2 | Saturday, November 9, 2024
HONORING VETERANS
Busch has experience in military, law enforcement He’s now in charge of Heartland Public Shooting Park
After he left the Marines, he worked in construction for two or three years before joining the Howard County Sheriff’s Office. As manager of the Heartland Public Shooting Park, Busch is a Hornady em- ployee and has been since February. “I don’t think there’s a better company to work for,” he said. His sole focus is the 420-acre shooting park. Hornady has a five-year agreement to manage the shooting park, which remains city-owned property. The agreement took effect Jan. 1. On the side, Busch shoots competitively, entering two- and three-gun events. On Oct. 30, the Nebraska Sports Council announced that it was bringing the Corn- husker State Games’ shooting sports to Grand Island. At a news conference that day, Busch said local officials want to make the Grand Is- land area a shooting destination. “And how we do that is by adding other events,” such as the Cornhusker State Games. The goal is to help grow the sport and help grow the shooting park.
JEFF BAHR jeff.bahr@theindependent.com
Tom Busch, the manager of the Heart- land Public Shooting Park, is a veteran. He was in the Marines from January of 1999 to August of 2007. Busch wouldn’t trade his military experi- ence for anything. “I enjoyed my time in the Marine Corps. I excelled at it. I spent time with 2nd Battal- ion, 2nd Marines. I was in Weapons Com- pany,” he said. Busch, now 44, was deployed three times to Iraq. For part of his time in the Marines, he was a TOW gunner. In that position, he oper- ated a tube-launched, optically tracked, wire command-linked missile system. It is an anti-tank missile. On his second deployment, Busch was with the 2nd Light Armored Reconnais- sance Battalion. “When I went over to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, I switched over from Weapons Company to Charlie Com- pany. I became the chief scout. So I was just basically doing straight-leg infantry stuff.” He was “a machine gunner and an infan- try guy.” He got out as an infantry platoon ser- geant. Being in the Marines was good for him. “It definitely built character, for one. Two, it gave me a sense of purpose. Three, it made me grow up pretty quickly. Four, it provided me the opportunity to meet my wife.” He also built “friendships that last for- ever,” he said. He hasn’t talked to some of the men he served with for 10 or 15 years. But “you can
JEFF BAHR , THE INDEPENDENT Tom Busch enjoyed his time in the Marines. “Wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he says. He is now manager of the Heartland Public Shooting Park.
pick up that conversation” as if they see each other all the time. What was his time in Iraq like? “Hot. Stress-free. I didn’t have to worry about paying bills. I didn’t have to worry about groceries. I just had to worry about not dying.” At least in his experience, deployment is harder on the spouse and children left behind. Busch didn’t mind his deployments. “I guess it’s the adrenaline-junkie side of it,” he said. His wife, Leigh, is a North Carolina native. They have three kids, ages 20, 16 and 11. He has experience in law enforcement as well as the military. He spent 14 years with the Howard County Sheriff’s Office, nine of them as sheriff.
Busch, who grew up near St. Libory, graduated from Northwest High School in 1998.
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HONORING VETERANS
Centura students thank veterans with letters, pictures
JOSH SALMON Grand Island Independent
CAIRO — For over a decade, kids at Cen- tura Public Schools students have been giv- ing back to the community, namely area veterans, by telling them thank you via letters and colored pictures. Barb Knopik, fifth-grade teacher at Cen- tura, said she has a major emotional connec- tion to the “Letters To Veterans” program. “Between my husband and I, we have six family members who have served, with my brother the most recent,” Knopik said. An emotional Knopik added, “We are extremely thankful for them (veterans).” Area veterans sign up with the school to receive the special mail. Knopik said they have even had some veterans return their appreciation for the kids. “Some will correspond by writing back to the kids,” said Knopik. “That is a great way for them to communicate.” Last year, one veteran showed up in per- son and met some of the kids who wrote him letters and colored him pictures. Kids in grades 3-5 hand-write thank you letters to either veterans in their own fami- lies, or ones on the school’s list. Kinder-
States. “We get to go out and do things, and we don’t have kings and queens telling us what to do,” Bryden said. He also said veterans can be younger in age or older, and they may have served a long time ago, or more recently. Paetyn Wilkins, a third-grader at Centura Elementary school, works on a thank you note to a local veteran on Wednesday, Oct. 30. They letters, along with colored pics by the first-graders, get mailed to area veterans.
