KDOT employees revive military history

By Deb Gruver,
Public Affairs Manager for south central Kansas 

 Mic Huddleston jokes about how he got involved in helping restore World War II vehicles.

"Wrong place at the wrong time," he says with a chuckle.

Mic Huddleston, Area Supervisor for Area Four in District Five, right, chats with Kevin Lockwood about the World War II vehicles they have restored together.

But surrounded by some of the half-track and other vehicles his tinkering has helped brought back to life, it's obvious Huddleston loves spending time at Kevin Lockwood's spacious shop.

Huddleston is the Area Supervisor for District Five's Area Four in Great Bend. He's been helping restore Lockwood's WWII collection for about 20 years.

"This would not be here without Mic," Lockwood says.

Mic Huddleston has been helping Kevin Lockwood restore World War II vehicles for about 20 years. He says it's one way to honor those in his and Lockwood's family who have served in the military..

Both Huddleston's and Lockwood's families "have a good history of military service," Huddleston says.

Lockwood and his team of volunteers take the vehicles to schools, air shows and other events. Huddleston really enjoyed going to Fort Hays for Hays Days. 

Lockwood owns the vehicles. He bought his first one in 1990. Since then, he and the crew have restored about eight, including an LVT-3 Bushmaster, thought to be the only operational one of its kind in the world. Used in the Pacific Theater, it could load a Jeep or a canon and haul Marines onto a beach or rescue wounded.

"This is basically a ship that crawls on land," Lockwood says.

This LVT-3 Bushmaster is believed to be the only operational one in the world. 

An average restoration takes a couple of years, the two men say. About five people, including Lockwood, show regularly to help out. 

It's a lot of work, Huddleston says, but worth it.

"It's one way to pay back," he says.

This is what the LVT-3 Bushmaster that Kevin Lockwood, Mic Huddleston and other volunteers restored looked like when they first got it. Both vehicles were in about the same shape, and the crew decided to restore the other one.

U.S. 50 east of Dodge City named in honor of two local heroes

Family and friends of Sgt. Gregg Steimel and Pfc. Richard Conrardy attend a memorial sign unveiling ceremony at the Dodge City KDOT Subarea Shop

The Kansas Department of Transportation, Kansas state Sen. John Doll and the Dodge City Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ceremony on Saturday, April 21, to designating a six-mile section of U.S. 50 east of Dodge City as the Sgt. Gregg Steimel and Pfc. Richard Conrardy Memorial Highway.  

Sen. Doll introduced legislation earlier this session requesting that this section of U.S. 50 be renamed in honor of the Wright natives, who were both killed in combat in July 1970 in Vietnam. For his service and heroic actions, Sgt. Steimel was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.  Private Conrardy was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and a National Defense Service Medal.

Family and friends of Steimel and Conrardy were joined by local and state legislators, the Dodge City Area Chamber of Commerce and local KDOT staff for the ceremony, which took place at the Dodge City KDOT shop.

Riding for those who can't: Run for the Wall stops in Kansas

More than 300 Run for the Wall participants enter the service area under the American and Kansas flags. 

They ride for those who can’t. The 29^th annual Run for the Wall began last week in Ontario, Calif., and more than 300 motorcyclists rolled through Kansas, making several stops along I-70. The Kansas Turnpike Authority’s Topeka  EZ-Go service area hosted riders yesterday where they were welcomed by the  KTA, Kansas ABATE chapter and KDOT and the riders were able to refuel and were given water with the  KTA donating $500 of gasoline to the riders. Check out a video of Monday's stop that also features some of the participants -

https://youtu.be/UG9zV1haKb8

The KTA donated $500 of gasoline to the riders. 

Run for the Wall recognizes the sacrifices and contributions of veterans who served our nation. According to the Run for the Wall website, www.rftw.us,  the ride promotes healing among all veterans and their loved ones.

Vietnam War Veteran Billl Zimmerman said that part of the reason for the ride is to pay respects to the Vietnam Wall and what it represents.

“It means personal feeling toward the veterans that give up their lives for the country,” Zimmerman said. 

More than 300 Run for the Wall participants stopped at the KTA service area to refuel on their journey across country. 

Dallas Hageman has participated in the Run for the Wall for 10 years and said that the ride exists to honor and recognize those who were Killed in Action, Prisoners of War, or who are Missing in Action.

“We ride for those who can’t,” Hageman said. “So up at the front of the pack we have an open spot we call, ‘The Missing Man Spot,’ and we are all there for that one guy or gal that can’t be there.”

Hageman said that while some riders are not veterans, they ride as a way to say, “thank you,” to those who have served.

 “This is the best way I have found, as a civilian, to give back a very, very small  portion of what they have given to me and that’s my freedom,” Hageman said.

A Run for the Wall participant stops at KTA's Topeka service area.

Ron Maston said that this ride also exists to provide all veterans the opportunity to get their own “welcome home.”

“We are making sure they realize that we appreciate them, that their service meant something and that we are standing behind them all the way,” Maston said.  “It’s an amazing experience for those that participate. To see the healing and the impact on our veterans as we go across the country and to see the outpouring of patriotism, which is still a very strong item in this country.” 

Ride for the Wall began in 1989 and was started by two Vietnam Veterans, James Gregory and Bill Evans, who raised awareness about the thousands of men and women who are still unaccounted for from all wars.

