Katrina Palan has spent her life moving between two callings: military service and ministry, each shaped profoundly by family.
Katrina comes from a lineage steeped in service. Her father, an Air Force veteran, flew for years as an Aircraft Commander, eventually logging over 15,000 flying hours and earning an Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. He and Katrina flew together regularly until a tragic Naval incident that claimed the lives of five brothers led to a policy change barring family members from flying together. Katrina’s father and stepmother served in the Air Force and reserves during Vietnam.

Katrina joined the Air Force Reserve in 1978 through the Delayed Entry Program, enlisting three months before her high school graduation. Originally from Michigan, she relocated to Biloxi, Mississippi, following her father’s assignment with the Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. Stationed at Keesler Air Force Base, she served with the 34th Air Weather Flight, the 815th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the 920th Air Wing. As a meteorologist and weather forecaster working closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), she flew as a “drop sonde operator,” gathering data during hurricane reconnaissance missions and, in wartime, flying ahead of other aircraft to support refueling operations. Her service took her around the globe, even into the Arctic Circle. Her father notably served as the Aircraft Commander during her very first hurricane mission. For her efforts, Katrina earned an Air Medal of her own, a distinction requiring at least 15 penetrations into named storms. She served from 1978 to 1991, holding the rank of Technical Sergeant. She eventually stepped back from the reserves as the monthly call to duty became difficult to balance with her enjoyment of being a stay-at-home mother.
While serving in Mississippi, Katrina met her husband, an Air National Guard member from Pennsylvania who relocated to be near her after they met in February of 1980. The couple married that November and together raised three sons and one daughter. Their oldest followed his grandfather’s path into aviation, attended the Air Force Academy and became a pilot. He served 25 years and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for a mission in Afghanistan.

The A-10 aircraft he flew during that mission has since been decommissioned, bears his name and is on display at the “Boneyard” in Arizona. He currently flies for United Parcel Service (UPS). Having come through ROTC at TCU, her youngest son served as an Artillery Officer in the Army for a total of ten years. A nephew continues the family’s tradition of service as an Army National Guard gunner on Blackhawk helicopters.
Despite generations of military service, no one in her family has been injured or killed in the line of duty. Katrina often reflects on how fortunate they have been. Tragedy did touch the family in another way when Katrina’s husband died in 2016. Two of her sons were actively serving at the time and were sent home by the Red Cross to be with her.
Katrina’s path into ministry began later in life. At the age of 35 she felt called into service through a vivid dream. She came to understand it as a call to seminary. A friend showed her a flier about Clinical Pastoral Education that set her on the road to chaplaincy. Her first role was at a Level One trauma center in Wichita, Kansas. She later returned to complete her undergraduate degree at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, all while continuing chaplaincy work with the Wichita Police Department and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department. Her ministry has since carried her through Ottawa, Kansas; Omaha, Nebraska; disaster chaplaincy work with the Salvation Army in Carlinville, Illinois; and service with the Broken Arrow Police Department. All of her chaplaincy roles have been volunteer positions. Her paid, full-time work has come through interim pastoral roles, filling pulpits between permanent hires.
For 33 years, Katrina has answered the call to serve as a chaplain, and she isn’t ready to stop. She still feels there’s more work for her to do. Since 2024, she has served at the Coffee Bunker as one of six chaplains and the first and only woman to hold that role. For years, because her service was in the reserves, she quietly doubted whether her military experience counted. At the Coffee Bunker, a place that welcomes anyone who raised their hand and took the oath, she has finally embraced her identity as a veteran and has been met with the gratitude and recognition that has eluded her for years. In her free time, Katrina enjoys spending time with her eleven grandchildren. • story by Jill Stephenson, contributing writer

By Jill Stephenson

U.S. Army, Oklahoma Army National Guard, KIA September 17, 2008.

