CRESTVIEW — When residents pause at the Okaloosa County Veterans Memorial to pay their respects to local war heroes, they’ll find a new name among the roll of honor.

Albert Flowers Sr., a Crestview native, was memorialized Saturday morning by city officials, veterans and residents at the dedication and laying of a brick honoring the Bronze Star recipient.

“I believe Dad is proud,” Albert Flowers Jr. said. “He’s looking down right now and smiling. He was a hero and always will be a hero to me.”

Albert Jr. and his brother, Kent, were present at the ceremony presided over Army Sgt. George Stakley (ret.), during which Mayor David Cadle proclaimed Saturday “a day of remembrance and recognition of the heroic actions of a son of Crestview.”

In his proclamation, Cadle praised Albert Flowers Sr., whose “decisive action and courage was instrumental in saving the aircraft carrier and spring the lives of hundreds of fellow sailors” when the “Intrepid” was attacked in 1944.

Albert Jr. said Saturday’s ceremony wasn’t just about his father.

“We’re here to support all the veterans,” he said. “We honor our veterans and we love them.”

He said if his father were still alive, he believes he would share the message of non-violence he installed in his children.

“I think his message would be similar to Martin Luther King’s,” Flowers said.

“We’re really proud we can stand on this windy day to celebrate this hero,” Stakley said as wind whipped the flags held by the Crestview High School Army ROTC color guard.

“It sure is a proud moment,” Kent Flowers said.

Citations and other personal materials from Albert Flowers Sr.’s military career will be displayed in the Carver-Hill Museum at Allen Park, 895 McClelland Street.

WANT TO GO?

The Okaloosa County Veterans Memorial contains the names of local veterans who gave their lives for their country in wars and conflicts since World War I. Residents may visit the memorial and its eternal flame at the corner of Courthouse Terrace and Main Street.

Families and friends may purchase one of the few remaining bricks in honor of a war hero by contacting Bob Lynn, president of the Military Appreciation Recognition Celebration, 582-2222, bettybob1234@aol.com.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: New Veterans Memorial brick honors World War II hero

CRESTVIEW — The Swamp Ranger Association, which supports the 6th Ranger Training Battalion on Eglin Air Force Base, is taking applications for new members.

This association provides fun activities for the battalion’s families and supports their wives’ Family Readiness Group, among other things.

 The only requirement to become a member is to want to support the battalion and participate in association activities when you can. E-mail Tom Moody, tomandcarolretired@cox.net, if you would like to become a member.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Here’s how to support Army Rangers

Alprentice Smith, of Hinesville, Ga., has been promoted to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army.

A promotion ceremony is planned Feb. 12 in Fort Gordon, Ga.

Smith and his wife, Tausha, have two daughters and one son. She is the daughter of Mae Reatha and the late Ulysses Coleman of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Smith promoted to colonel

CRESTVIEW — Army Staff Sgt. Dan Kinney wants to help veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder — because he knows the struggle firsthand.

Kinney, who lives in Baker with his wife, Stacey, and their three children, recently started the Facebook page "The Scars Remain," which follows his blog with the same name.

The central message? "We all suffer. We all care … No judging, just helping," the Facebook page states.

TARGETING INSURGENTS

After Kinney enlisted in the Army — a lifelong dream — in 2006 in Lansing, Mich., he was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base and served seven months in Iraq before heading to Afghanistan. 

That second tour would haunt him forever.

In 2010 in Afghanistan, Kinney monitored a group of people digging in the road — "there's no doubt that they were placing an IED" — Kinney said.  

His group planned to drop artillery on the insurgents, possibly a subgroup of Al Quaida, he said, and later verify all the bombs were gone.

But the artillery hit a nearby house, and killed three children, along with their uncle and their father.

"One of our best guesses," Kinney said, is that "some of the mortars landed closer to the edge of town than we would have liked… one of those mortars came in through their roof."

RELIVING A WAR

One girl, perhaps 4 years old, Kinney said, did not instantly die.

"She was the only one that was still alive," he said. "She's just making eye contact with me and she's whimpering — and then, all of a sudden, it just stops. We had trucks running, there's people around, there's people talking, but everything was completely silent when she stopped whimpering."

After returning from war, a cry from Kinney's daughter, then 11 months, reminded him of the girl who died too soon.

"Every time I'd hear it, I'd be back there again," Kinney said. "The smells were there. It was a cold night, so I would get chilly."

Military service members who witness life-threatening events might have recurring flashbacks of the trauma and experience sleepless nights and jumpiness, among other symptoms, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for PTSD.

But there lies the stigma: Being so vulnerable can be challenging for someone who should be a hero, Kinney said.

"A lot of people in the military tend to think that, you know, we're big, bad, Army guys; we don't need help from anything," he said. "And when you do go and seek help for something, a lot of times you can be looked at as weak.

"In reality, that's just absolutely not the case."

'WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE'

For Kinney, coping with combat-related trauma meant attending group therapy sessions in a military hospital.  

But something interesting happened.

"What I noticed was for me, personally — and for a couple of the other guys who admitted it — is we were getting more out of just talking to each other (while hanging out) than we were from any of the therapy sessions or the medication," Kinney said.  

Bonding with combat veterans outside of any formal setting inspired Kinney to form the Facebook page.

"We've all been there, we've all seen horrible things, and now that we're home and struggling with the consequences, I want to provide a safe place where we can come and get things off our chest," he said.  

"It's important for people to understand that PTSD isn't something that ever goes away. You just learn how to manage it and learn how to live with it instead of fight against it." 

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'NO JUDGING, JUST HELPING': Baker man starts PTSD forum for veterans