garteners and first-graders color pictures. One such youngster is fifth-grader Bryden Osburn, who has an uncle to whom he wrote a thank note. “I have two uncles who have served in the military,” he said. Bryden said he knows veterans are good people who do good things. “They are a person who served in the military to help us out,” he said. Bryden said he loves the freedom that veterans preserve for us in the United JOSH SALMON PHOTOS , THE INDEPENDENT A Centura student colors a picture for a veteran at school on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The school has been sending letters to local veterans for over 10 years.
Please see CENTURA, Page 4
Bennett Storms works on coloring a picture that will be mailed to a local veteran as part of the Thank a Veteran project at Centura Elementary School on Oct. 30.
VIEW: See the video of Centura students making letters and pictures for veterans.
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HONORING VETERANS
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Centura
From 3
“Thanking you for serv- ing for us and helping us be free,” Bryden said. As a teacher, Knopik said she teaches about freedom during history study time. “We learn about king and queens, puritans, about re- ligious freedom, and our freedom to speak,” she said. Although the Letters To Veterans program is about kids sending letters and pictures, Knopik said she and the rest of the CPS staff have a debt of gratitude for all who have served their country. “Thank you for your ser- vice, and your time. And your commitment away from your family,” she said.
COURTESY PHOTO Tyson Eriksen stands with local veteran Kevin Carpenter, who came to the school last year to thank the students who wrote to him and colored pictures for him.
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The letters and pictures are created a couple of days before Veterans Day and mailed to be received on or by Nov. 11. For more information on Letters to Vet- erans, contact the Centura Public School office.
Last year, Centura Public School sent out 200 thank you letters and colored patriotic pictures to veterans in the area. Each vet- eran receives multiple letters and artwork from the school kids.
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HONORING VETERANS
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A SALUTE TO OUR VETERANS We are grateful for your service and bravery.
Seth Swerczek UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 2007-2015
Brian Sweetser
Duane Psota UNITED STATES ARMY 1970-1976 In loving memory of a husband, dad and grandfather for his commitment to our country.
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 1989-1993
Thank you for your service and for making this country a safer place for our family!
Always a hero in our eyes. Love, Brock & Marek
Jody Schwieger UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 1989-1998
Alfred Salmon UNITED STATES NAVY 1963-1967
Rex Salmon
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Thank you for your service. You are greatly missed!
We love you, thanks for serving. Aaron, Josh, Courtney, Grace & Olivia
Thank you for your service!
DanM. Salmon UNITED STATES ARMY
Eugene Pesek UNITED STATES ARMY 1966-1968
Thomas Nielsen UNITED STATES AIRFORCE 1969-1973
Proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968 and served one year in Vietnam.
So honored to call you “Dad.” -Your Loving Kids
Thanks for serving Uncle Dan!
6 | Saturday, November 9, 2024
HONORING VETERANS
Timothy Bartz UNITED STATES NAVY 1989-1993 We are proud of you!! Tim is actively involved with honoring veterans in Grand Island and surrounding communities.
Art Bartz UNITED STATES ARMY 1941-1945
Dennis Glover UNITED STATES AIRFORCE 1968-1988 Happy Veterans Day to our hero. Love, Amy, Candi, Rhonda, and Lori
Thank you for your service!
Dennis Mcalevy UNITED STATES ARMY 1968-1973
HowardC. Bunner UNITED STATES ARMY 1969-1971
LaVerne Moss UNITED STATES ARMY 1957-1958
Honor you for your military service and dedication to the American Legion.
So proud of your love and dedication to our beloved America.