“We don’t give political speeches or stage demonstrations,” the website said. “RFTW gets its message to the public by riding across the United States: coast to coast. “

Bikes line up after receiving fuel before returning to the road. 

The trip is a 10-day journey consisting of three different routes. Each route will come together at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., where the Run for the Wall officially ends.  Along the way, riders are able to stop at various memorials, veteran’s hospitals, schools and parades. 

Run for the Wall riders leave KTA's Topeka service area and return to the road. 

Sending Care: Ways to brighten a service member's day

Being away from family and friends can be really hard.  Being away from family and friends and in the middle of a combat zone can be even more so.  For many who serve overseas in the military, this time of year can be extremely difficult. Fortunately, there are millions of caring people who send care packages to encourage our service members.

If you have never sent a care package there can be a lot of questions about what to send and how to find a service member in need. In yesterday’s blog we discussed tips on how to protect you and your wallet from fraudulent charities.  If you use those tools you can easily find a charity that you can send care packages through either by helping to fund the organization, or even by adopting a soldier.

If you have the opportunity to adopt a solider (or if you know a friend or relative is serving), here is a list of some items that are needed and wanted:

Personal care and grooming items: Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, cotton swabs, shaving lotion, disposable razors, shampoo feminine products, and tissues. Disposable hand warmers, goggle-style sunglasses, cotton socks and undergarments are also recommended.

Food and drinks: If you plan on sending food, make sure it’s sealed and cannot be contaminated by soaps and liquids. Eating soggy soapy cookies could dampen anyone’s spirits.  In fact, it is encouraged to send non-perishable packaged goods. As shipment time varies and could take a while to reach a service member.

It is recommended that if you know of something that a military member can’t get overseas to include it, such as their favorite condiment and seasonings.

Powered drink mixes:. Hot cocoa, instant coffee, tea, sports drink mixes and water flavor enhancers.

Reading and creative materials: Paperback books, comics and magazines, word puzzles, coloring books and crossword puzzles, sketchbooks and notebooks. (Pens and pencils would be a good addition as well)

Games: Small sports toys such as foam footballs and basketballs, Frisbees, playing cards and hacky sacks.

Electronics: mp3 players with loaded music, small earbuds, CDs, DVDs, handheld games. Include AA and D batteries. But remove the batteries so the appliance doesn’t turn on.
Sentimental items:  Hand-written letters, or photos of how life is going at home are highly valued by service members. Consider using USB drives with video and photos of loved ones saved, include blank ones as well.

These are just a few ideas of what to send our armed forces during this time of year. We encourage you to do your research and find the charity that can serve you and your armed forces member the best. If you are mailing your own be sure to check up on what size of a box can be shipped. Many care package guidelines recommend not going larger than a shoe box.

It is also strongly encouraged to check with where your armed forces member is stationed. Some materials simply are not allowed in certain countries.

If you are packing items that need to be protected, consider using packaging that also can be functional. (Such as popped popcorn in baggies, bean bag toys that can be given to local children, packages of tissues, socks or newspapers.)

Check out these links for more information on care packages:
https://supportourtroops.org/care-packages
http://www.military.com/deployment/what-to-send-someone-who-is-deployed.html

We at KDOT would like to thank our military who have served and who are still serving. Have a safe Veteran’s Day. 

Choosing a charity: Tools for supporting veterans or active military safely

Part of the Russell Kansas Veteran's Memorial - designed by Mallory Goeke

Friday is Veteran’s Day and citizens across the country honor military and veterans at ceremonies, luncheons and parades. Some even use this time of year to send care packages to members of our military. Those who partake in this activity may have a couple of questions: How can you spot the fake charities from the real ones? And what do you send to our military serving overseas.

In this two-part blog series, we will address both of those questions. Today, we start with keeping yourself (and your wallet) safe while you choose a legitimate charity to support. According to themilitarywallet.com, there are steps to figure out how real a charity is:

Do your research: Many veterans and military charities do a great job at providing encouragement and care to our nation’s heroes. At the same time, there are some organizations that take advantage of supporters and scam them into giving money away.

Check state and federal charity lists:  If a charity is the real deal, they should be registered with the government. Simply using a search engine with the “Your State + Charity List” should help.  You can find Kansas’ charity list here: http://www.kscharitycheck.org/main.html

Charities should be listed as 501 (c ) (3) non-profit organization. There are requirements that a charity has to meet in order to be listed with the IRS.

How much is actually used for what the charity is advertising? Real charities should be transparent. They understand the value of your dollar and are upfront and honest when it comes to what their charity actually does and how your money will used. There are also third-party websites that monitor, score and compare how they spend their money versus how the money is used to fund the charity.  Listed below are a couple of charity-watch websites:

Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance.

Charity Watch.

Beware of unsolicited and overeager requests: Charities always ask for help in some way. That is to be expected. However, if the organization is trying too hard to pitch its purpose there could be a reason for that. Don’t commit to giving money over the phone, and if you are being solicited in person, it is OK to take time to research the charity before you send them your money. Ask the solicitor if they have a flyer or business card. The charity will still be thankful to your contribution a day later.

Never send cash or give out your Social Security number, birthday or other sensitive information. Bottom line: Protect yourself. Cash can’t be traced back and it can be easily lost. Giving out too much information could be used to steal your identity.

Now that you have the tools to protect yourself from scams, come back tomorrow for a list of items that our military serving overseas need.