Family and Friends Welcome Home the 1138th from Afghanistan

All 165 soldiers from the Missouri National Guard’s 1138th Transportation Company, based in Jefferson Barracks, were given a hero's welcome in Manchester Saturday.

Hundreds of family and friends—many holding signs and balloons—waited anxiously for the return of their solders from Afghanistan Saturday afternoon at the First Evangelical Free Church. The Missouri National Guard unit had arrived at Lambert Airport around 11 a.m. Saturday morning and was then bused to the church, where they waited out of sight in another room. The crowd burst into applause when the soldiers filed in and took their seats. The 1138th Transportation Company is based out of Jefferson Barracks. They’ve spent the last year working out of Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan, where they ran more than 90 convoy missions to deliver supplies to operating bases. Before returning home, more than a dozen soldiers were awarded the Bronze Star …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (14)

St. Louis Welcomes Veteran Soldiers Home

St. Louis streets were lined with people celebrating the return of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Grassroots organizers and The Mission Continues collaborated on a parade welcoming home troops from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Swarms of people came out to downtown St. Louis to watch the parade. Parade participants saw signs thanking them for their service and welcoming them home. As Patch has reported, organizers from around metro St. Louis worked to raise funds and awareness. If you could speak to one of the servicemen or servicewomen returning to the United States, what would you say? Patch readers have been telling us all week. 

•  6 Comments
• Videos (1)

Viewfinder

Creve Coeur Children Salute Veterans

Bellerive Elementary School hosted military veterans for a patriotic assembly last week.

The Viewfinder traveled to Bellerive Elementary School last week for an annual assembly in honor of Veteran's Day. The school gathered in the gym to learn how music has played an important role in morale for those who serve and the people at large ever since the Revolutionary War. Members of the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps performed for the audience, as did the Bellerive Singers, leading the school in "God Bless America", "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and other songs. Members of the Creve Coeur American Legion Post were also on hand, as were moms and dads, grandparents and other relatives of students who served in war and peacetime, from World War II through to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The assembly fittingly ended with a standing …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)
• Videos (1)

Kalen Ponche

2:03 pm on Friday, November 11, 2011

I went to a Veterans Day assembly today in St. Charles and really enjoyed it. We require kids to attend these patriotic events to teach them about our country -- as adults we have the choice to go and often don't or can't. I would encourage everyone to attend!   more ›

Fallen Soldier's Mother: Didn't Need bin Laden's Death To Vindicate Her Son's Sacrifice

Matthew Clark attended Priory High School in Creve Coeur and Ladue High School.

Osama Bin Laden’s death prompted chants of, “USA, USA , USA” from crowds outside the White House on Sunday, and on Thursday, President Obama will mark the milestone with a visit to Ground Zero in New York. But Lee Hundelt, of Weldon Spring, said, “For me, Osama bin Laden’s death was anticlimactic.” Her son, Lance Corp. Matthew W. Clark was killed Dec. 14, 2006 by a roadside bomb during the War on Terror in Iraq. Clark, a 2002 graduate of Ladue High School who also attended Priory, also served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Hundelt, who lived in Creve Coeur when her son was in the military, said that Osama bin Laden’s death meant that justice has been served, but it doesn’t change how she views her son’s death. “I didn’t need Osama bin …

• Photos (1)

Creve Coeur Native and Ladue High School Grad Reacts To The bin Laden News In Washington

Stephanie Levy found herself outside the White House Sunday night.

WASHINGTON – By now the nation has begun to amass and process the details of Sunday night’s military attack that killed Osama bin Laden. Feelings of joy and catharsis led thousands in Washington, New York and even Greek Town at my alma mater, the University of Missouri to take to the streets and express their excitement. Outside the White House, frankly, it looked like Ladue had just upset Clayton in the homecoming game. A crowd of mostly young people cheered “U-S-A!” “Thank you troops!” and “Obama!” while waving American flags, using them as clothing or both. But even as I shoved through the crowd, reaching my camera high to get that coveted shot, one thought kept crossing my mind. I really need to text my brother back. My younger brother…

• Photos (3)

Creve Coeur Hospital May Have Area's First 2011 Baby

Aden Davis came into the world at 12:28 am, after his parents made two trips to the hospital.

Some parents decide a name for their baby before he or she arrives. But while Ernest and Rosetta Davis had decided on a moniker beginning with "A" they still needed to wait before naming their new son. After all, they wanted to consult him first. "I said 'Anthony, Andrew…,'" said Ernest, recalling how he began running through a selection of names in front of the newborn. "I was going through the list that I knew my wife had liked. Nothing. Got to Austin. Nothing. Then Aden. He opened his eyes. I said, 'Is that it? Aden?' He looked up and smiled and I said 'That's it.'" But Aden Jose Davis has more than simply the distinction of getting to name himself. Born at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in Creve Coeur just after champaign corks popped…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Jean Whitney

7:06 pm on Saturday, January 1, 2011

This is a sweet story!   more ›