On August 14, 1945, the Allied Powers accepted Imperial Japan’s unconditional surrender in World War II, delivering a hard-fought American victory in the Pacific and bringing the deadliest war in human history to a decisive close. Eighty years later, our Nation remembers freedom’s triumph over tyranny—and we proudly honor the truth that victory was made possible only by the unmatched courage, grit, and sacrifice of the fearless patriots of the United States Armed Forces.

After Imperial Japan’s unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor, America responded with overwhelming force, launching a two-front fight against totalitarianism. In the Pacific—across vast oceans and unforgiving terrain—American servicemen undertook one of the most grueling campaigns in military history. From the turning point at Midway to the fierce battles on Biak Island and the sands of Iwo Jima, our troops pushed forward against a ruthless enemy, island by island, driven by duty, honor, and an unrelenting devotion to the cause of freedom.

The path to peace came at a staggering cost. More than 100,000 Americans perished in the Pacific Theater alone. It was only through the commitment and patriotism of the Greatest Generation that the Japanese Empire was defeated, ensuring that the world would be spared from the oppressive clutches of destruction and tyranny—and that America would remain a beacon of liberty and hope for the entire world for future generations. Today, Japan has become our strongest ally in the Pacific, hosting more than 50,000 American troops who stand guard against new totalitarian regimes and their expansive ambitions.

As we celebrate the 80th anniversary of winning World War II, we reflect on the sacrifices and bravery of our Nation’s troops who secured our freedom and victory. We remember with deep reverence the fearless warriors who raised our beautiful Stars and Stripes atop distant islands. Above all, we pay tribute to all those who stormed foreign shores under enemy fire to inflict the full fury of American might to defend our interests, our people, and our beloved homeland against forces of evil.

Their enduring triumph reminds us that peace is never promised, but is earned through sacrifice, defended with strength, and kept alive by those willing to risk their lives for the survival of our freedom and our beloved way of life. Guided by this vision, my Administration remains steadfastly committed to upholding a foreign policy of peace through strength to ensure that our citizens are always put first, our sovereignty is always defended, and our Nation remains the greatest country on earth.

May God bless the memory of those who fell, and may we always remain worthy of the freedom they valiantly secured.

Donald J. Trump, 45th & 47th President of the United States.

Veterans and patriots will soon be treated to a rare insight into the current training provided at Top Gun elite fighter pilot training in a six-part National Geographic docuseries, “Top Guns: The Next Generation.”

Beginning September 16 at 8 p.m., the six-part series follows a group of Navy and Marine Corps pilots as they navigate the rigorous Advanced Flight Training Program. The series captures the high-stakes aerial training, including dogfights, bombing drills, and challenging carrier approaches, highlighting the intense pressure and mental fortitude required to succeed. Their courage and determination will inspire and command respect from viewers.

“As in any docuseries or documentary about the United States Navy and Marine Corps, it will always be the intent to show the American people the professionalism and discipline of the United States Navy/Marine Corps Team,” Del City retired Navy Captain John Keilty said this week. “and in the case of Top Gun to highlight the mission to win in combat by training the best strike fighter aviators who then elevate combat readiness in the Fleet!”

This documentary series provides an inside look at the demanding and highly competitive world of elite fighter pilot training in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Only the very best will make it through the program. The series is not just entertaining, but also educational, offering a unique insight into the training process.

The series goes beyond the aircraft and follows the fighter pilots through a six-month training regimen. Their experiences both in the air and during their off-base lives with family and friends are on display, providing a unique and engaging perspective on the lives of these future “patch-wearing” pilots. (patch refers to completion of Top Gun)

Some of the creative team behind “Top Gun: Maverick” were involved in filming the series. In-cockpit cameras deliver a front-row view of the action, adding to the immersive experience as they offer unprecedented access to one of the Navy’s most elite fighter pilot programs.

While the series shares a similar spirit with the “Top Gun” movies, it’s a documentary series following real pilots in training, not a fictional story.

