US Navy

2nd Veteran of the Quarter

Nominated by VFW Post 5168, Women Auxiliary Representative, Lucy Terrebrood

US Naval Veteran, Mr. Richard Peters, served the United States Navy as an E-5 during the Korean War. Below is the nomination provided by VFW Post 5168, Women’s Auxiliary Representative, Lucy Terrebrood, regarding his past 12 years of service honoring Veterans.

“Richard Peters has been performing Military Honors at Military Funerals since 1997. First with the Tri-Lakes Honor Guard — which was a combination of the VFW, American Legion, and Korean War Veterans Associations. When the State of Missouri enacted law to form the Missouri Military Funeral Honors System, in 1999, the KWVA formed their own Honor Guard and most of their members dropped out of the Tri-Lakes Honor Guard. Both of these Honor Guard Teams were certified by the Missouri Army National Guard to perform Military Funerals. Rich was, and still is, and member of both Teams.

Until a couple of years ago, the KWVA Honor Guard covered several counties and of course went to Springfield Area Veteran’s cemeteries quite often. For years they were the only Honor Guard that would work on Saturday and Sunday. For the first six years of their existence they had about 20 members to call on. However, in the last three years their numbers have dwindled (due to injury, illness, and death) to twelve in uniform of which eight or nine are available, most of the time. Although the Missouri Military Honors Program allows a minimum of three rifles (for the volleys) they always take a minimum of five and preferably seven. It’s getting tougher to keep a Team of this size in the field. Rich believes their guys don’t want to quit but realistically, they should. Some of them just can’t perform “up-to-snuff” anymore, Rich says. It’s really difficult for them to admit that, but it’s a fact. Rich believes, “it’s time.” He informed his guys in January that he was retiring on June 30th. He still doesn’t think they believe him but for Rich it really is “time.” He doesn’t really want to, but “it’s time.”

To keep an Honors Guard Team in this area (when the KWVA do stand down), Rich started talks with the VVA about a year ago to get a Team started among the VVA. And, with the assistance of the Missouri Funeral Honors Program in Kansas City, they are well on the way to being certified. Their uniforms have been approved and they are just waiting on the rifles from the US Army, Rich thinks.

We honor Richard Peters for devoting 12 years to honoring fallen Veterans and serving families of fallen Veterans in the Southwest Missouri area. We wish Rich a well deserved retirement and may wonderful years with Post 5168, to which he just transferred.”