Hank Kuhlman came from a military family while his wife of 55 years Jeanne did not. Yet, the Edmond couple ended up serving in the United States Navy together in Washington D.C. and Florida.
Hank Kuhlman came from a military family while his wife of 55 years Jeanne did not.
Yet, the Edmond couple ended up serving in the United States Navy together in Washington D.C. and Florida.
“My grandfather was a Prussian army officer. My father was in the Army Air Corps, and then after that, Air Force when it changed over,” Kuhlman said. “As a matter of fact, when I graduated from high school, the first thing I got was a telegram from him (father). He was in Sondrestrom Greenland and said, “When are you enlisting?”
Jeanne Kuhlman said after graduating from college in 1969, she had limited career paths to choose from.
“In 1969 I had two choices as far as employment. I could become a schoolteacher, and I didn’t want to do that, or I could become an airline stewardess. I didn’t want to do that either, but I needed a job,” she said. “A friend of mine was talking about it and thinking about going into the Navy. So, she and I investigated, and I decided that wasn’t such a bad deal. So, it was a job, and it was something I wanted to try.”
Mrs. Kuhlman was hoping she could utilize her modern language degree in the Navy,
“I graduated from college with a modern language degree. I could speak French quite fluently, and I was studying Russia and making some progress,” she said. “So, I was hopeful that maybe there would be something in the Navy where I could use my skills. But of course, they didn’t do that. I was administrative, which is fine. That’s what women did in those days because that was still the days of the old Auxiliary, and we were just beginning to change over starting in the ‘70s. And even so, there were limitations there too. But it was interesting.”
Kuhlman said he and his wife both started as ensigns which is the same thing as a Second Lieutenant.
“She got her commission ahead of me and later on she was a Lieutenant Junior Grade, which was senior to me,” he said.
Kuhlman served in uniform from August 1970 to September 1978, while his wife served from 1969 to 1972.
Kuhlman said he met Jeanne at the request of his Division Commander.
“We met because my Division Commander wanted me to go see this person who was giving him a hard time about a fleet program,” he said. “I made an appointment with her office, and I walked in and that’s how we met. We were both at Naval Air Systems Command in Washington, DC. We met early in October 1970. We got engaged in January, and we were married in April of 1971.”
The couple later moved to Pensacola, Florida where he was taking flight training. He was later transferred to Naval Air Station Lemoore Attack Squadron 146 in California and ended up serving in Vietnam.
After returning from Vietnam, Kuhlman returned to Pensacola and was part of Helicopter Training Squadron 18.
Kuhlman, who was no longer serving in uniform due to a reduction-in-force, was sent by the Navy in 1995 as a civilian employee to Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, which was home to two Navy squadrons.
“A lot of people were dismissed due to budget cuts,” he said.
“The parent command was Naval Air Depot Jacksonville, and they needed somebody out here to be the senior airframe engineer for these squadrons out here. And that’s how we got here.
Jeanne Kuhlman said initially her husband thought the job transfer was a joke.
“He thought it was a joke when they first called him, because he didn’t remember any large bodies of water in Oklahoma,” she said.
Kuhlman worked at Tinker for 10 years before retiring in 2006.
After retiring the couple moved to Edmond to reside at Villagio of Bradford Village Independent Living.
“We really enjoy it here,” Jeanne Kuhlman said. “One thing about living in a community like this, if they don’t see you or hear from you in a day or two, they come knock on the door and check on you.”
The Kuhlman’s stay busy in retirement traveling and are active in their Quail Springs Baptist Church in north Oklahoma City.
Kuhlman also spends one day a week volunteering as a baby cuddler at Children’s Hospital in OKC.
“In 1995 I was watching a news program on Channel 3 in Pensacola, and they were doing one of their little reports about baby rockers at the hospital. And the last thing the lady said was, “We never have enough men. So, when I retired, I called up Children’s and said, “You need a male volunteer to hold babies?” And they jumped right on it,” he said.
Kuhlman continued, “My primary responsibility is to comfort and calm down babies who are agitated or upset or hungry so that they don’t burn calories. They don’t burn calories, they grow. That’s the primary responsibility. We have some other responsibilities, like we’re supposed to talk to them and read to them and all to help their mental development also. It’s my ministry.”
by Van Mitchell, staff writer

The drums sounded across the Comanche County Fairgrounds in Lawton.
The beat in honor of Native Americans who served this country with pride.
And if Kris Killsfirst, Sr., has any say in it they will keep beating for years to come as a reminder of generations of Native American U.S. Service Members past, present and future.

