do the things that normal people don’t do,” she said. story by Van Mitchell

Chief Damage Controlman Dennis Cherry II, of Oklahoma City, Okla., conducts a debrief with the response team following an aircraft firefighting drill on the flight deck aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett after an aircraft firefighting drill, Jan. 6, 2025. The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is underway conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brianna Walker

Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Cameron Todd, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, mounts a dental model using plaster stone aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 29, 2025. Nimitz is underway in U.S. 3rd fleet conducting routine training operations. photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Caylen McCutcheon

Logistics Specialist Seaman Recruit Ashtyn Burch, from Norman, Oklahoma, bands pallets of hazardous materials in the hangar bay onboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, in preparation for Docked Planned Incremental Availability while in-port Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington. Ronald Reagan provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States. photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kleighton Vitug

Seaman Elijah Meksula, from Oklahoma, City, Oklahoma, stands watch on the bridge wing of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) in the Philippine Sea, Feb. 20. Milius is forward-deployed and assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface.

The Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Health Care System hosts a program called Pathways to Housing- Homeless Program Festival. The Pathways to Housing goals are to collaborate with community partners to ultimately find Veterans without shelter, housing. The Pathways to Housing Homeless Program Festival will be at the OKC VA Medical Center, located at 921 NE 13th St., Oklahoma City on Wednesday, April 16, from 8am – 4pm. The festival will be at the OKC VA, Atrium-area, Ground Floor.

The OKC VA and other homeless community partners are pulling resources together to help Veterans find housing options, employment opportunities, mental health services, medical care, legal assistance, and many other support services for both the Veteran and their families.

This program is hoping to highlight the important work that that VA providers and community partners are doing to help homeless Veterans find housing. If you are a Veteran and struggling to find housing or are at-risk, please come to the OKC VA Main Campus on Wednesday, April 16th from 8am-4pm, located at 921 NE 13th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73104 or call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.

Angeline Sivic, 99, is a part of World War II history, where she served as a Rosy Riveter working on airplanes in Wichita, Kansas.
Sivic, who turns 100 years old on April 14, was born on a small farm, seven miles north of Hartshorne.
After graduating from Hartshorne High School, Sivic, who resides in Iris Memory Care in Nichols Hills, followed a cousin to Wichita, who was already working at the Boeing airplane plant.
“I went up there and got a job, right out of school,” she said. “I liked it alright.”
Rosie the Riveter was the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries during World War II, and she became perhaps the most iconic image of working women.
American women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers during the war, as widespread male enlistment left gaping holes in the industrial labor force. Between 1940 and 1945, the female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home.
While women during World War II worked in a variety of positions previously closed to them, the aviation industry saw the greatest increase in female workers.
More than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry in 1943, making up 65 percent of the industry’s total workforce (compared to just 1 percent in the pre-war years). The munitions industry also heavily recruited women workers, as illustrated by the U.S. government’s Rosie the Riveter persuasion campaign.
Based in small part on a real-life munitions worker, but primarily a fictitious character, the strong, bandanna-clad Rosie became one of the most successful recruitment tools in American history, and the most iconic image of working women in the World War II era.
Sivic married her husband John on Oct. 30, 1946, after he returned from the war. They had 4 children (3 girls, 1 boy), 6 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.
Sivic laughed when she was asked what she felt about turning 100.
“I am getting old,” she said.

Jana Determan, Sivic’s daughter, said her mother grew up on the family farm and loved cooking and gardening.
“She enjoyed canning what food came from her farm,” Determan said.
Sivic said both her parents came to the United States from Europe and eventually settled on the family farm.
She said her father worked in the coal mines along with other family members.
“That’s what they did, coal mining,” Determan said. “What they did was underground.” Determan said growing up her family ate together at home.
“Every meal, we ate at home. We didn’t go out to eat. They didn’t go on vacation. They were just home on the farm, their whole life,” she said.
Determan said growing up on a farm developed her mother into a strong-willed and hard-working person.
“She was the strong-willed person in the family. She’s the one that pretty much ran it (life on the family farm),” she said.
Determan said she is proud of her mother’s work achievements as Rosie the Riveter during World War II.
“I think it’s the greatest generation (World War II military/civilian workforce) and there’s a reason for that,” she said. story by Van Mitchell

Jeff Burch is a Morrison resident and disabled veteran who proudly served his country overseas. During his time in the Army, he was specially trained to see things coming that the average civilian might not be prepared to face. But late last year, he had no way of predicting an emergency situation that left him hospitalized.

He woke up in intense pain with no spinal fluid and no memory of the previous hours. Those hours, he says, are unforgettable for his family, as they rushed him to the Stillwater Medical Emergency Room.

“The process of coming into the hospital itself was traumatic for my wife, as well as my son. The staff at the emergency room were comforting. They tried everything at their disposal to figure out what was going on,” Burch said.