Two of the most dramatic episodes will be “HEAD-TO-HEAD,” which focuses on pilots under training facing their final dogfighting test against an instructor before graduation and the finale, “LAST CHANCE,” leads up to graduation and the students’ last chance to earn their patch.

Episodes are available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

Oklahoma boasts a Veteran Naval Aviator who was a Navy Test Pilot and flew with many Top Gun graduates. Retired Captain John Keilty had a long and distinguished flying career in the U.S. Navy spanning 26 years. Last month, he retired after 24 years teaching high school and college math and Science, coaching HS football and baseball and being a senior NJROTC Instructor.

He graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) in 1984 and was selected to command USNTPS from 1993 to 1995. It was during his CO tour where he participated in the first U.S. Navy/Russian Test Pilot Technical Exchange Program. He was one of seven American test pilots sent to Zhukovsky Air Base (north of Moscow) and the Gromov Flight Research Institute shortly after the Cold War, meeting with Russian pilots and discussing flight test policy, processes, and procedures.

The program was a multifaceted initiative designed to foster cooperation and understanding between the two superpowers in the post-Cold War era. He flew a MiG-29 Russian fighter trainer, and others in his delegation flew the Sukhoi Su-34 Variant. He noted the Russian test pilots seemed to spend less time preparing for our training exercises, and the pre-flight briefings were less structured and significantly shorter in time than their American counterparts (granted, there was a language barrier, but there was a translator present for all briefings).

It seemed to Keilty that they lagged behind the greater autonomy and situational awareness afforded to US pilots operating within more networked systems and advanced avionics. American jets benefited from integrated systems like AWACS and data networks that enhanced overall situational awareness.

The exchange also involved Russian cosmonauts, such as Igor Volk, Chief of Russian Flight Test, who was on the Shuttle Buran Program. He was also the first test pilot to develop the aerobatic “cobra maneuver”. Igor and six other Russian Test Pilots visited Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland to test-fly American planes. Keilty described the opportunity to be in Russia and observe its “new state of freedom” as a thrill, and particularly enjoyed getting to know the Russian people and pilots involved in the program.

Keilty said he found it a privilege and an awesome opportunity to fly the MiG-29. Still, the experience highlighted the differing design philosophies and technological advancements that separated the two nations’ fighter aircraft during that period. He acknowledged the MiG-29 was a capable aircraft for its time, but less advanced systems limited its overall effectiveness compared to its American counterparts.

While a Flight Deck and War Plans Officer, Keilty served on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Coronado, home of the 3rd Fleet Commander.

Keilty retired in 2001 as Commander of Strategic Communications Wing ONE at Tinker Air Force Base.

He became a high school teacher to continue his community Involvement and patriotism. Keilty recently displayed continued service to America as the head of the Junior NROTC program at Del City High School. There, he was active in honoring veterans in his work memorializing Vietnam Veterans Bob Kalsu and seven men who attended Del City High School and went on to serve and die in combat in Vietnam.

Now known for his boisterous patriotic demeanor, Keilty demonstrates how modeling patriotism in Del City affects his motivation to be a thoughtful and inspiring leader.

As a former Navy pilot, Keilty says his attitude comes with the territory. “Every time I climbed into that jet and buckled in, it was like the feeling I had some 50 years ago in my first flight training, and the feeling that I represented the greatest country in the world was always very humbling and overwhelming to me,” Keilty said in a recent interview. “In the seven years that I was in the NJROTC program at Del City High School, I saw many young kids voluntarily raise their right hand, take an oath to support and defend, and then go out and make significant contributions to America’s defense and readiness – just one of the greatest feelings in my life!” •
Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