The seventh annual KCA Veterans Powwow was held in conjunction with the Ft. Sill Armed Forces Parade.

The event started in 2019 as a result of the Smithsonian Institute asking three Oklahoma tribes to help with the unveiling of the National Native American Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“We came together and said ‘what can we do,’” Killsfirst said. “They said “have a celebration and honor our veterans.’ That’s how we came together and started this KCA Powwow.”

Turnout was good for the first event and a partnership with the Oklahoma Department of Veteran’s Affairs office in Muskogee helped veterans in southwest Oklahoma put in 156 benefit claims.

Killsfirst said there were an astounding 86 first-time claimants.
“It was one of the largest events they had ever had,” Killsfirst said. “We reached a lot of rural veterans in Southwest Oklahoma. A lot of them came out because their families said they were dancing for them.
“A lot of our veterans come home and integrate back into society and don’t really claim and get the benefits they rightfully deserve. That’s how we kept going with this.”

Killsfirst said the event brings some broken families together for the first time in decades.
“Pretty soon they couldn’t even remember they were mad at each other,” Killsfirst laughed. “It’s a celebration. There’s no agenda.” There’s traditional food, dancing and family. “We answer a lot of questions. We educate people about who we are and what we do,” Killsfirst said. “Even to our community and neighbors, the folks we went to school with they’ve always heard our drums. They’ve always seen our regalia but they never understood exactly what it meant.”

Killsfirst laments his father’s generation never received the recognition they deserved coming back from Vietnam. He was able to bring his father out to the initial Pow Wows. “Those ones didn’t get this welcome so that’s why it’s so important,” Killsfirst said.

Earlier this year, Killsfirst was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Honor.
Other honorees included Matthew Dukes, Dr., Sergeant, US Marine Corps, Mark
Baker, Captain, US Army, Peter Plank, Lieutenant Colonel, OK State Guard and Brandi Rector, Sergeant, US Marine Corps.
Killsfirst served from September 1992 to March 2012.
He completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He served in Iraq from March 2003 to April 2004, November 2005 to November 2006 and June 2008 to June 2009 with HQs & A Company, 1-4 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion and the 4th Infantry Division.
He served as the team chief for the forward arming refill point.
During his career he also served in Fort Drum, New York with the 10th Mountain Division, Camp Mobile, Korea with 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Sill, Oklahoma with 214th Field Artillery Brigade and K-16 (Seoul Airbase), Korea with the 17th Aviation Brigade.
He retired at Fort Carson, Colorado with the 555th Engineer Brigade.
Now his mission is to help educate.
“One of the biggest things I think is important is we help educate our younger people of where they come from,” Killsfirst said. “They get to hear stories about their grandpas and their grandmas about our history.”
He points out Native Americans were not granted citizenship prior to 1924.
“Yet we deserved in defense of this country for decades before that,” he said. “We’ve only been citizens for 103 years. People don’t know that. It’s allowing our older folks to tell there story once again.” • story by Bobby Anderson, contributing writer

Tinker Air Force Base and its “Tinker Strong” philosophy were capably represented by Col. Tamilyn S. Dismukes, Deputy Commander, 72d Air Base Wing, at the 2026 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon’s three events on Saturday, April 25, in downtown OKC. She draped finishing medals over participants in the 5K run and the Senior and Kids cumulative-mile finishes of their marathons.