With no clear answers, Burch was admitted to the hospital. His insurance is through Veterans Affairs, so his family feared he may be transferred to another facility before they understood the reason for his condition.

Cooperation enabled Burch to stay put.

“The line of communication from Stillwater Medical to the Oklahoma City VA was completely wide open,” Burch said. “They helped my wife and my family get the paperwork all started, which is key.”

Burch had suffered a stroke and needed time to heal. His military training wasn’t entirely useless to him in hospital. He recognized how the structures he was so familiar with in the military seemed present among the staff caring for him. They each had a clear mission, rank and responsibility. Doctors, nurses, medical technicians, staff in the Central Business Office, all came together to provide care in his time of need. Care that he said he considers heroic.

“All the way from the nurse in the ER room to the top floor of your care, it takes a special kind of person to deal with a sick person. Most people that are sick are in a bad mood. But everyone I interacted with showed nothing but pure compassion, pure understanding. It’s almost as if they knew what I needed before I needed it,” Burch said.

Burch is quick to reject the label of hero for his service. To him, he was just doing the job he signed up for with the help of veterans who came before him and the allies who trained beside him. Others might disagree.

Mirriam-Webster defines a hero as a person admired for achievements and noble qualities. Admiration is certainly what Burch expressed for his care team.

“To summarize my experience as far as the care that I received at Stillwater Medical, it was extraordinary, humbling,” Burch said. “They didn’t have to take that above and beyond, but they did, and it shows. It really shows.”

As morning sun shone through the stained-glass windows of the beautiful St. Joachim Chapel, sixteen veterans, each adorned with a commemorative medal, took their places to serve as torchbearers in the 2024 Saint Ann Olympic Opening Ceremony. Patriotically-dressed residents and staff eagerly lined the attractive, newly remodeled rooms of Saint Ann Independent and Assisted Living. John Williams’ Olympic fanfare could be heard ringing in the background. Flags waved and onlookers beamed as each veteran passed the torch to the next, each hearing his name and military branch announced to thunderous cheers. The ceremony culminated with the “lighting” of the Olympic cauldron by 101-year-old Delora Mealor, who is well-known as “Rosie the Riveter.” She has been much recognized for her admirable contribution to the war effort as a riveter working on B-17 and B-25 planes during WWII.

The Saint Ann Olympic Games coincided with the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, as live coverage from Paris was streamed on the projector screen in the Grand Theatre. The community, consisting of assisted and independent living, a convent of Carmelite Sisters, and respite care residents, celebrated Team USA while competing for over 150 medals in twenty Olympic-themed events. Games included putting and chipping, chair volleyball, cornhole, wheelchair races, basketball, pool-noodle javelin, and nerf-gun shooting. Challengers faced off in a life-sized “Hungry Hippos” game, sweeping up balls with brooms. Even trivia and bingo winners were awarded medals. As a homage to Paris, residents sampled international wines and croissants while betting on Silver Derby Horse Races, a monthly favorite on campus.

All-Around Silver Medalist, and Vietnam US Air Force Veteran, Jack Jackson, said of the Olympics, “Being a torch bearer was an emotional experience. So many people were teary eyed.” “The games were a lot of fun!” 101-year old, Norman Smith, a WWII Air Force Veteran and chair-volleyball MVP medalist said “The competitions were a blast! I love to play volleyball- but I need to be in the front row!” Deacon Bob Heskamp, US Airforce Veteran who served in Vietnam along with his wife, Kathie, said they were “just tickled” that the Veterans were honored during the ceremony. Regarding their choice to move to Saint Ann, he enthusiastically said “Everyone is great, …we’re all family here,” and “it’s the place to be.”

Stepping onto the campus, one is instantly immersed in a loving, vibrant, culture of kindness and respect. Also known as Saint Ann Retirement Center, the assisted and independent living community is a ministry owned and operated by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Seniors of all faiths enjoy the community’s fun, affordable, luxurious living. They are free of long-term commitments or buy-in costs, unlike other campuses of this caliber. Families, friends, and pets join in lively social gatherings. Giggles of grandkids often fill the children’s play areas. From top-notch entertainment and Chef Lori’s delicious full-service dining to concierge and housekeeping services, Saint Ann makes elevated living attainable. Lauren Montiero, Campus Life Enrichment Director, said: “Whether being honored for military service or being driven to doctor appointments in a limousine, our residents stand a bit taller, hold their heads a bit higher, and feel the respect and dignity they so deserve. Saint Ann Assisted and Independent Living is located at 7501 W. Britton Road in north Oklahoma City.
… story and photos by Joyce Clark

Strolling along the footpath on the east side of Central Avenue in downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, it’s easy to forget you’re in a National Park. Cross the street, and you’ve officially stepped out of Hot Springs National Park and into the city of Hot Springs that’s surrounded by the park’s more than 5,500-acres, established by Congress in 1921.