https://excellpcs.com/

The Oklahoma Veterans Commission brought its, August 8, 2025, meeting to the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Claremore Veterans Home, where commissioners, agency leaders, and guests gathered to discuss the future of veteran care and services across the state. The meeting began with the formal approval of the previous minutes-a quick procedural step-but the mood in the room carried a sense of purpose. This was not simply about routine governance. It was about action, change, and making visible progress for the more than 260,000 veterans who call Oklahoma home.
A major highlight of the meeting was the update on the newly formed Oklahoma Veterans Foundation. Already recognized as a charitable corporation in the state, the foundation is awaiting federal 501(c)(3) status, which will open the door to donations from individuals, corporations, and community organizations. These funds will be directed toward programs and services that directly benefit veterans, filling gaps where state and federal resources may fall short. Commissioners spoke about the importance of getting the legal and financial framework right from the start to ensure transparency and trust. “I’ve already had people tell me, ‘As soon as you can take a check, I’m writing one,’” Commissioner Martin said. “This is more than paperwork-it’s building the future of veteran support in Oklahoma.”
From there, attention turned to a challenge that touches the lives of veterans and their families every day: admissions to Oklahoma Veterans Homes. In the past, applications could take weeks to process, causing stress for families and delays in care. By replacing the outdated paper-based review process with a streamlined digital system, approval times have been cut to about 24 hours in most cases. This change allows medical staff, administrators, and other decision-makers to review applications simultaneously instead of sequentially. “We went from two or three weeks to about a day. That means a veteran who needs care now isn’t sitting in limbo,” explained Candice McIntire, Homes Outreach Coordinator. Each home now has a weekly admissions goal, and several are already approaching the Commission’s target of 90 percent occupancy. For many in the room, this represented not just operational efficiency, but a moral victory.
Another topic that received considerable discussion was the role of Veteran Service Officers (VSOs). Currently, veterans can receive different guidance depending on where they go for help-a situation ODVA wants to fix. The plan is to align training across all veteran service organizations so that every veteran receives the same high-quality, accurate information. “Whether a veteran walks into a state office or a local service organization, they should hear the same answers,” said Executive Director James “Jay” Bynum. In 2025, ODVA plans to roll out expanded hands-on training, including specialized instruction in disability claims, pensions, and military sexual trauma cases. Veterans in attendance expressed strong support for the move, with one noting, “It’s frustrating when two people give you two different answers. Consistency matters.”
Financial stability was another central theme. Following the pandemic, the cost of contract nursing staff increased dramatically, putting pressure on ODVA’s budget. By raising wages for full-time employees, ODVA has been able to recruit and retain more permanent staff, cutting the number of contract workers and saving millions of dollars annually. “We’ve been able to hire good people, keep them, and still save money,” said Executive Director Bynum. Centralizing purchasing across facilities is another cost-saving measure, bringing consistency to supply orders and reducing waste.
Infrastructure needs were also on the agenda. Many Oklahoma Veterans Homes are decades old, and some have rooms offline due to needed repairs. In Ardmore, for example, more than 20 beds are currently unusable because of water damage. Plans are in place to repair and modernize those spaces, with the goal of restoring them to service. “Every bed we can restore is another veteran we can serve,” Bynum emphasized.
Community outreach remains a major priority. ODVA is building a statewide veteran database to help connect veterans with benefits and services they may not know about. The agency plans to use this database as the backbone of a targeted outreach campaign, meeting veterans where they are-whether that’s at hospitals, community centers, or even sporting events. “It’s not enough to wait for veterans to come to us,” Bynum said. “We have to go to them.”
Training events are also evolving. The agency’s annual service officer training conference has been rebranded and moved to January to allow for more comprehensive, interactive learning. This year’s event will bring together ODVA staff and representatives from other veteran service organizations, reinforcing the idea that serving veterans is a shared mission. “It’s going to be hands-on, not just lectures,” Veterans Services Director, Lisa Acevedo promised.
Throughout the meeting, the human side of this work was never far from the surface. Candice described the joy of calling a family to say their loved one could be admitted the next day. “The relief in their voice-there’s nothing like it,” she said. Candice also told of a veteran who moved in after years of struggling alone. “He told us, ‘I wish I’d done this sooner. I feel like I’m part of a family again.’ That’s why we do this.”
As the meeting concluded, commissioners reflected on the progress made and the work ahead. Challenges remain: filling every available bed, modernizing aging facilities, and securing sustainable funding. But the momentum is real. “We’re on the right track,” Commissioner Martin. “Every improvement means a better life for the people who served our country.”
The next Oklahoma Veterans Commission meeting is scheduled for November 7, 2025, in Lawton. Between now and then, ODVA will continue its push for faster admissions, consistent services, stronger outreach, and more efficient operations-all in the name of honoring veterans through action, not just words. •
By Daron Hoggatt, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, Public Information Officer