In mid May a long time friend came to visit me. She came to visit family and attend a graduation party. We met many years ago while working together in Minnesota. We never talked much about her roots or her family from Oklahoma. Little did we know that years later, I would end up living near where she grew up. Sheryl and I were neighbors so she knew my son before he was killed in action. One of the family members she spent time with during her visit was her cousin Kory Thompson. Sheryl informed me that Kory had lost his son Michael in Iraq in 2008. She wondered if we knew each other. We didn’t, however we discovered that we have mutual friends and were both likely at the Middle East Conflicts Wall in Marseilles, Illinois for an event several years ago. It’s a small world.
Kory served in the Air Force for six years. His father served in the Army and Air Force during WWII and Korea.
Michael Thompson grew up in Kingston, Oklahoma. He graduated high school in 2003. Michael had wanted to be in the military since he was a little boy. The events of September 11th sharpened that pull, so did his best friend’s example. He had joined the Marine Corps a year earlier and was part of the first push into Baghdad. Michael enlisted in the Army in early 2004.
Friends and family called him Mikey. With three Michaels in his class, he became “Mikey T.” His fellow soldiers had another name for him: “EYRE,” his middle name and an Irish family name. His father, Kory, had addressed letters to him that way, in all caps, and it stuck. They also called him “the packhorse” because he was a big man with a kid’s heart, always willing to carry more than his share of the load.
Mikey joined the 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas, and deployed with them in 2005-06. He left active duty service in early 2007, but soon discovered that civilian work didn’t pay well and he missed the structure and discipline of the Army. A few months later he re-enlisted in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. When he heard the unit out of Lexington, Oklahoma needed infantry guys as open-door machine gunners, he asked his commander for a transfer. He got his wish.
On his second deployment, Thompson was serving as an open-door machine gunner aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, call sign Red River 44, when the helicopter went down near Talil, Iraq. All seven soldiers on board were killed, including two other OK National Guardsmen; SGT. Daniel Eshbaugh and Chief Warrant Officer Brady Rudolf. Also killed were Chief Warrant Officer 2 Corry Edwards, SGT. Anthony Mason, 1st SGT. Julio Ordonez, and 1st LT. Robert Vallejo II.
Mikey was laid to rest at Shay Cemetery in Shay, Oklahoma. A shared memorial for the crew of Red River 44 stands at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery.
Mikey’s obituary described him as “happiest with a gun or a fishing pole in his hand, never met a stranger, and would give anyone the shirt off his back and the last dollar out of his pocket.”
In 2010, a 17-mile stretch of State Highway 70 was designated as the CPL Michael Thompson Memorial Highway. It runs from the west side of the Roosevelt Bridge through the town of Kingston where Mikey grew up.
Mikey’s father shared that there are still things about the notification day he doesn’t remember. He says you can never be who you were before your child died. Within a year of Mikey’s death, Kory joined the Patriot Guard Riders. Standing in flag lines honoring the fallen for other grieving families helped save him. He did this almost daily, until it grew too painful to continue. Michael’s brother, Tommy, died three years ago at age 46 from a heart attack. Kory’s takeaway is this: “Life is about the dash between the dates. We should make the most of it while we are still here.”
For ten years, Mikey’s friends held an annual memorial swim at Lake Texoma in his honor, raising scholarship funds for his high school. Twelve children have been named after him. The boys have been given his first name, and the girls his middle name, Eyre. For this reason and for the friend he was to many, Mikey lives on and will not be forgotten. •

