By Traci Chapman
Published on June 26, 2008

District 2 Commissioner Don Young defended his decision Tuesday to spend $1.5 million since April on a 15-mile Reno Road project. The work comes in the final weeks when “unlimited funds” are available to Young to spend as he sees fit.

By Traci Chapman
Published on June 26, 2008

Vehicle counts released by Mustang city officials confirm what residents fighting traffic on city streets already know — there are more cars on local roads than ever before.

“The numbers have definitely jumped,” Ward 1 Councilman Jay Adams said. “Although a lot of it is concentrated on the east side of the city, there are significant increases all along the state Highway 152 corridor.”

By Carolyn Cole
Published on June 26, 2008

Holy Spirit Catholic Church’s members invites Mustang to a free community-wide pancake breakfast Saturday morning in honor of the congregation’s silver anniversary.

Parishioners will serve up pancakes, french toast, sausage and ham, along with juices and coffee from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church, 1100 N. Sara Road.

“We invite the community of Mustang to come out and eat on us,” said John Lippe, 25th anniversary activities chairman.

By Traci Chapman
Published on June 26, 2008

Shannon Wann still dreams about her father, a father who went to war when she was 9 years old and never came home.

Chief Warrant Officer Donald Wann was a “military man through and through,” a man who volunteered to serve long before war came to a faraway place called Vietnam and a soldier who signed up for two tours of duty once war broke out. He was awarded 152 air medals, two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, a Good Conduct Award and the Vietnam Medal.

By Rex Hogan
Published on June 26, 2008

Karen Daughtry remembers her father, Lt. Col. Clarence Blanton, telling her in 1968 that he was going to Laos to work as a civilian.

“He told me he was going to Laos, that he had a desk job and would be sharing a house with other men,” she said.

The Air Force knew that story wasn’t true. High-ranking Central Intelligence Agency officials knew too.

By Carolyn Cole
Published on June 26, 2008

World War II veteran Vernon Herschberger counts himself among the lucky — he was deployed late in the war, which may have saved his life.

Herschberger was assembling aircraft for Boeing in Wichita, Kan., when he was drafted into the Army Air Corps — the precursor of the Air Force. His job was putting the skin on B-29 bombers at that time.

His division had just started building gliders used by the Army in Europe as a one-time transport of soldiers to the front.

By Rex Hogan
Published on June 26, 2008

Without servicemen and women, there would be no Fourth of July celebration.

That’s the way El Reno VFW Navy and Army veteran Don Douglas sees it.

Douglas served in both World War II and the Korean War.
He joined the Navy in 1945 and served about 13 months. He then attended college at the University of Oklahoma and got his commission.

In 1950, he joined the Army.

“They were calling people up for Korea and I volunteered,” Douglas said.

By Traci Chapman
Published on June 26, 2008

When Alfonso Benson walked through his local draft board office 65 years ago, he didn’t know he would become a part of history.

Benson, then a resident of Kansas City, Kan., said it was “very important” to him to volunteer to serve during World War II. As a black recruit, Benson became part of an “elite” group — the buffalo soldiers.

By Daniel Lapham
Published on June 26, 2008

The definition of a hero to Vietnam veteran and Calumet native Pat Jordan isn’t making it through a war, to serve one’s country is simply what was expected.

Although, decorated for his time in service to his country, Jordan refused the title of hero.

By Rex Hogan
Published on June 26, 2008

El Reno VFW Navy veteran John Petras thinks all Americans should serve in the military, unless they are enrolled in college.

Petras started his Navy career in 1963. He was a machinist mate on a guided missile destroyer.

“I’m a firm believer that every person in this country should automatically pull two years of service, if you are not going to college. The first two years in the service, you learn what respect is about,” he said.