How do you tell the story of World War II – through airplanes, tanks, uniforms, and the voices of those who lived it? At the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, the answer is yes. Exhibitions with 300,000 artifacts and over 12,000 personal narratives fill three floors of six buildings across seven acres.
Told from the American perspective, the museum tells the tragic story of the deadliest war in human history. Give yourself four to six hours to experience it fully.
Don’t Miss These Galleries: D-Day, Europe, and the Pacific
You’ll walk through a timeline of battles, such as North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy, surrounded by maps, videos, audio broadcasts, photographs, written and oral histories, weapons, and personal items. Both Allied and Axis artifacts are on display.
The galleries use simulated environments to make visitors feel like they are there. For example, in the Rising Sun exhibit, first, you’re on a ship with lifeboats and sleeping hammocks and later, you’re walking in a dark island jungle amid sand, palm trees and a simulated pill box. Add shouted commands, gunfire, sounds of airplanes – even a P-51 fighter hanging overhead – and you feel you’re in the fight.
One visitor, John Powell of Rochester, Illinois, said he liked “the level of immersion and audio-visual to support the artifacts and personal stories. It’s better than what I expected.”
Real People. Real Stories
The museum tells stories of the 16 million Americans who served. One heartbreaking moment is reading the telegram notifying the family of Private First Class James W. Oglesby that he was killed in action at Bougainville on March 25, 1944. Alongside it is a letter from his chaplain and a photo of Oglesby and his girlfriend – whom he secretly married just before departing.
Corporal Kenneth Kassels, who landed on D-Day, survived a gunshot wound to the head. His helmet, still bearing a bullet hole, is on display.
I met three members of the 150th Engineering Battalion, a Mississippi-based Army Guard unit visiting in uniform after field training and asked for their thoughts.
“You get the experience of what the soldiers went through at the time…” said Sergeant Major Micquel Miller. Captain Joel Baldwin said the WWII generation was “born into a time when the common man was needed to do extraordinary things.” And Lieutenant Colonel Seth Davidson said “leadership hadn’t changed much in 80 years, it (the museum) is helping us understand what past veterans went through and helps us as leaders today.”
Beyond the Battlefield
The Arsenal of Democracy exhibit explores America’s internal debate – isolationism vs. interventionism – from 1939 to 1941 before Pearl Harbor and how the nation mobilized its economy for war.
The Liberation Pavilion focuses on the aftermath: the Holocaust, the Monuments Men who searched for stolen art, war crime trials, and civil rights and other changes to inequality. The role of non-white men and women were also explored – 1.2 million African-Americans served; 350,000 women joined the military and 19 million worked; and Japanese-Americans were incarcerated.
In the Freedom Pavilion, enormous aircraft hang above you, including a B-17E Flying Fortress and a B-25J bomber, and vehicles of war are displayed.
I spoke with Chesley Hines, an 85-year-old Vietnam veteran and museum volunteer. “I grew up knowing about the war. I relate to these guys and girls (that served). It’s so important to the city (New Orleans)…I enjoy meeting people.
Other exhibits
The museum includes more than 15 smaller exhibits and interactive features: Higgins Landing Boat, Voices From the Front (interactive conversations with members of the WWII generation), U.S. Merchant Marines: We Deliver the Goods, U.S.S. Tang Submarine Experience – an interactive mission, Freedom Theater on the war’s global stakes and the 4D film “Beyond All Boundaries”, narrated by Tom Hanks (temporarily unavailable). Whew!
A take-away is learning that WWII killed about 76,598 million people and reshaped many nations and formed new ones. Through it all, one truth resonates: freedom is never free.
Plan Your Visit
The museum is wheelchair accessible, fully air-conditioned, and offers three types of guided tours for $20 each. Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tickets: $26 for children (K-12), $33 for seniors, $26 for military (active, retired, or veteran). There are no audio phones.
There are two cafés inside and two more restaurants at the adjacent Higgins Hotel. Four gift shops offer everything from books and apparel to WWII-themed games.
In 2024, the museum estimated that 658 WWII veterans in Oklahoma were still alive. Their stories live on through this remarkable museum. • story by Lt Col Richard Stephens, Jr., USAFR, Ret.

