Fifteen veterans selected for Military Hall of Fame

The Arkansas Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame (AMVHOF) recently announced the selection of 15 Arkansas veterans to its 2016 class.

Inductees will be honored at a banquet ceremony at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock on Saturday, Nov. 5, with U.S. Sen. John Boozman presenting the Hall of Fame medallions.

Ten inductees will be recognized for valor and five inductees will be recognized for public service.

The inductees:
1.Major General Thomas Blodgett Arwood, Hot Springs Village, U.S. Army, Vietnam, Desert Storm. Awards include the Distinguished Service medal, the Superior Service medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star medal, eleven award of the Meritorious Service medal, and the Parachutist and Air Assault Badges. He was inducted into the Army Quartermaster Hall of Fame in 2012.

2. Major Charles Winfred Adkins, Jr., Fayetteville, U.S. Army, Iraq. Awards include the Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart medal, five awards of the Meritorious Service medal, four awards of the Army Commendation medal and the Master Parachutist badge. He is senior vice commander for the Arkansas Military Order of the Purple Heart.

3. Lt. Colonel Dalton Harold Barnes, deceased, Alma, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, WWII and Korea, and Vietnam. Awards include two Bronze Star medals, the Air medal, the Army Commendation medal and the WWII Victory medal. He established the Home of Hope, a residential care and counseling center in Alma.

4. First Lieutenant Robert Scott Bell, Searcy, U.S. Army, Vietnam. Awards include two Bronze Star medals, the Army Commendation medal for valor, and the Air medal. He served 28 years as a veterans counselor for the Arkansas Employment Security Division and raised funds for the U.S. Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

5. Captain Ora Lee Boss, deceased, Green Forest and Fayetteville, U. S. Army, Vietnam. Awards include the Silver Star medal for gallantry, two awards of the Bronze Star medal for valor, the Air medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge and Expert Infantryman Badge.

6. Staff Sergeant Waldo Gerald Fisher, Van Buren, U.S. Army, Vietnam. Awards include the Silver Star medal for bravery, the Bronze Star medal, the Air medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He received the Vietnam Veterans of America National Commendation medal and has served 14 years as president of Chapter 416 of Vietnam Veterans of America in Fort Smith.

7. Master Sergeant Thomas Keith Graves, Harrisburg, U.S. Air Force, Vietnam. Awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Commendation medal, and 11 awards of the Air medal.

8. First Lieutenant James Brun Johnson, deceased, Fort Smith, U.S. Army, WWII and Korea. Awards include the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism, two Purple Heart medals, and the Asiatic-Pacific Theater campaign medal.

9. Lieutenant Junior Grade Euine Fay Jones, deceased, Fayetteville, U.S, Navy, WWII. He flew multi-engine aircraft against Japanese forces in the South Pacific near the Solomon Islands. An internationally renowned architect, he was the 18th American to ever receive the Gold medal from the American Institute of Architects in1990. He designed more than 200 buildings, including the Thorncrown chapel, and taught in the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture for 35 years.

10.Private First Class Edmund J. Kapica, Hot Springs, U.S. Army, WWII, D-Day at Omaha Beach. Awards include Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal with two battle stars. Also the Order of the Legion of Honor (France).

11. First Lieutenant Michael John McCarty, Bald Knob,, U.S. Army, Iraq. Awards include the Silver Star medal for gallantry in action, the Bronze Star medal for valor, the Bronze Star medal for exceptionally meritorious combat achievement and the Purple Heart medal.

12. Private First Class Paul Robert Noland, deceased, Fayetteville, U.S. Army, WWII. Awards include the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medal with three battle stars, the WWII Victory medal, and the Combat Infantryman and Expert Infantryman Badges. He served 43 years as a professor and department head of the University of Arkansas Animal and Poultry Sciences Department, authored 200 publications and served five years as mayor of Fayetteville.

13. Major General  Bobby Brummit Porter, Walnut Ridge, deceased, U.S. Army, two combat tours in Vietnam. Awards include the  Distinguished Service medal, Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star medals  for valor, Purple Heart medal, and 25 awards of the Air medal. He made over 100 military parachute jumps and commanded the 82nd Airborne Division.

14. Captain John Fredric Vanlandingham, Mount Judea, U.S. Army, Bosnia and Iraq. Awards include the Silver Star medal for gallantry in action, the Meritorious Service medal, two awards of the Army Commendation medal, and three awards of the Army Achievement medal.

15. Captain John Robert Young, Mena, U.S. Navy, Vietnam. Awards include the Defense Superior Service medal, two awards of the Meritorious Service medal and three awards of the Navy Commendation medal for valor. He commanded American Legion Post 18 in Mena for 12 years, and was the Mena/Polk County “Citizen of the Year.”

Induction banquet tickets may be purchased individually for $55 or by table of 10 seats for $500 by calling The Arkansas Military Veterans’ Hall of Fame at 888.329.3845.