“Handing out medals at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon finish line was a humbling reminder of Oklahoma’s incredible dedication and passion for community,”
Col. Dismukes said. “Witnessing thousands of participants-including our service members, veterans, retirees, and their families-vividly illustrates the enduring resilience of Oklahomans. This profound shared experience reinforces the unbreakable, supportive partnership between our military and the local community.”
Spanish Cove Retirement Village and Vietnam Veterans were also well represented on April 25. The 75-strong contingent from Spanish Cove in Yukon, Oklahoma, won
a $500 cash prize for having the most participants in the Senior Marathon. The prize money is directly designated to fund and enhance the winning group’s community wellness programs.
The Senior Marathon and Kids Marathon use a “couch-to-marathon” remote compilation structure. Participants aged 60 and older walk or run a total of 25 miles incrementally starting in January (averaging roughly 1.5 miles per week).
On Saturday, April 25, at 8 a.m., the Spanish Cove team, all wearing team
T-shirts, started from outside the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to complete their final 1.2 miles together in downtown OKC.
The course guided the seniors through the streets of downtown Oklahoma City, concluding with celebratory finish medals at Scissortail Park.

The team’s efforts were spearheaded by their Wellness Director, Debbie Miller, who coordinated the training schedules, group registration, and race logistics to foster active aging.
Miller has also assembled many Dragon Boat crews since 2012 to race on the Oklahoma River downtown in RIVERSPORT’s Dragon Boat League. Spanish Cove now fields multiple specialized crews, including the Golden Dragons, Silver Dragons, and even specialized co-ed and all-women’s rosters.
In a heartwarming display of resilience, Vietnam Veteran retired Marine Capt. John Bisbee, who recently gained 100% disabled Veteran status for his Agent Orange exposure at 76, walked for the second year in the Senior Marathon with his wife Peggy.
Bisbee said he saw the event as a way to support the nonprofit Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum that opened in 2001. It has been serving the community for 25 years in honor of the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all those affected by the devastating April 19, 1995, bombing.
Just by walking its unique cumulative 25-mile training regimen before the race weekend, by completing 1.5 miles each week starting in January, they were ready. On the day of the race, they completed their marathon by walking the final 1.2 miles at the “Run to Remember.”
Bisbee said participating in the Memorial Marathon weekend holds a profound significance. “My wife and I enjoy being a part of all that
the Memorial Marathon represents-our community coming together to remember those killed, those who survived, and those permanently changed by the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.”
Their unwavering commitment to the event serves to inspire others, showing that with perseverance and the right mindset, anyone can achieve their goals and positively impact their
community.
The Senior Marathon is an untimed event, allowing runners to savor the experience without pressure or competition. In addition to the race,
the Senior Marathoners had the opportunity to participate in the Health and Fitness Expo at the Oklahoma City Convention Center on Saturday. The Expo, presented by the OKC Convention and Visitors Bureau and OU Health, was located adjacent to the finish line. It offered a platform for Senior Marathoners to interact, show their support, and gain insights into health and fitness.
The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is the largest fundraiser for the privately owned and operated Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, a National Park Service-affiliated site. Runners received free admission to tour the Museum that day.
Over two days, the event welcomed more than 20,000 runners and walkers from across the United States and several foreign countries. In addition to the Senior Marathon, a 5K and a kids’ marathon, the event featured a half-marathon, a marathon relay (comprising five-member teams) and a wheelchair division.
The Senior Marathon was presented by Mercy, a nonprofit Catholic health system serving Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, as the event’s presenting sponsor.
The fourth year of the Senior Marathon was an outstanding testament to the indomitable spirit of seniors supporting their community and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle. • story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