Early Life & Tulsa Race Massacre

Olivia Hooker was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1915.  When she was a child, she and her family moved fifty miles away to Tulsa…Hooker’s father owned a clothing store in the affluent Greenwood District, sometimes known as America’s “Black Wall Street.”

In 1921, when Hooker was six years old, white supremacist rhetoric boiled over into vicious violence.  Enraged by false rumors that a local Black man had assaulted a white woman, white mobs invaded the Greenwood neighborhood.  Arsonists torched homes, businesses, churches, and schools…At least dozens – likely hundreds – of Black Tulsans died. Nearly 10,000 were left homeless.

Hooker and her family were at home when intruders carrying torches entered their backyard.  In an interview with NPR, she remembered her mother hiding her and her siblings under the dining room table… “It was a horrifying thing for a little girl who’s only six years old,” she said, “trying to remember to keep quiet, so they wouldn’t know we were there.”  The men destroyed the family record player and butchered the piano with an ax.  The mob also burned her father’s store to the ground.

The Hooker family left the city soon after the massacre.  They moved to Topeka, Kansas and then to Ohio.  Hooker earned a BA at Ohio State University and began working as a teacher.  She told NPR that her parents urged her and her siblings to avoid “agonizing over the past” and instead “look forward and think how we could make things better.”

SPARS Service

During World War II, the US military began opening its ranks to women for the first time…When the Navy’s WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) program finally opened to Black enlistees in 1944, Hooker applied several times.  But the WAVES turned her down… Instead, Hooker decided to try the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, better known as the SPARS. In a 2013 interview, she recalled that the SPARS recruiter was “just so welcoming, she wanted to be the first one to enroll an African American.”

On March 9, 1945, Hooker became the first Black SPAR on active duty.  Along with four other Black women, she completed boot camp at the Coast Guard’s training center in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn.  She went on to further training as a yeoman, or administrative specialist…The head of the school wrote to every Coast Guard station commander—there were 11—to find an assignment for her.  Only one, in Boston, agreed to take a Black yeoman.

At her post in Boston, Hooker worked in the separation center, processing paperwork for those who were discharging from the service.  While she was there, the war ended…She left the SPARS having been promoted to yeoman 2nd class.

Asked about her SPARS service in 2013, Hooker reflected:

“I would like to see more of us realize that our country needs us, and I’d like to see more girls consider spending some time in the military, if they don’t have a job at all and they have ambition, and they don’t know what heights they might reach. It’s really nice to have people with different points of view and different kinds of upbringing. The world would really prosper from more of that.”

Psychologist

After leaving the SPARS, Hooker used her GI Bill benefits to go back to school.  She earned an MA from Teachers College at Columbia University and a PhD in psychology from the University of Rochester.

Hooker taught at Fordham University in New York City from 1963 until 1985.  She then worked at the Fred S. Keller School…She retired in 2002, at the age of 87.  Hooker co-founded a division of the American Psychological Association (APA) dedicated to intellectual and developmental disabilities.  The APA honored her with a Presidential Citation in 2011.

Later Life & Honors

Throughout her life, Hooker shared her memories of the Tulsa race massacre and advocated for justice for its victims.  No one was charged, and most victims received no compensation from their insurance companies. Hooker co-founded the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission in 1997 to unearth the buried evidence of the massacre. She also pressed for reparations for Black Tulsans. She joined a lawsuit against the state and testified before Congress in 2005 and 2007. In the 2020s, victims and their descendants continue to seek acknowledgement and financial compensation for the massacre.