By that same decade, a series of public baths had materialized on the Avenue where tourists flocked for the supposedly therapeutic waters provided by the region’s abundant mineral-laden thermal springs. Eight historic bathhouses still stand displaying all their original architectural splendor, but only two – the Quapaw and the Buckstaff – continue to offer bathing experiences for visitors. The others have been repurposed and now serve as a brewery, a hotel, or as facilities for National Park resources such as the Visitor or Cultural Centers.

Bathhouse Row and the half-mile walkway behind it, known as the Grand Promenade, were designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1987. If you’re setting out on foot to explore some of the 26 miles of paths within the park trail system, a walk along these historic routes provides a gentle introduction to this most unusual of U.S. National Parks.

We began by walking north along Central Avenue, passing the bathhouses, each showcasing its own unique design that reflect popular architectural styles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the U.S., including Spanish Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, and Renaissance Revival.

The Grand Promenade can be accessed from either the north or south entrance. Near the northern entrance where Central Avenue meets Fountain Street, a spring feeds two connected decorative ponds – a popular photo spot for tourists. Armed with my trusty thermometer (which any respectable traveling scientist carries), I measured the water temperature to be 125 degrees Fahrenheit (52 degrees Celsius) – just a bit too toasty for more than a brief finger dip.

Behind the pond, steps lead to the elegantly paved Grand Promenade brick walkway that took more than 20 years to complete. Surrounded by vegetation and the occasional steaming hot spring spilling over rocks, the hustle and bustle of the Downtown area peeps through the lush trees but is barely noticeable along the path as it leads to the south entrance and the site of the historic Noble Fountain on Reserve Street.

The elegantly designed drinking fountain was named after John W. Noble, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior from 1889 to 1893, who secured funds for improvements to Hot Springs Reservation (as it was called before becoming a National Park). The fountain has been moved several times over the years and once sat outside the park’s nearby yellow Admin building that sports the familiar brown National Park logo on its street corner sign.

While there are many other short trails to attempt in the park’s mountainous areas, be sure to drive up to Hot Springs Mountain Tower. The 216-foot-tall structure is 1,256 feet above sea level and provides an excellent 360-degree view, including downtown Hot Springs and the surrounding Ouachita Mountain range.

With the aid of a telephoto lens from the tower’s summit, I was delighted to spot an old sign adorning a distant weathered building that read “Uneeda Biscuit.” Although the brand has long been discontinued, I was immediately flooded with childhood memories of the company’s ‘biscuits’ – large, Saltine-like soda crackers – that my mother slathered with peanut butter and became welcome additions to my school lunches.

Hot Springs National Park makes a great weekend trip and is full of surprises. You just have to look.

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama and has written features, columns, and interviews for many newspapers and magazines. His hiking column describes short trails, hikes, and walks from around the country that seniors might enjoy while traveling. See www.ItsAWonderfulHike.com. Story and photos by Nick and Debby Thomas

Born Feb. 14, 1914 in Kemp, OK, Aaron Lloyd McMurtrey called Durant his hometown. After enlisting in Dallas Texas on October 5, 1940 McMurtrey was stationed at Naval Training Station San Diego, California. He was then stationed on the USS California (BB 44) in November.

He became a Seaman Apprentice upon enlistment and then was promoted to Seaman 1st class then later 2nd class. His awards and Decorations include: Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Service Medal (Fleet Clasp), American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (Bronze Star) and the World War II Victory Medal. McMurtrey was member of a gun crew.

Seaman 1st Class McMurtrey was lost in the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7th,1941.

The process of identifications for the USS California began with the disinterments of 25 Unknowns associated with the ship between January and March 2018. Given the success of the USS Oklahoma project, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has expanded its work to three other battleships involved in the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor: USS West Virginia, USS California, and USS Utah.

There were 103 total casualties from the USS California. At the start of the project, there were 20 unresolved casualties from the ship and 25 associated Unknowns buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP) in Hawaii. Disinterments were completed in March of 2018, and as of January 2004, there have been five identifications from USS California.

Unresolved Casualties are individual service members known to have died in a particular incident but for whom no remains have been recovered or identified. They might also be regarded as “missing in action” or, more formally, “killed in action, body not recovered.”

The main difference between USS California and USS Oklahoma is that the assemblage of remains from each ship shows different patterns of commingling. The strategies to segregate these commingled remains into distinct individuals are slightly different, even though the underlying scientific techniques we use are the same.

Additionally, in many cases the skeletons from the USS California are more complete than those from the USS Oklahoma are. There are additional and different analyses that are conducted to make sure that all the elements go together and represent a single individual. The largest challenge faced are the unresolved individuals that we don’t have any Family Reference Samples for. Not having that DNA information can make it very difficult to demonstrate conclusively that a given set of remains belongs to a specific individual.