This past May, as the profession celebrated National RN Recognition Day and the 130th anniversary of its national organization during the opening week of National Nurses Month, retired nurse Eileen Kupper-Grubbs was honored at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Serving on the front lines of healthcare advocacy, she was formally recognized on May 6 by Oklahoma Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, for her exceptional contributions to the legislative community. Honored through the Oklahoma Nurses Association’s Nurse of the Day Program, her presence at the Capitol underscored the vital connection between clinical practice and state healthcare policy.
“Over my time in office, I have had the privilege of getting to know Eileen and witnessing firsthand the compassion, humility and servant leadership that define her life,” Standridge said in a statement.
“Her dedication to our nation’s veterans is not something she turns on and off-it is who she is. She dedicated her professional nursing career to caring for veterans at
the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Even in retirement, she continues serving those who served us all through her work as 2nd Vice Commander of Norman American Legion Post 88.”
Kupper-Grubbs has been a member of both The American Legion and The American Legion Auxiliary since 2020.
“I have watched Eileen tirelessly organize events, support veterans and their families and ensure that the sacrifices of our servicemen and women are never forgotten. She leads with a deep love of country and a profound respect for those willing to defend it.”
When asked why she chose to become
a VA nurse, Kupper-Grubbs said, “I am a Veteran, and my father, brother, and one sister were in the Army. Veterans are a precious few who would die for the United States. I wanted to be part of their care.”
“Those words capture the heart of who she is, someone who answered the call to serve long after her uniform was put away,” Standridge said.
“Today, I ask all Oklahomans to join me in recognizing and thanking Nurse Eileen Kupper-Grubbs for a lifetime of selfless service, compassion, and unwavering devotion to our veterans and our community,” Standridge said.
Kupper-Grubbs led a life steeped in military service and nursing. She was a military child whose father served in the Korean War. Her father’s sister, Florence, went to nursing school, where she met Kupper-Grubbs’ later-to-be mother. When her father returned from the war, his sister, Florence, introduced them.
Kupper-Grubbs’ grandmother, Lois, was a private nurse to a family in Illinois. “My mother was a diploma nurse. I am the third of four generations of nurses in my family,” Kupper-Grubbs said. “My sister is an advanced practice registered nurse. My niece, Christine, is an assistant professor and a coordinator in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Oklahoma State University. Her doctoral degree is from the University of Oklahoma.”
Kupper-Grubbs is a U.S. Army Veteran whose post-military career was highly focused on healthcare and now veteran advocacy in retirement. She served for three years as a Military Police (MP) officer. She also received written training in healthcare during her enlistment.
After her service, she graduated from Cameron University in Lawton with an associate’s degree in nursing using the GI bill. She moved to Moore, Oklahoma and attended Central State University to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing with a minor in psychology.
She then worked for seven years at Oklahoma City’s major teaching hospital, Oklahoma Memorial Hospital. It has since been renamed OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center, which is now Oklahoma’s primary teaching hospital.
Her first nursing job was as a medical/surgical nurse, and she became interested in transplantation.
She and her husband, Eric Grubbs, whom she married in June of 1979, moved
to Ohio when he got a job near The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Kupper-Grubbs served on the transplant floor there, did research and was published in the widely circulated RN magazine.
When Eric and Eileen Kupper-Grubbs moved back to Oklahoma, she became a certified transplant nurse. She transitioned from Oklahoma Memorial to Deaconess Hospital to continue her clinical experience in medical-surgical healthcare. Kupper-Grubbs provided dedicated service to the VA Oklahoma City Healthcare System for 13 years, beginning in October 2012. Board-Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Kupper-Grubbs served as a care manager within the healthcare system, coordinating complex treatment plans, managing resources, and advocating directly for patient needs. She specialized in acute care, patient stabilization, and post-surgical recovery, alongside fulfilling roles in palliative and ambulatory care settings.
She fulfilled her dedication to nursing as the final chapter of her 41-year nursing career at the OKCVA, retiring in June 2024.
“I am now a volunteer advocate at LifeShare Transplant Donor Services of Oklahoma, Inc. and a donor family member. My nephew, Jeremy, was a kidney and liver donor,” Kupper-Grubbs said. “I have been a docent in the Natural Wonders Gallery at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History for 17 years. I also volunteer with the Cleveland County Election Board.”
Kupper-Grubbs said, “129 years after my grandfather was born, our family has been in service to others,” she said. “We have had four members in the US Army. My son graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2006 and is currently serving in Korea. My niece Christine is teaching future nurses in Oklahoma.”
“Life does repeat itself, as you see,” Kupper-Grubbs said. “Nursing is an art, not a science; caring for others after caring for yourself is a calling.”

