AUTHORS

Author: Kevin M. Hymel
147 found

A Pilot’s Homecoming

By Kevin M. Hymel on 11/4/2025

On a Wednesday during the first month of the Korean War, U.S. Air Force Capt. Howard Odell led three F-80 fighter jets to intercept four North Korean fighters, as the enemy forces attacked the South Korean town of Taejon. In the ensuing dogfight on July 19, 1950, the American forces shot down the North Korean fighters. Odell’s jet, however, suffered numerous hits. As he tried to land his damaged craft on an American-controlled airstrip, it slid into a riverbank and exploded, killing him. North Korean forces captured the town the next day, preventing the recovery of Odell’s body.

Kevin M. Hymel

The Guardians of Living History: Touring Arlington National Cemetery’s Memorial Arboretum in the Fall

By Kevin M. Hymel on 11/3/2025

Charged with the stewardship of over 9,800 trees, Army National Military Cemeteries (ANMC) expert horticulturalists are more than caretakers; they are guardians of living history. Every spring and fall, ANMC’s horticulture team offer a series of free public walking tours, allowing visitors to enjoy the cemetery’s natural beauty while learning about the history and ongoing care of this memorial landscape.   

Kevin M. Hymel

9/11 Pentagon Survivor Dedicated 40 Years to Government Service

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/17/2025

On Sept. 11, 2001, Lois Stevens was attending a meeting on the second floor of the Pentagon’s outer ring when the lights went out and the room buckled. Although she did not realize it at the time, the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 had just crashed into the building a short distance from her conference room. But Stevens made it to safety with the help of her colleague, Army Lt. Col. Marylin Wills and other survivors. 

Kevin M. Hymel

“I’ve Waited 80 Years for This Closure:” Family Mourns World War II POW Identified in 2024

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/17/2025

In the spring of 1945, Betty Buttala was just 8 years old when her uncle, without explanation, picked her and one of her brothers up early from school and drove them to their Chicago home in silence. When Betty entered the house, she found her mother on the floor, crying. Her mother had just received a telegram stating that her son Justice, a prisoner of war in Japan, had been killed in a prison fire. One by one, Betty’s five other siblings arrived home to learn their brother’s fate. “It was the saddest day of our lives to see our mother crying,” Betty said. “It was just a crying day.” 

Kevin M. Hymel

From Vietnam Jungles to Keeping the World on Time: Honoring Marine Corps Capt. Frederick W. Smith

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/10/2025

Before Frederick W. Smith founded Federal Express (later renamed FedEx) in 1973, he was leading Marines through the jungles and cities of Vietnam and flying over the country as a forward air controller. Later in his life, he would attribute his leadership style to his service in the Marine Corps.

Kevin M. Hymel

From German Skies to Arlington, 80 Years Later

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/6/2025

“Fighters at 6:00 high!” Tech. Sgt. Lynn M. Farnham shouted to the nine men in his B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber over Germany. Those were the last words they heard from the 20-year-old top turret gunner/engineer. As he alerted the crew, shrapnel from a 20mm shell tore into his legs. Soon, the aircraft’s pilot gave the bail-out order and Farnham was last seen slumped behind Lt. Bill May’s co-pilot seat. May had also been killed. The other eight men successfully escaped the stricken bomber before it crashed outside of Langquaid, Germany. 

Kevin M. Hymel

The Call to Serve: An Army MP Honors the Unknown Soldiers

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/3/2025

Sgt. Kaylee Johnston wanted to join the Army when she was in middle school, but she worried about her parents’ reaction. Growing up, she was captivated by stories of courage and heroism, particularly in war films; however, she decided to attend college instead. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and she was sent home from school, she decided it was her chance to join. Within five years of joining the Army, Johnston found herself guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Kevin M. Hymel

Legacy of Sacrifice: A Military Family Brings Missing Crewman Home

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/2/2025

Dale Danneker was only two months old when his uncle, U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. John “Jack” H. Danneker, was killed in the skies over Europe during World War II. On June 20, 1944, Danneker was serving as the left waist gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber, attacking enemy facilities in Politz, Germany, when the bomber collided with another in the same formation. Danneker’s B-24 spiraled into the Baltic Sea near Langeland Island, Denmark. Two men from its 10-man crew survived the crash and were taken as prisoners of war. The others, including 19-year-old Danneker, could not be recovered. 

Kevin M. Hymel

From Corpsman to Doctor: The Legacy of Jon Bayer

By Kevin M. Hymel on 10/1/2025

U.S. Navy Corpsman Jon Bayer risked his life to save wounded Marines in Vietnam before finding the love of his life and becoming a doctor. He served with the U.S. Marine Corps’ Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the dividing line between North and South Vietnam, from 1966 to 1967.  

Kevin M. Hymel

A Soldier’s Continued Service: The Legacy of Lt. Col. Gail Hartjen

By Kevin M. Hymel on 9/3/2025

In 1990, when retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Gail Hartjen learned about the Hampton Roads Good Samaritan Foundation, which helped place homeless people in homes, she decided to help. She called Marie Boyd, a chaplain with the Newport News Fire Department, who ran the foundation, and asked her how she could assist. It was the start of a 35-year friendship. On July 9, 2025, Boyd said a final farewell to her friend at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Kevin M. Hymel