Military...

Buford church of Christ

Salutes our

Active & Veteran

Military Members

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
                             - Abraham Lincoln

Brandon (Bo) Cowart

Staff Sergeant Cowart home from serving in Iraq.  Bo is a load master and responsible for balancing the load of planes in the shipping of ammunition.

Address: 407 AEG/ESRS/ATOC; APO AE 09331

or Staff Sgt.Brandon Cowart, 601 Park Street, Apt. 8B, Bordentown, NJ 08505

Email: brandon.cowart@tlab.afcent.af.mil

He is the Grandson of Wade & June Cowart, members at Buford.

MAJOR TROY E. MCGILL

Major McGill is now home from Afghanistan and we are thankful for his safe return!

Contact Information:

Mail: Troy McGill; Task Force Med; APO AE 09354 Email:tmmcgill63@aol.com   

Major Troy E. McGill is now station at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, and his last duty station was Malmstrom AFB, Montana. He is Chief, Physical Medicine Services, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. Major McGill is a Board Certified Physical Therapist and the only board-certified residency trained Diplomat with the McKenzie Institute International in the Department of Defense. Major McGill and his wife Marci have three boys, Harrison age 11, Andrew age 9, and Ethan age 7. 

He is the son of Warren and Marian McGill, members at Buford.

AB Mandolyn Starkovich

She was stationed at Sheppard AFB, Texas.  She is no longer serving as of 2011. 

She is the Granddaughter of Trudy Morrison.

Jay Bowers, Staff Sargent / E-6

He was a member of the United States Army Reserve, 1984-1992.  Chemical Defense, Desert Shield/Storm, Advisor to General Pagonis, and received two Bronze Stars for his wartime service. He and his family are members here at Buford.

Tom Martin, U.S. Army

Tom served in sunny South Vietnam 1968-1970 as a Military Police (MP), most of the time spent on traffic accident patrol working out of a PMO (Provost Marshall's Office) substation in PhuTai.  Tom had to sign-off on all traffic accident reports before they were sent to the Provost Marshall's Office in Qui Nhon.  He enjoyed working with Korean MPs as well as RVN (Republic of Vietnam) Canh Sats (Civilian Police) and Quan Canhs (Military Police).  Tom remembers the good things about the "good old days"!!

Jason Smith, U.S. Air Force

Jason Entered in United States Air Force on 18 August 1999; Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base Texas; Job Training for Airframe Hydraulics at Sheppard Air Force Base Texas; Permanently assignment Travis Air Force Base California attended airframe specific training and received Honor Graduate at graduation from Military Qualification Training Program School; Honorably Discharged 17 August 2003.

Worked on KC-10 aircraft at a hydraulics technician. Highest Rank held was  Senior Airman E-4 which was given 6 months early for excellent job performance and outstanding leadership amongst others in career field.

Conflicts and Operations:

Awards and Decorations:

Bruce Winslett, Chief Quartermaster

Bruce Winslett will retire from the Navy in Nov. 2009 following 6 years of Active Duty and 18 years with the Naval Reserves. He received training as a Navy Electrician’s Mate after attending Basic training, Basic Electricity and Electronics school and Electrician’s Mate Class ‘A’ school at Great Lakes Training Center just north of Chicago. He went on to Nuclear Power School in Orlando, FL and Security Guard school at Lakehurst, N.J.

During his Active Duty time he resided in Great Lakes, IL; Orlando, FL; Lakehurst, N.J.; Diego Garcia, B.I.O.T. (British Indian Ocean Territory); and Charleston, S.C. serving onboard the USS Taylor (FFG-50). During this time he made three separate six month Persian Gulf Tours. His reserve time was spent at Bessemer Naval Reserve Center, Bessemer, AL and Naval Air Station Atlanta in Marrietta, GA. He was recalled to Active Duty in Jan 2003 and served in the Operations Department in The Kingdom of Bahrain.

Bruce was promoted to Chief Petty Officer from the 2003 selection board. He most recently was a member of the Center for Personal and Professional Development where he served as a facilitator teaching sailors management principles and techniques. He was also the Detachment Assistant Officer in Charge, the highest ranking enlisted member of the GA-SC detachment.

Awards received during his service include:
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal        (5 times)
• Navy Good Conduct Medal
• Naval Reserve Meritorious Service Ribbon
• National Defense Service Medal
• Coast Guard Special Operation Service Ribbon
• Navy Good Conduct Medal
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• Southwest Asia Service Medal
• Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon
• Global War on Terror Expeditionary Service Medal with a bronze ‘M’ and bronze hourglass appurtenances
• Kuwaiti Liberation Medal awarded by Kuwait
• Kuwaiti Liberation Medal awarded by Saudi Arabia
• Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (3 times)
 

Nathan Baker

Nathan graduated on Oct.8, 2009 from OCS at Ft. Benning, Ga. and is now a 2nd LT. He has already left for Ft. Sill, Ok., where he will be in more schooling for his career of field artillery. He joined the Army on April 13, 2009, and plans to make a career of the military.

He is the Son of Kay Baker.