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

1920 – 1945 Tulsa Medal of Honor Recipient
By Jill Stephenson
The story of Albert Earnest Schwab is one of courage forged through hardship and a legacy sustained by family devotion and community honor.
Born on July 17, 1920, in Washington, D.C., Schwab was the oldest of five children in a troubled household. While his father was often absent due to work, his mother, a Chippewa woman, struggled in ways that deeply affected the family. They moved to Tulsa when he was six weeks old and his parents eventually divorced. Despite the challenges of his youth, Schwab found joy and excelled in sports, graduated from Tulsa High School in 1937 and briefly attended the University of Tulsa. He then went to work in the oil industry.
When military deferments were lifted during World War II, Schwab and his brother-in-law enlisted in the Marine Corps. Schwab quickly proved himself to be intelligent and driven and earned a reputation as an overachiever.
PFC Schwab served as a flamethrower operator in Okinawa, Japan. On May 7, 1945, during intense fighting in Okinawa, his unit became pinned down in a valley by machine gun fire coming from a ridge ahead. Facing relentless enemy fire, Schwab climbed the steep cliff toward the gun position. Fully exposed, he reached the emplacement and used his flamethrower to destroy the weapon and its crew. His actions allowed his company to move forward and take control of the ridge. Shortly afterward, a second machine gun opened fire, causing additional casualties and stopping the advance. Before he could refill his fuel supply, he moved forward to confront the new threat. Despite his limited resources, he successfully eliminated the second position.
As Schwab completed the attack, the enemy fired one final burst, causing fatal wounds. His fellow Marines recognized the extraordinary nature of his bravery and gathered witness accounts that would support the highest recognition of valor.
For his gallantry, Schwab was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. In
a ceremony in Tulsa on Memorial Day 1946, his medal was presented to his three-year-old son. His sacrifice would continue to be honored in the years that followed, including the naming of Camp Schwab on Okinawa in 1959 and a statue and designated reception area at Tulsa International Airport. His story also reached a wider audience through the writings of famed World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle.
Initially buried in Okinawa, Schwab’s remains were later returned to the United States at the request of his father. He was laid to rest with full military honors at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa in 1949. According to his niece Judy Bryant, given the magnitude of his heroism, the plainness of his grave has long felt inadequate to the family. Bryant has dedicated years to ensuring her uncle receives a more fitting tribute. Inspired by her mother JoAnn, Albert’s sister, she has worked with veterans’ organizations and community supporters to redesign his gravesite so that it more aesthetically reflects his brave and gallant sacrifice. Reflecting what a Marine of his era would have carried, the proposed design includes a Soldier’s Cross and a granite slab engraved with the full wording of his Medal of Honor citation.
Working with Tulsa’s Memorial Cemetery, the effort has taken more than a decade to gain approval and momentum. With support from individuals like John Camp of the Marine Detachment unit, plans are moving forward. The project is has been established to raise the necessary funds. For Bryant, the work is deeply personal but rooted in humility. She has never sought to claim any part of her uncle’s heroism, only to ensure that it is properly remembered. The journey has connected her with veterans and supporters whose shared respect for service has been both humbling and inspiring. Citing it as a tangible way to preserve Schwab’s story for future generations, completing the gravestone project remains a central goal on her life’s bucket list.

Albert E. Schwab’s life was shaped by adversity, but defined by heroism and valor. Today, his legacy endures not only in history books, but will be preserved by the efforts of those who refuse to let his sacrifice fade and will assure he is given the recognition he deserves in his final resting place.
Donations to help with the cost can be made by going to the Albert E. Schwab Detachment of the 857 Marine Corp League website www.mcl857.org and following the DONATE button prompts. Once the page is reached to finalize the donation, there will be a box to add an additional note. Please include
“Medal of Honor Fund” to ensure it is applied accordingly.
Any contributions received over and above what is needed will be directed toward local veteran causes.