Spending time in Vietnam and Cambodia. 2nd-35th Inf 4th Inf Div.
Robert Sperling UNITED STATES ARMY 1953-1955
Jerry Willhoft UNITED STATES ARMY 1977-1995
Thomas Hayes UNITED STATES ARMY 1966-1968
Proud of your honorable service to our country.
Freedom is the best medicine for the world we live in.
Served in Vietnam 13 months from August 1967 to September 1968.
Shane Seim UNITED STATES NAVY 1992-2000
Mike Seim UNITED STATES NAVY 1986-1989
Jim Seim UNITED STATES NAVY 1966-1969
Love you so much!
Love you so much!
Love you so much!
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HONORING VETERANS
DrueR. Gellatly UNITED STATES ARMY 1966-1968
RolandR. Rother Sr. UNITED STATES ARMY 1970-1973
Thomas McCarty
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 1966-1987
His family is very proud. He served three tours in SE Asia.
Thank you for your service! Very proud of you!
Thank you for your service! Very proud of you!
Thomas L. Rother UNITED STATES ARMY 1963-1966
Williams D. Gellatly UNITED STATES NAVY 1989-2012
Sam Schneider UNITED STATES AIRFORCE 2002- PRESENT
Extremely proud of you Sam! Thank you for the many years you’ve given to your country. Happy Veteran’s Day!
Thank you for your service! Very proud of you!
Thank you for your service! Very proud of you!
JohnE. Rother UNITED STATES ARMY 1970-1971
DouglasR. Rother UNITED STATES ARMY 1960-1963
Robert (Bob) Allen UNITED STATES ARMY 1970-1990 Thank you for serving our country for all those years. Your dedication is appreciated by your family and others.
Thank you for your service! Very proud of you!
Thank you for your service! Very proud of you!
EdwardJ. Rother UNITED STATES ARMY 1970-1973
Edwin Helms UNITED STATES ARMY 1941-1945
Bruce Jones UNITED STATES NAVY 1970-1990
Native Nebraskan. After seeing the world chose to return so he could be close to family and community to contribute.
Served from July 8, 1941 to April 5, 1945 in Southwest Pacific
Thank you for your service! Very proud of you!
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HONORING VETERANS
Ken DeJonge
Jerry Sinner UNITED STATES NAVY 1986-1992
Kay Job UNITED STATES ARMY 1960-1963
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 1966-1969
I was so very proud of him entering the Marine Corps right after high school graduation. He’s My Marine. Richard King UNITED STATES NAVY 1965-1970 “On seven seas we learn Navy’s stern call: Faith, courage, service true, With honor, over honor, over all.” Thomas Schroeder UNITED STATES ARMY 1982-1985 We are so proud of our son for serving the Army in Special Ops and upholding pride in our country. Earl Sautter UNITED STATES AIRFORCE 1979-1999 Thank you for your 20 years of honorable service! Very proud of your accomplishments and service.
Gulf War Veterans. Proudly served with SPecwargru-1
Thank you for your service!
Rick Magana UNITED STATES ARMY 1979-1983
Eugene (Butch) Nielsen UNITED STATES ARMY 1966-1993
Thank you for always upholding your duty to protect our freedoms and always having our six.
U.S. Army (Vietnam) 1966-1969 Nebraska National Guard 1975-1993
Roger Andrews UNITED STATES AIRFORCE
Lawrence Waring UNITED STATES AIRFORCE
Darwin Petersen UNITED STATES ARMY
Jerry Jacobsen UNITED STATES ARMY
Harvey Bish UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Richard Hoffman UNITED STATES NAVY
Richard Rosno UNITED STATES ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
Larry Obermiller UNITED STATES AIRFORCE
Robert Achen UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
Richard Heckman UNITED STATES NAVY
Arthur Eller UNITED STATES NAVY
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HONORING VETERANS
Amy Schneider UNITED STATES ARMY 2005-PRESENT
Steven Williams UNITED STATES NAVY 1971-1975
Troy Cordle UNITED STATES ARMY 1985-1991
Reflecting on every veteran that served before me, thank you for yoru sacrifce and our freedom.
