A "Bonus Army" comprised of approximately 350 World War II veterans made their way to Jefferson City from Springfield  and other areas from throughout the state in 1946 to demand a vote on a $400 bonus payment for each of Missouri's veterans who served in the war. The march was formed after the state legislature twice failed to pass bonus legislation The group came by train, car and truck, some of whom are pictured in the early hours of September 28, 1946 warming themselves by a fire in Washington Park in Jefferson City while waiting for the offices at the Missouri Capitol to open.

The request was not without precedence as the state passed legislation in 1921 to provide bonus payments to veterans of the First World War.

Gov. Phil M. Donnelly met with representatives of the group later that morning to the discuss bonus payment issue. It was not until November 2, 1948 that a referendum was placed before Missouri voters to increase the 2 percent retail sales tax to 3 percent until accruing a sum of $135 million to be used to pay a maximum bonus payment of $400 bonus to each state veteran of World War II. The proposal passed with a favorable majority.  ​

Colonel Ralph Bagby, formerly of New Haven, Missouri, had served as a pilot during World War I and was called into service during the Second World War to help plan the airborne operations for the D-Day invasion.

The  48-year-old colonel's story really grows interesting when he went AWOL from his 9th Air Force Staff duties prior to the invasion and hitched a ride with a group of paratroopers on an Allied glider and made his first parachute jump during the beginning stages of the invasion. The group he was with went on to attack German fortifications and gun positions.
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According to the June 11, 1944 edition of the Oakland Tribune, the former Missourian "went along to 'see how things were going,' has been reprimanded and will be decorated." The paper further noted, "As a staff officer he was not supposed to take an active part in the operations."

In the last couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to visit several times with Mrs. Betty Hearnes - the former first lady of Missouri - regarding her late husband's service in the military that occurred years before he became the state's 46th governor.

Warren E. Hearnes was raised in Charleston, Missouri, and, on May 27, 1940, he and a group of boys were able to conceal the fact that they were only 16 years old when enlisting in 140th Infantry Regiment of the Missouri National Guard​. The following  year, after they were mobilized at Camp Robinson, Arkansas, their true age was discovered and the group of minors was discharged on April 11, 1941, to be sent back to Charleston to finish out their senior year of high school.

After graduating from high school, Hearnes went on to attend the University of Missouri for a year and a half but was then drafted into the U.S. Army​ on February 24, 1943 and sent to Ft. Sheridan, Illinois. Shortly after his arrival at the fort, he received a telegram notifying him of his appointment to West Point - The U.S. Military Academy​.

Hearnes graduated from West Point as an infantry officer in 1946, having undergone an accelerated 3-year training program due to the nation's previous war footing. Upon graduation, Betty Hearnes noted, Lt. Hearnes "went to Ft. Benning for some more training and was then sent to Puerto Rico," where he was assigned to the 35th Infantry Division​.

While in Puerto Rico in 1947, he broke his right ankle during a friendly baseball game with fellow soldiers - an injury that would never fully heal, which would lead to his discharge in 1949 and aggravate him for the rest of his life.
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The late governor's story of military service is one of many that I plan on sharing in greater detail in the coming weeks. I extend my thanks and appreciation to Betty Hearnes for providing this photograph of Cadet Hearnes in his West Point uniform in addition to the many details of his military service.

The late Donald D. Pittman of Jefferson City was certainly a veteran of great military interest. Born and raised in Jefferson City, Pittman rose to the rank of major general in the United States Air Force and held such important assignments as commander of 14th Air Division at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., commander of 314th Air Division at Osan Air Base, Korea, and commander of the 24th NORAD Region.
As a pilot with more than 11,000 flying hours in 42 types of aircraft, Pitt...man remained actively engaged in military aviation developments following his retirement from active duty on October 1, 1978.
In his collection of photographs and military mementos were many photographs, such as this one released by the Office of Public Information for Lockheed Aeronautical Systems in August 1990 showing the tactical fighter YF-22 prototype under consideration by the U.S. Air Force. The YF-22 design won a contest over Northrop's YF-23 prototype and in later years, after improvements were made to the YF-22 prototype, entered production as the F-22 Raptor.

The American Red Cross grew exponentially during World War I and established a number of services to support the troops serving at home and abroad. As part of the "Home Service," the Red Cross helped provide communication between troops and their families.
The attached postcard was provided by the Red Cross and sent to the father of Thornton Petty--a soldier from Kearney, Mo., who served overseas with the American Expeditionary Forces during the war. The card was sent shortly after Petty arrived back in the United States in June 1919 informing his family that he would soon be sent to a military post (likely Jefferson Barracks) and discharged from the Army.  (Photo courtesy of Jeremy P. Ämick)