At GreatNews.Life, we believe that those willing to sacrifice everything to protect our community deserve to have their stories told. Since 2022, we’ve been making that happen with our monthly Veteran Spotlight series. Read on to hear from some of the men and women in your community that have served for you!
Sergeant Stephany Leonard served for six years in the U.S. Army National Guard, voluntarily serving under Title 10 orders for four of her six years. “In that role, I helped train soldiers and volunteered to support units preparing for mobilization,” she …
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Jack Tipold is a candidate for Porter County Council District 3. He’s also a veteran who served for four years in the Air Force. “I served from 1982 to 1986,” he said. “I was a member of the Security Police (SP) in the Air Force. We worked the …
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A Purdue University alum, James ‘Jim’ Spanopoulos served in the United States Navy. At just 23 years old, he fought in the Vietnam War. He has a great pride for his country and for its freedom. “If you get called to come and serve your country, you …
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Serving in the Vietnam War was Roger Kneeland’s first military assignment out of his college’s United States Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) training. “I was in the Air Force from 1968 after I graduated ROTC in college until 1974 for six years,” Kneeland …
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It was high school where his dream of joining the United States military first started. Inspired to begin advancing toward his new dream of serving. However, Koch also wanted to go to college. Grappling with both a desire to attend college and join the …
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Pete Gladstone is a former United States Marine. As a Marine he gave to his country, and now he’s giving back to his community as a teacher, a firefighter, and a father. “I served as a military member in the United States Marine Corps from 1993-2003,” …
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Patrick “Pete” Goodpaster was a member of United States Marine Corps (USMC) Charlie Company, with the 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion 29 Palms stationed in California. Outside of the military, Goodpaster has resided in Porter County. “I have …
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Veteran Troy Turner established Right at Home Northwest Indiana, an in-home care service in Merrillville that offers support and assistance for the elderly, infirmed, and ill—including specialized care such as bathing, grooming, mobility support, medication …
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After a deployment in Iraq and an assignment in Louisiana to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Donald Stanley rode his motorcycle out west for a personal trip. On his way back to Indiana, he was hit by a tractor-trailer tire that had come off …
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As Dr. Christopher Ebert drove through Northwest Indiana between deliveries for his job on September 11, 2001, he noticed the roads were eerily quiet. When he would pop into a store for a drop off, he would regularly witness people crowded around a …
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