Amy, we are so proud of you and your commitment to your country, faith, family and students. You’re the best!
Served 4 years on the USS Kitty Hawk as a machinist mate.
Zackary Stevens UNITED STATES ARMY 2019-PRESENT
David Pieper UNITED STATES NAVY 1969-1973
Harold Plejdrup UNITED STATES ARMY 1956-1962
Thank you for your service and for our freedom!
Thank you for your service!
Patriotic Honor then and now.
Raymond Robertson UNITED STATES ARMY 1964-1966
Vern Brown UNITED STATES ARMY 1942-1945
God blessed my parents while dad was stationed in Douglas AZ. as a supply clerk, transferred to Air Corps.
Thank you for your service and for our freedom!
Claude, Leonard, Junior, Gary, Henry & Raymond Robertson UNITED STATES ARMY & UNITED STATES NAVY 1960’S-1980’S
Eon Lemburg
Glenn Sebesta UNITED STATES AIRFORCE 1955-1959
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 2011-2019
5 Brothers in Vietnam, 1 Retired Navy of 23 years. Thank you Uncles for your service and for our freedom.
Thank you for your service and for our freedom!
Thank you for your service and for our freedom!
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HONORING VETERANS
Lloyd Plejdrup UNITED STATES ARMY KOREANWAR
Dennis Mottl
Sylvester Kimminau UNITED STATES ARMY 1953-1955
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 1969-1971 India Compnay, 3rd Batalion,
I am proud of my Dad’s service in the US Army. He died in 2012 at age 79 in Hastings, NE.
5th Regiment, 1st Marine Division. Two Meritorious promotions in rank related to to combat action.
Thank you for your service and for our freedom!
Marvin Beale, Sr. UNITED STATES ARMY 1942-1944 In loving memory of Dad & Grandpa for his bravery, dedication, and commitment to our country. Love, Your Family
Eddie Schenck UNITED STATES ARMY 1942-1945
Angela Palmerton UNITED STATES ARMY 2000-2004 & 2021-PRESENT I am so proud of my daughter Angela. She served in the Army and serves now in the National Guard
Very proud of my brothers. Thank you for your service!
WilliamC. Ferguson UNITED STATES ARMY 1943-1946 WWII European Theater
Dan Schenck UNITED STATES AIRFORCE 1955-1959
Jerry Schenck UNITED STATES NAVY 1967-1971
We honor our father who taught us how to love, think and behave. We are very blessed to have had him. Daniel Ferguson UNITED STATES ARMY 1992-1995 In honor of our son for his time and service to our country to keep us free.
Very proud of my brothers. Thank you for your service!
Very proud of my brothers. Thank you for your service!
Earl Schenck UNITED STATES ARMY 1961-1964
Harold Schenck UNITED STATES ARMY 1966-1968
Very proud of my brothers. Thank you for your service!
Very proud of my brothers. Thank you for your service!
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HONORING VETERANS
Ronald Lewandowski UNITED STATES ARMY 1953-1955
Jack Learned UNITED STATES NAVY 1943-1945
Kaden D. Billington
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS 2019- PRESENT Your continued service is
He is honored to have served our country!
We are forever grateful for your service, Dad. We love and miss you every day!
appreciated by all! Your family and friends are so very proud of you!
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HONORING VETERANS
Ministry and its leader help give veterans and their pets the support they need
Brando, this help extends past the veteran and to their families as well. The outreach even tries to help out the animal companion for veterans. Brando has a relationship with Voice for Companion Animals and Parks Veterinary that allows him to help veterans with any pet bills. “I could just call Parks Veterinary and say a vet’s coming in with an animal that needs shots or needs a checkup, or any need there is for the animal, and they’ll … say no prob- lem,” Brando said. “They have an account set up for me, and they just take my debit card on their account and they’ll just bill me. And to have that kind of trust factor makes my job so much easier.” It’s not just veterinary bills, though. Re- cently, BCV put together a foster care pro- gram to help out a veteran and his service dog, Ody. The veteran currently lives in the VA transitional housing program and was not allowed to leave Ody unsupervised. However, the veteran also wasn’t allowed to bring Ody to work, which put him in a tough situation.