Mail: 2 Lt. Nathan Baker; 3502 East Gore Blvd.; Unit 6101; Lawton, OK 73501

Charlie Morrow

Drafted in January 1968, Basic Training in Ft Polk, LA (wonderful place – NOT). Spent 5 months in Ft Monmouth, NJ in basic electronics and Microwave Radio Operation & Maintenance (went to the beach almost every day and up to a farm in MA most weekends – tough assignment). Spent 15 months in Parmesans Germany operating (at that time) the largest controlling Microwave Station in Europe with line of site shots to: Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Zwiebruuken (sp), Manheim, Langerkoff (sp) & Landstuhl (sp)

There was a little 50 watt Canadian Forces Radio Station in Zweibruuken that broadcast oldies on weekends. We had an old console stereo in our microwave station that we would listen to. We would patch the music into blank channels on all of the systems above so our buddies could have some tunes. They in turn would pass it on down the line. I got a phone patch one night from a guy in Vietnam wanting to request a song, so I patched him into the DJ in the Canadian Forces Radio station and he was speechless to find out his program was being broadcast around the world. Again, a very tough assignment!

Discharged in January 1970 @ rank of Specialist IV
 

(Group photo by Jeremy D. Smith)

The Opelika-based 111th Ordnance Group

Major Richard Harris, U.S. Army

Richard Harris grew up in Demopolis, Alabama. He left in 1993 to attend Faulkner University in Montgomery, and he now serves as a contractor at Red Stone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. He owns a Bruster’s Real Ice Cream franchise on the side, and is a husband to his wife, Valerie, and a father to his children, Ellie (6) and Ryan (2). He is in the National Guard as Major Richard Harris is deployed to Baghdad, Iraq as of 2-24. “EOD” stands for explosive ordnance disposal. His unit is trained to take over Task Force Troy. They are the counter (Improvised Explosive Device) fight and are trained to command and control about 800 civilian and military personnel. They are going to provide the core element for Task Force Troy headquarters. There are 53 men and women in the 111th where 49 are set to make the trip to Baghdad. Richard is headed to Iraq for his second tour of duty; a fact that is not uncommon among this unit. He was deployed in November 2004 and spent a year in service. Please keep Richard and his family in your prayers during the time of service in Iraq.

He is one of our former members and loved by many here at Buford.

Mail:

CJTF
TF Troy- J6 (Richard Harris)
Unit 42007
APO AE 09342

Email: richard.c.harris3@us.army.mil

Additional Friends and Family that are Serving in the Military

Ben Collins Army Reserves 2009 - Active

Ed Cagle USMC-SGT 1966-1970

Warren McGill USAF 1956-1960

Tim Weekly USAF 1975-1983

Rufus J. Elrod Navy 1951-1953

Ken Lollar USAF 1965-1968

Joe Bradshaw USMC 1951-1954

Bob Elliott Marines 1951-1955 and 1958-1962

Roy Hoisington US Navy 1968-1971

John Adams US Army ISG 1976-1996

Frederick LaVon Uptagrafft US Navy 1968-1972

Forrest Paul USAF 1980-1984

Paul Pope USAF 1973-1998

Reese Sams US Navy 1963-1967

Roland Truett Scales US Army 1960

John Birrer US Army 1972-2005

Daryl Smith US Navy 1972-1975
Jerry Trenary US Army Texas National Guard 1952-1956 and US Army Reserve Standby 1957-1962.
Jim Henson USAF 1959-1963
Hall Irby US ARMY 1954-1956
George Hubbert US Navy aboard the USS Kitty Hawk 1962-1965
Ray Sigmon US Navy 1947-1952
Calvin McCoy Air force 1979-1999
Charlie Boyd USNR 1965-1971
Forrest Paul USAF 1960-1964
Jim Freeman Alabama National Guard 1953-1957 and US Army Reserve 1957-1965

Frank Janecek USAF 1962-1966

Aaron Lussi (Daryl & Teresa Lussi's nephew) Active

Emory Lussi (Daryl Lussi's brother) Active

Allan Owens (Carolyn Wheeler's great nephew); JLTF 28-513th TC, APE AE 09366

James Bolyard (Tracy Thompson's cousin); ETC(SW)James Bolyard, Combat Systems Dept./CSX Division, USS Nimitz(CVN 68), FPO AP 96620-2820

LaMarcus Smoot (Beverly Adams' sisters' son-in-law); HHD, 759th MPBN, FOB FENTY, APO AE 09310

Joseph Bertapelle (Lori Nease's niece's husband); 379 AEW, 340 EARS KC-135, APO AE 09309

Marcus Nelson (friend of Nease's); Lt.Col Marcus Nelson, VMFA 112, Unit 78001, FPO AE 09509-8001

Chris Wheadon (Brother of Rich Wheadon) He just returned from his tour in Iraq 

Justin Askey (friend of Iannacone's) USMC Active

Jake Askey (friend of Iannacone's) USMC Active

Jason Maltby (Julie Bowers' nephew) In Afghanistan - Active

Joe Lacanlale (Sara Dockery's brother-in-law) In Afghanistan - Active

Steven Eldridge (Lois Eldridge's grandson) Active

Robert Groszmann (Connie Quinn's nephew) Active

Military Links

Virtual Vietnam Wall - Click on a State, then a name to view details.