In 2015, the Coast Guard recognized Hooker by renaming a training facility and a dining hall in her honor. Hooker died in 2018 at the age of 103.

By Ella Wagner, PhD, Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, National Park Service.   Article used with the permission of the National Park Service, August 6, 2025.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will realign an additional $800 million this fiscal year as part of the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-Recurring Maintenance program, which makes infrastructure improvements to health care facilities to ensure safe and effective patient care.
The extra funding means more resources to repair and update aging VA facilities and technology.
The money will be spent on a variety of planned and supplemental improvement projects at various VA health care facilities across the nation, including the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, where the following improvements will occur:
• Abate Asbestos Phase 1 • Convert Surgery Air Handler to 80% return • Repair/Replace Condensate Return System (and pump)
“This is another step forward in our efforts to make VA work better for the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we are charged with serving,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “Improved facilities, equipment and infrastructure help improve care for Veterans, and these additional funds will enable VA to achieve that goal.”
The additional funds will come from savings gleaned from various VHA reform efforts. The additions will bring total NRM program spending for fiscal year 2025 to $2.8 billion – a nearly $500 million increase from fiscal year 2024.
The improvements announced today are the latest in a growing list of VA accomplishments during the second Trump Administration, including:
• The backlog of Veterans waiting for VA benefits is down more than 37% since Jan. 20, 2025.
• Since Jan. 20, VA has offered Veterans nearly 1 million appointments outside of normal operating hours. These early-morning, evening, and weekend appointments are giving Veterans more timely and convenient options for care.
• VA has opened 16 new health care clinics across the nation since Jan. 20, 2025.
• The President’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request would add billions to VA’s budget.
• VA has made it easier and faster for VA-enrolled Veterans to access care from non-VA providers at the department’s expense.
• VA has implemented major reforms to make it easier for survivors to get benefits.
• VA is processing record numbers of disability claims, reaching 1 million claims processed for FY25 on Feb. 20 and reaching 2 million claims by June – both achievements were done in record time.

I am Cord Fowler, a US Navy veteran, Husband, Father, and Grandfather here in Oklahoma City. I am an eternally grateful follower of Jesus Christ and very happily married to my wife of 38 years, Kim. I know there are plenty of wonderful wives and mothers out there, but God gave me the best one!
In 1990, I was 5 years into my Navy career, working as an Electronics Technician 2nd class Petty Officer on the USS Tarawa (LHA-1). The Tarawa was an amphibious assault ship, carrying helicopters, landing craft, Marines, and equipment for amphibious operations. We deployed during Operation Desert Storm to transport Marines to the Persian Gulf in support of that successful operation.
After my separation from the Navy, I stayed in the technology field for several years, but God had a new plan for my life. I enrolled in Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, OK where I earned a BS in Biblical Leadership. That led to a new career as a Hospice Chaplain. Becoming a Hospice Chaplain has become one of the most challenging and rewarding chapters of my life! I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people at the end of their journey here on earth and have celebrated with them their expectation and hope and what comes next because of Jesus.
One of my most memorable clients was a US Navy veteran who served during World War II. At the time he was transporting marines in the invasion of Guam and the Tarawa atoll. What an amazing coincidence, I served on the very shipped named after the Battle of Tawara he was in Thanksgiving week November 1943. He was piloting a landing craft full of marines headed toward Tarawa. Approximately 150 yards away from the shore, the craft stopped abruptly. It had run aground on the coral reef tearing a hole in the bottom of the craft. He put the throttle at full thrust with no avail. He then tried going backwards with no luck. They were stuck! He described that they were under heavy machine gun and mortar fire. The Marine Sergeant in charge of the squad in the boat shouted at him, “Squid! You need to get us the hell out of here!” My client shouted back, “We’re stuck, I can’t move us!” The Marine ordered everyone, “Out of the boat! Go over the side!” all the while receiving intense small arms fire and explosions all around them.
As soon as all the Marines had left his craft, it became lighter, and he was able to back up off the reef and attempted to return to the ship. He was taking on water and didn’t think he could make it back. Despite the damage he made it back, only to see multiple landing craft in line waiting to be recovered. He piloted his craft to the front of the line when the operations chief on the ship deck ordered him to the back of the line. He shouted back at the chief, “There is a hole in the bottom of my boat and I’m taking on water. If you don’t pull me out now, you’ll need to recover the boat from the bottom of the sea!” The chief ordered that his boat be brought aboard next. He thankfully lived to tell this story to his mates, family members and now me!
I love the shared stories of our service, because we all seem to have examples of these amazing connections, even with those we never served with. That Navy veteran and I became trusted friends, brothers in arms, and brothers in Christ. Our lives are blessed by shared service, a shared Savior, and a shared hope of heaven. •
By Cord Fowler, Chaplain: Legacy Family Hospice