GRACIE SMITH gracie.smith@theindependent.com
Left: Anthony Brando (center) receives a cookie cake during one of the Business Coalition for Veterans’ fall bonfire hangouts.
When a veteran has no one to rely on, taking care of their animal is very impor- tant. The Business Coalition for Veterans is a nonprofit outreach of Destiny Church that has sought to help veterans in the com- munity for nearly eight years. Founder Anthony Brando said that his mindset in creating BCV was so that veterans were treated well, and not how they were when he was growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s. “You might not believe this, but veterans were turned down jobs, they were refused housing, they were ridiculed and signs, you know, bad signs, cursing veterans out, spitting on them,” Brando said. “It’s hard to believe the way we have come around full circle today, to think that that existed 60 years ago in America, but it did. And so I’ve taken on the mantle to never, ever — any- thing that I could do, to never let that hap- pen again, to our country and to our veter- ans serving, I would do whatever I could.” Some of what the BCV offers is to pay for food, clothing, bills and any other needs that veterans could have. According to
Above: Ody the service dog. VIA BUSINESS COALITION FOR VETERANS FACEBOOK
Please see MINISTRY, Page 13
Everyone at Eustis Body Shop would like to thank all Americans who have bravely defended our country. On this Veterans Day, we would encourage all Nebraskans to take a moment to think about those who have served and thank them for their sacrifice. FOR YOUR SERVICE
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HONORING VETERANS
Ministry From 12
Brando said, “taking care of their animals is really important.” So, Brando helped look for a good foster home for Ody, reaching out through social media. It didn’t take long for people to of- fer and to find a good temporary home for Ody. “It just so happened that this veteran family that I’ve known for a long time, they are now foster caring for his service dog,’” Brando said. “On his days off, he gets to have the dog, and then when he goes back to work, five days, they take care of the dog during the week.” According to Brando, the veteran was blown away by the support he received and telling him, “I can’t believe this has hap- pened this fast.” Brando feels very blessed to help out vet- erans through BCV, whether it’s their ani- mals or their bills. As a Christian, Brando believes in making the most of his time on Earth and taking care of his fellows in the hopes they can spread kindness to others. “People who know me personally say, ‘I don’t know how you do it, chef, I mean I would have walked away a long time ago,’ but that’s not the answer,” Brando said. “Walking away is not the answer to help- ing a person who’s struggling emotionally, mentally, PTSD-wise, financially.”
According to Brando, the veteran was in contact with a family the outreach had previously helped, and they told him, “Hey, call chef [Brando], I’m sure he’s going to help you.” Brando, himself a Navy veteran and owner of three cats, understands the im- portance of having a loving companion. From Brando’s experience, a lot of vet- erans, whether from PTSD, their upbring- ing, or bad relations, end up having nobody in their life. This loneliness leads to them having a difficult time opening up about their problem. “It’s always easier to close up and just walk away, to try and get through your problems. I know that for a fact, it’s harder to work through a problem for a lot of peo- ple, so they just forget it and just pretend it’s not there and it’s ‘I’ve been this way alone for many years, I’m comfortable,’” Brando said. “But once they get that animal and they start feeling unconditional love from the animal — which really we should, we should unconditionally love each other more as humans, but we don’t — so to get that unconditional love from an animal, it’s
VIA BUSINESS COALITION FOR VETERANS FACEBOOK Anthony Brando, center, holds up a check for $500 he received from Tiffany Square for the Business Coalition of Veterans.
