Happy Memorial Day from your friends at VeteransFranchise.com In observance of this special day and in honor of all those who’ve served, we wanted to do something a little different this year.
We asked each of our team members to tell us about any veterans in their lives in an attempt to share as many stories of these courageous individuals as possible. So, without further ado: meet the veterans that are extra near and dear to our hearts here at VeteransFranchise.com
Aldred Leon Millman
June’s grandfather, the late Aldred Leon Millman (1919-2019) served in the United States Army as a pilot during World War II. During his time in service and throughout his personal life, he was involved in theatre and was the leader of a big band orchestra. Mr. Millman is survived by four sons, eleven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
We thank you for your service, Mr. Millman!
Captain James L.D. Monroe
Reeves’ grandfather, James aka “Capn Jim” Monroe, served in the United States Navy Supply Corps for 30 years, providing supply and logistics support for several US Navy ships. Throughout his time of service, Captain Jim was stationed on the U.S.S. Fletcher as a junior electronics supply officer. He also served on the famed U.S.S. Kitty Hawk as a supply officer during the Vietnam War. Lastly, Jim was stationed on the U.S.S. Saipan, also as a supply officer, before his retirement.
We thank you for your service, Capn Jim!
Colonel Clinton D. Summerfield
Reeves’ grandfather, Colonel Clint Summerfield, was drafted into the United States Air Force in 1962. He then went into officer training school and, following his graduation, did his first tour in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Following this, Colonel Summerfield returned stateside and was stationed at the Pentagon, where he worked for the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force as the Legislative Liaison. His job as Liaison was to work closely with those on Capitol Hill and, as his job title suggests, acted as the liaison between the USAF and Congress. As his career progressed, he spent time working with the United States Foreign Services Committee, the Colonels Group, and did two tours at the Military Personnel Center. He then went on to complete a second tour at the Pentagon, this time assigned to the Office of the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force. In this role, he served as the Secretary of the Air Staff Board and was in charge of budget allocation for the entire USAF. When asked to reflect on his time spent in the USAF, Clint had this to say:
“Being drafted turned out to be a wonderful experience because, in the military, you get to work with an incredibly diverse group of people from all different backgrounds and from all over the world. For me especially, it was an incredible opportunity to get out and explore the world, being that I was just a boy who grew up in a small town in Wyoming. It was an experience that I never would’ve had if I’d just stayed in my hometown and my military service has given me a unique insight on people and on life.”
We thank you for your service, Colonel Summerfield!
Captain Vanessa Summerfield
Reeves’ grandmother, Vanessa Summerfield, enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Behavioral Health Technician from 1974-1977, retiring from the army as an E4 rank. Vanessa then went on to serve in the United States Air Force, joining in 1981 and rising to the rank of Captain by the time she retired in 1993. Vanessa’s first assignment in the Air Force was at MWR Headquarters, where she piloted the Air Force Family Daycare Program. She worked in this role for several years before the Air Force sent her to Georgetown Law School to complete her J.D. After her graduation from Georgetown in 1987, Vanessa then served as a JAG Officer, also known as a Judge Advocate General, until her retirement from the USAF in 1993. When asked to reflect on her time spent in the armed forces, Vanessa had this to say:
“Five of my siblings followed me into one kind of service or another, so it makes me proud to know that my service inspired them to do the same.”
We thank you for your service, Captain Summerfield!
Colonel McGinn
Reeves’ great-grandfather, Colonel McGinn, served in the United States Army from 1941-1968. During his time of service, Colonel McGinn was stationed in the Philippines and the Aleutian Islands during the Korean War, for which he earned a bronze star. He was also stationed in Panama twice, as well as Puerto Rico. He later served as Nuclear Inspector General for all of Europe in the early 1960s and was stationed in the Dominican Republic, later serving as Nuclear Liaison to Spain and various other Spanish-speaking countries due to his fluency in Spanish.
We thank you for your service, Colonel McGinn!
If you have any stories of a special veteran in your life that you’d like to highlight, feel free to send them our way! We’d love to feature as many stories as possible: not just on Memorial Day, but every day.