The Bethany Improvement Foundation is raising funds to help build and complete the Bethany Veterans Plaza.

The Bethany Improvement Foundation is raising funds to help build and complete the Bethany Veterans Plaza.
This initiative is entirely community-funded, community-designed, and community-driven. It reflects a shared commitment to honoring those who served and strengthening the bonds within their city.
Southern Nazarene University donated the northwest side of Donald Street and NW 39th Expressway (Route 66) for the placement of the plaza.
The Veteran’s Plaza was designed by local sculptor, Scott Stearman, to honor all members of the Armed Services.
“The thing that motivated me about the Veterans Plaza was being a member of this community in that this is where I have my business, this is where I have my home, it’s where I went to college,” Stearman said. “The idea of the Veterans Plaza really started when (former) Mayor KP Westmoreland called me and asked me about creating something for the city of Bethany. But as more of us came together and started dreaming about what it could look like, it really became more than just a Bethany place. This became (original name) Route 66 Oklahoma Veterans Monument. It will be a place that will invite people to visit, a place to honor, service, and sacrifice, and patriotism.”
Stearman said the purpose of this plaza is to invite you to step into the stories of those that have served.
“The stories of those who served are going to be presented,” he said. “Of course, there will be a big central sculpture that will represent different eras and different genders and different ethnic groups that have been represented in our military service branches.”
He continued, “One of the aspects that I’m really excited about incorporating into this is there will be a place for you to read excerpts from letters that were taken. Words that were taken from the battlefield, words that were sent back home to families and spouses, to children. The text will be captured in a little bronze plaque, and you’ll read a letter from someone. Letters from World War I, letters from World War II, Vietnam, letters from Desert Storm. It’s going to be positioned in a circle as it goes around the central sculpture.”
Stearman said the Veterans Plaza will be a place to appreciate and treasure what service and sacrifice means.
“We will have seen their words, and we will have an understanding of what that is all about,” he said. “I’ve talked about this place to be a tribute to veterans and to the families and friends of veterans who sacrificed as well. It’s not really a memorial. This is a veteran’s plaza that will be a tribute.”
Stearman said there will be a memorial aspect to the plaza.
“Set off to the side, a little bit behind the main plaza with the big center sculpture and the wall and the letters and the bronze plaques and all the words will be an area that is a memorial for the fallen from Oklahoma who have died in the global war on terrorism,” he said.
He continued “We don’t think this exists anywhere in the state of Oklahoma. This will be the first place in the state of Oklahoma where all the names of the fallen in the war on terror will be listed on one wall. These are Oklahomans who have died in service since 9/11. They’ll be etched on a black granite wall. It’ll be very much like the Vietnam Wall where folks will be able to do a rubbing, they’ll be able to put a piece of paper up there and rub it and get an impression of what that name is on the wall.”
Stearman said standing in front of that wall will be a sculpture.
“It is a life-size sculpture of a little girl, five years old, literally 39 inches tall, and she’s standing in front of that wall of names and she’s going to be holding a folded flag. That’s all we’re going to know,” he said. “When we walk up to this sacred place, we’ll see this little girl looking at a wall of names holding a folded flag, and we will complete the story. The truth is, she represents us. She represents our community. She represents families and friends who’ve sent loved ones into harm’s way, and now she stands in this silent tribute looking at a wall of names.”
He added, “We’ll fill in the blanks on the story, but she will present a beautiful truth that the citizens of Oklahoma have a great debt and have experienced a great loss, because someone they loved, their name is on that wall. So that’s the memorial aspect of it.”
Stearman said the Veterans Plaza will include three sculptures.
“Three sculptures will be against the sky as you drive by. A Vietnam frontline surgical trauma nurse, a World War II/Korean War veteran, and standing in the center will be a modern-day desert warrior, and the two from previous eras and previous wars will have their hand on his shoulder,” he said. “It will be a previous generation supporting the active-duty soldier today. There’s a continuation of the call to arms that a nation has extended to its citizens or call to arms to go to battle. This is a place to honor those who have answered the call.”
Lawrence A. Ross, committee member of the Bethany Improvement Foundation, said he remains hopeful the first phase of the plaza can be approved by the end of the year by the Bethany City Council.
“I’m still hopeful that by the end of the year, the city council will have said yes, and I can begin looking for contractors and hopefully these angel donors will come out of the woods who I’m told are just waiting for full city approval for our location,” he said.
Donations are being solicited and should be sent to Priscilla Cude, Treasurer, Bethany Improvement Foundation, P.O. Box 218, Bethany, OK 73008. Payable to Bethany Improvement Foundation, which is a 501-c-3 charitable contribution. • By Van Mitchell, Staff Writer

