Read about these local veterans

Carl Casella CHAMPAIGN — Hit by a series of kamikaze planes and bombs on one day, t … By Paul Wood Claude Coombs SAVOY — At Chanute Field, Claude Coombs trained air and ground crews i … By Paul Wood Bill Kirby TOLONO — Bill Kirby picked up downed aviators from the sea during Worl … By Paul Wood Frank Lesko CHAMPAIGN — As an Army doctor, Frank Lesko climbed the tallest mountai … By Paul Wood Bob Bokenkamp SAVOY — In taking several islands in the South Pacific, Bob Bokenkamp, … By Paul Wood Sam McPheeters MONTICELLO — Sam McPheeters dropped out of high school his senior year … By Paul Wood Steve Bein FISHER — As a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard and Army Reserv … By Paul Wood Richard Smith FARMER CITY — A Japanese destroyer dropped 14 depth charges in about a … By Paul Wood Rick Bednar CHAMPAIGN — Rick Bednar was an Armed Forces DJ in Vietnam, and says it … By Paul Wood Dick Oliver CHAMPAIGN — From the Korean War to the Cold War to Vietnam, Dick Olive … By Paul Wood Paul Rector SAVOY — New Guinea and the Philippines were not safe places to be as t … By Paul Wood Phil Wilhelm MAHOMET — Phil Wilhelm’s body still carries within it shrapnel dating … By Paul Wood