Dedicated service to our nation: A family affair in Langston, Meridian and Logan County

By: Alberta G. J. Mayberry
Special to Guthrie News Page

Quiet pride is the price that some Langston and Meridian, Oklahoma families have paid for services rendered to our nation.   Over several generations, their sons and daughters, their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren have joined the U. S. Armed Forces. During a recent data gathering endeavor to identify the names of Logan County Veterans predominately of African-American decent, six families were identified that had four or more sons, all of whom had entered the five branches of the military.

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Last year, The New Hope Baptist Church hosted a Veterans Day recognition service.  Only seven vets — three females and four males –showed up for a patriotic, worshipful, gospel-filled tribute to their service in the military.  The catered Veterans Appreciation Dinner that could have fed a platoon was still enjoyed by those in attendance and the sick and shut in around town.

One of the attendee, Mr. Stewart A. Williams told the organizers, “Oh there are so many more US Veteran in this community.  They just don’t talk about their service.”  On the morning of July 4th, 2015, Mr. Williams and his wife hosted the ribbon cutting for the “Wm Conrad Veterans Memorial Garden” at 313 E. Turner Street in Langston.  The Memorial Garden is dedicated to “cultivating a public understanding of the sacrifices made by all veterans during their service to our country…”  This effort has raised the consciousness and the pride of service throughout this community.  Mr. Williams has led the effort to identify and honor all US Veterans in this area.

Joe Jacobs, aka “Uncle Joe” the 95 year old patriarch of the Williams clan is Langston’s oldest living US Veteran. Like so many others, Stewart’s “Uncle Joe” served in the segregated military doing menial tasks and never receiving the recognition or honor that should have been part and parcel of the uniformed services.  Nevertheless, all six of his brother’s sons followed the trail that Mr. Jacobs and others had blazed. Stewart Williams, his brothers Stacy, Staley, Otis, and Tracy took on the rigors of military life, overseas service, and family separation.

All seven of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Clark’s sons served this nation with dignity and honor.  As the current research to identify those who served continued, one of the main researchers, Ms. Marchita Clark Glover, name more than 30 individuals from this community who had served in the military.  At the end of a three hour telephoning, brainstorming and story-telling /nickname calling work session, Marchita said with emphasis and enthusiasm, “Oh my goodness, I forgot about my brothers.”  She had not just forgotten about the four deceased brothers who had served but she forgot about all nine family heroes, including her Father, a step brother and her seven siblings! Fortunately, she had a photo of her brother Mr. Marvin Clark who served in the US Air Force.  Additionally, she identified four first cousins, first brothers, who also served in various branches of our military.

Like Ms. Glover, Anna Brooks, who is helping to facilitate a Veterans “Breakfast Get Together” on November 14 failed to identify her five brothers as honoree at the event she was helping to plan until the last day of planning.  The nature of service by family members is often a matter of unspoken valor.  The ‘Brooks Brothers’ deserve to be honored.

Sister Carrie Shelton was a loving mother-figure for all the children at the now long closed Langston Elementary School.  While her gentle mannerism, saintly smile, and delicious yeast rolls and cinnamon rolls were legendary, she seldom spoke of her six military men. They all volunteered for and served in various fields of the military.

Additional stories of such stellar family devotion to the USA from outside of this area were also told to the researchers. Recently retire City Clerk and current, long-term Clerk of New Hope Baptist Church, Mrs. R. J.  Grayson is extremely proud of her fourth generation, Great Grandson Keith, III who was inducted in the Army 4 days after he graduated from High School in Oklahoma City last May.   Mrs. Grayson’s step father brought 8 – EIGHT– sons into the family when he married her mother.  She casually mentioned that all eight of her “other brothers” had served in the military, resulting in more than 140 cumulative years of service. Further, one brother became a judge advocate, another achieved the rank a Colonel with 29 years in the Army and another was a pilot.  Oh Brother!!

An ever growing number of female relatives were also identified as actively engaged in the military.  Following the example of WWI veteran Evangelist (EM) Whitlow, two of his granddaughters and a great granddaughter have also served in the US Armed Forces.

Many families that were interviewed have members who have served and continue to serve across several generations. Rev. Kathy Simmons, Associate Minister of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church is from a South Carolina-based US military service family par excellent! Her father served in the Army from 1941-45, even though he and his wife had 14 children.  Twelve of the fourteen children have either served or have a spouse that served or have children or grandchildren that have served in the military. Four family members have served more than 20 years and four family members are currently on active duty. Service to our nation is truly a family affair for the children of Elias and Ivory Simmons.

Two of my brothers (Air Force and Marines) who have relocated to Langston represented our Houston-based, military service oriented family consisting of our father Shelby R. Johnson, Sr. (Navy), his two brothers/our uncles (Army), our elder sister (Air Force), our two other brothers (Army), one of our nephews (Army), our two brothers-in-laws (Air Force and Army), and even my ex-husband (Army).  Like the other vets represented, they served from WWII to Korea to Viet Nam to the Persian Gulf to Afghanistan and in Peace time.

True appreciation for what our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters have sacrificed as they served in the military becomes relevant and quite clear when it is someone close to you; according to Langston’s Mayor Alicia Sumlin in her opening comments at the Worship Service where she presented Certificates of Appreciation to Langston-based veterans.  She also noted with great pride her oldest daughter’s commitment to service as she joined the Air Force this past April.

The word got out this year, through newspaper coverage, social media, posted flyers, through telephone and most effectively through tell-a-friend. The number of attendees at this year’s Worship Service and Appreciation Dinner tripled – with 5 female veterans and 16 male veterans present.  All seven of last year’s attendees returned for more recognition.  One Langstonite returned from Dallas, Texas for the event. A veteran who resides in Stillwater was invited by members of our church. He joined us in worship, thanking New Hope for the recognition and thanking his fellow veterans for their service.  At least two Purple Heart recipients were in attendance.  One young veteran who had just completed his 12 years of service in April has returned to the community where his mother, a Navy veteran and the granddaughter of Evangelist Whitlow, grew up.  A married couple from Guthrie came to the Appreciation Dinner after their church services ended. The Marines were properly represented by a very fit female veteran who attended the event wearing her uniform, while the Coast Guard was awesomely represented by “A Lady in Red.”  The guest preacher, Rev. Emory Mosley from Greater Prospect Baptist Church in Perry, is an Army veteran with 7 ½ years of service. The newly appointed Langston City Police Chief John S. Noriega, also an Army veteran, joined his new community in celebrating his service to our nation and the service of the twenty other veterans who were present.

On Wednesday November 11 – Veterans Day, the Town of Langston City continued the salute of our local veterans by placing flags on the gravesites of more than forty veterans buried in the Beulah Land Cemetery in Langston.  In addition to a city employee, three veterans and four family members took part in this consecrated effort.  Five veterans spent the noon hour having lunch with Langston University students, including the new Coordinator of Veteran activities.  Some of the students had just participated in a Flag Pole Ceremony organized by the newly established Student Veterans Association, SVA at Langston University.  Rev. David Hall, a Viet Nam veteran himself, led the discussion where veterans shared their experiences with the students.  On Saturday morning November 14, the Langston Housing Authority building activity room was converted to a magnificent dining facility where veterans and their families met for a special breakfast get together.

All of our veterans did not profit equally from military service.  While many became home owners, degreed intellectuals, trained technical specialists, managers, executives, teachers and entrepreneurs; others brought back disabilities, addictions, injuries and depression.  Many did not come home.  We still salute them for their commitment and their sacrifice to our nation.   Last year, this year and next year, we will “honor all those who served.”