Pratt & Whitney Oklahoma City has been selected as the 2025 “Employer of Veterans” (Large Employer) by the American Legion Department of Oklahoma. The award recognizes the company’s strong support of veteran employees and its commitment to hiring and retaining those who have served in the military. Pratt & Whitney is an RTX business.
The award was presented on Saturday, July 12, during the American Legion Department of Oklahoma Convention in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
“Veterans bring unique skills, perspectives and leadership to our team,” said Greg Treacy, vice president, Pratt & Whitney Oklahoma City. “We’re proud to support them-not only during their time in uniform, but throughout their careers with us.”
Earlier this year, three Pratt & Whitney OKC leaders received the Secretary of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award during an employee event. That same nomination was shared with the American Legion by the ESGR State Chair, leading to the site’s selection for this statewide recognition.
The recognition reflects Pratt & Whitney OKC’s ongoing efforts to create a workplace where those who have served-and continue to serve-can thrive.

Veterans who receive community care for medical treatment have been required in the past to seek and receive new referrals every 90 to 180 days. Just getting that referral or authorization can cause delays in treatment. Now, with changes at the VA, those referrals won’t be as frequent.
Starting now, in 30 different categories of medical care, referrals and new authorizations will only be required once a year.
Community care can literally be a lifesaver for veterans who live too far from a VA medical facility, whose closest facility doesn’t provide the medical care that’s required or if the VA’s wait times are not acceptable.
Here are a few of the 30 medical categories that are now eligible for the longer authorization: cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, pain management and pulmonary.
If you’ve been getting community medical care and are subject to the need for frequent reauthorizations, contact the Community Care office at your closest VA medical center to ask how the new rule impacts the schedule you’ll be on going forward. Ask whether the new “year” began when your current authorization period did, or whether a new year begins right now. Get the answer in writing, if you can. Take the steps you need to, to guarantee that your authorization is indeed extended so you don’t discover at the last minute that there’s been a problem and that your file was overlooked.
If you’d like to take advantage of community care, you need to be enrolled in VA health care or be eligible for it.
If you’re getting VA care, tell your VA physician that you’d like to get community care. If they think it’s appropriate, they will start a referral.
Once you find a civilian community care provider that you like, be sure to verify that they’re part of the VA’s network before you get any treatment from them, otherwise VA won’t pay for it.
To learn more about community care or to find a provider in your area, go online to www.va.gov/communitycare. •
By Freddy Groves
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.