Army 1st Sergeant (Ret.) Walter S. Johnson, of Yukon, took a trip of a lifetime when he joined other United States military veterans on a trip to the nation’s capital on Oct.1, 2024 on the Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight.
And now Johnson is spreading the word to other veterans interested in taking an Honor Flight.
The Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight is a volunteer-driven program that flies Oklahoma veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit their war memorials at no cost, honoring their service and sacrifices.
Veterans on the Honor Flight visit key memorials, including the U.S. Marine War Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Vietnam, Korean, and World War II Memorials.
“I was very humbled, grateful, and honored,” Johnson said. “The Honor Flights are a 501(c)(3) organization of volunteers that schedule flights every year. The trip is free, which covers everything. Costs are covered by donations, corporate sponsors, grants, and fundraisers. The Honor Flight Network has 129 hubs in 44 states.”
According to the Tulsa Beacon website www.tulsabeacon.com, on Oct. 7, 2025, 67 Oklahoma veterans participated in the Honor Flight, including 62 Vietnam War veterans, 3 Korean War veterans, and 2 who served in both conflicts. The event included a send-off ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa and a Welcome Home celebration at Tulsa International Airport, where the public was invited to cheer and honor the returning veterans.
Gov. Kevin Stitt officially proclaimed the day as “Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight Day” in recognition of the veterans and the nonprofit
A Maryland native, Johnson, had a 27-year career with the Maryland State Police. He served three years in the Army.
Johnson traveled with a retired Air Force friend to Tulsa to catch their Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight.
“I traveled to the Tulsa area with my retired Air Force friend to a large hotel for coordination of our Meet and Greet, photos with Miss and Mrs. Oklahoma, dinner and a night’s lodging,” he said. “Our group consisted of 65 veterans, 65 guardians to assist each veteran, nine EMTs, and 10 other support personnel for a total of 149 people. All were volunteers. I was one of nine veterans from the Korean War, and the others were Vietnam veterans.”
Each veteran is accompanied by a guardian, a volunteer responsible for their well-being during the trip. Guardians help with logistics, boarding, security, and ensuring veterans have a safe and memorable experience. The program is entirely volunteer-run, requiring thousands of hours to organize each flight.
Johnson was accompanied on the Honor Flight by Aubrey Thomas.
“He is a veteran and he served as my trip guardian,” Johnson said. “He volunteered as a way to give back to other veterans.”
Johnson said they spent eight hours in Washington D.C. taking a bus tour of all the war memorials, the United States Capitol building, the White House and Arlington National Cemetery.
“We also watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” he said. “I favored this one as it represented the past, present and future. They do that 24 hours, seven days a week, 365 days a year with strength and perseverance. In all our travels people honored and thanked us for our service.”
Johnson said their buses were assisted with large police escorts, always present, front and rear.
“At one point they blocked a four-lane expressway with four police cars as we approached an entry ramp,” he said.
Johnson said before leaving the airport building, a large crowd of about 400 well-wishers greeted them with thank-yous and hugs as a band played with television crews filming their send-off home to Oklahoma.
“On the flight back, support personnel presented each veteran with a manila oval envelope with cards, letters of appreciation from well-wishers from around the country,” Johnson said. “We opened this envelope up and talk about being humbled and grateful and thankful. Just a whole bunch of thank you letters, cards, and little trinkets, all kinds of stuff from people. Not from Oklahoma, but from all over the country. I responded to all of them and thanked them.”
Johnson said feedback from other veterans from his Honor Flight was very positive.
“Their reaction was the same as mine. Very, very grateful, very humbling, just wonderful,” he said. “They’re surprised that it’s not publicized. Nobody knows about it.”
Johnson said he was thankful to be part of such a special journey.
“I’m humbled, grateful, and honored as an American to have been on this trip,” he said. “Thanks to all that made it happen. I encourage all to visit the nation’s capital. Very busy and patriotic visit with other veterans.”
Johnson said the Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight will occur in October in Tulsa before another Honor Flight in April 2027 from Oklahoma City.
He said the fall Honor Flights will continue from Tulsa while Oklahoma City will be home for the spring flights.
According to the website www.oklahomawarriors.org, it takes approximately 1,300-1,500 hands-on hours to bring each flight to fruition, and that’s before they get off the ground.
The website states that organizers need help in a variety of areas including pre-flight operations, fundraising and speaker’s bureau, communications, airport logistics, working on various clerical tasks from home, and much more.
Johnson, who does public speaking events, said he talks to people about Honor Flights.
“Veterans need to know about this,” he said. “It’s a wonderful program.”
Veterans interested in participating can apply through the Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight website at www.oklahomawarriors.org. or call Honor Flight Organizer Anthony Balderaz at (405)-669-7589.
Applications can be mailed to Oklahoma Warriors Honor Flight, P.O. Box 30605 Edmond, OK 73003 or via email to [email protected] • Story and photos by Van Mitchell, staff writer