just like a whole new world opened up for a veteran who thought, ‘That’s it, I’m going to be alone, I’m going to die alone.’” Knowing the importance that uncondi- tional love can bring to veterans, Brando
wants to make sure that their animals are cared for. “When a veteran has nobody, and they’re just hunkered down and locked up in their apartment and they’re not going out,”
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HONORING VETERANS
HALL COUNTY COMMISSION PRESERVING THE LAND Construction at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery is on track
if one is made. The county hopes to acquire the land at little to no cost. Shuda said the expansion “probably won’t be needed in our lifetimes,” but it’s impor- tant to preserve the land for future use. Shuda gave an update on the project, which expands and improves the existing Grand Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery on Capital Avenue. The cemetery will hopefully be com- pleted in the spring. It’s “moving along very well,” Shuda said. The first burials could take place in the summer to late summer of 2025. The cemetery will feature a 40-foot car- illon tower, with a clock on each of its four sides. “It’ll be like St. Mary’s Cathedral, with the chiming of the bells,” Shuda said in an interview. Other highlights will be two bronze mon- uments. One will be of a soldier in a kneel- ing position, as if he’s presenting the flag to a family. The other will be an American
JEFF BAHR je .bahr@theindependent.com
The Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Grand Island isn’t even complete, but local veterans supporters are already looking to the future, when the cemetery will need to expand. The Hall County Commission took the first steps last month toward preserving 26.2 acres north of the cemetery. The land is currently owned by the city. Local veterans supporters hope the prop- erty will be transferred to the county, which would lease it to United Veterans Club for up to 99 years. If the transfer occurs, hay or alfalfa will be planted on the ground, the proceeds from which would help maintain the appearance of the land. Hall County Veterans Service O cer Don Shuda and Mike Ponte of the United Veter- ans Club appeared at the meeting to discuss the cemetery. At the meeting, the county board voted to accept an o er from the city for the land
eagle with an 8-foot wingspan, to be built at the corner of Capital and Webb Road. Shuda said the completed cemetery will be pleasing to the eye “and worthy of our veterans that will be interred there.” Commissioner Pam Lancaster said the cemetery will be “something we can all be proud of.” “This is really going to be a mini-Arling- ton,” she said. “I mean, it’s really going to be something to behold.” A bronze eagle with an 8-foot wingspan will be featured at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Grand Island.
HALL COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE PHOTOS A 40-foot carillon tower similar to this one will be built at the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at Grand Island.
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HONORING VETERANS
“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” - Elmer Davis
400 worn-out flags retired in ceremony
worked with Boy Scouts for more than 20 years. She is currently the troop’s treasurer. She is also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Legion Auxiliary. Her son, Trevor, is both a Scout and a member of the Sons of the American Legion. The Scouts hadn’t taken part in a flag retirement ceremony for several years, so it was good to show those unfamiliar with the
JEFF BAHR jeff.bahr@theindependent.com Boy Scouts and mem- bers of the Daughters of the American Revolution led a flag retirement ceremony Oct. 18 in Grand Island in which close to 400 worn- out flags were burned. The five Scouts are mem- bers of Troop 119, which is headquartered at First Presbyterian Church. The effort was a service project of the Betsey Hager Chap- ter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
We salute the bravery and dedication of our veterans and service members. Thank you for serving our country and protecting our freedoms.
COURTESY PHOTO
Veterans, Scouts and others disposed of close to 400 flags Oct. 17 near the United Veterans Club.
Also assisting were members of the American Legion, VFW, the Legion Auxil- iary and the Sons of the American Legion. “The Scouts led the ceremony, and then we had members of each of the groups come up and help us burn them,” said Car- men Larsen. The ceremony took place on Ball Field No. 3 near the United Veterans Club. Members of the Grand Island Fire De- partment were also on hand. Larson has
process how it’s done, Larson said. In disposing of flags, people have to fol- low several key rules. “You cannot put out the fires with water. They have to natu- rally burn out,” Larson said. “And then you have to bury the ashes when they’re cool in ground that will remain undisturbed.” In addition, the flag’s grommets have to be removed. Scouts have traditionally been involved in flag retirement ceremonies, Larson said.
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HONORING VETERANS
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ThankYou & Happy Veterans Day!
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