Veterans facility should be named to honor John Brown

Veterans facility should be named to honor John Brown

EDITOR:

While we intend to imply no disrespect to Commission David Ludt or his time served in the military or as a Mahoning County commissioner, we do believe a tremendous error has been made in the decision to name the Veterans Service Commission in honor of Mr. Ludt. In the Vindicator article announcing this, the military record of Mr. Ludt was summed up in one sentence and spanned a four year period. That pales in comparison to the dedication and life time a local man and his wife have given unconditionally to the veterans. Mr. John P. “JP” and Jan Brown have spent their entire adult lives serving the veterans. Mr. Brown has served AMVETS in numerous capacities, most recently as national commander in Washington D.C.

The Vietnam War combat veteran currently serves on the Constitution and Resolution Committee for AMVETS Department of Ohio and the National Committee of Employers of Guard and Reserve. Commander Brown chairs the U.S. Selective Service Board 80, having previously been appointed to the board two decades ago by then President Ronald Reagan.

Commander Brown, is a life member of the AMVETS Post 44 of Youngstown, founder and trustee of the Mahoning Veterans Memorial, and continues 20 years of volunteer service as host of a veteran’s radio talk show on WKBN/WNIO AM and WNCD/WBBG/WAKZ/WMXY FM.

Commander Brown is married to retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Jan C. Brown.

We had the honor of attending Mr. Brown’s testimonial dinner in March and were amazed ourselves at the unconditional giving this man and his wife have dedicated to our veterans. In addition to his many services he is just a great individual to have the pleasure of calling a friend. Although we are not veterans, we are certain there is an endless list who would agree this building should be named in honor of John P. Brown.

It should be noted that thanks to the diligent efforts of Commissioners David Ludt and Anthony Traficanti a multitude of county offices are now housed at the recently acquired Oakhill Renaissance Center — including the recent addition of the Veteran’s Service Commission. It was an effort that has proven to be beneficial to both the community and employees of Mahoning County. For that we should give tremendous thanks and gratitude to both who battled in the face of professional and public opinion opposing the move.

RAYMOND and LORI MARCIANO

Canfield

Honor a veteran today

EDITOR:

Today, Veterans Day, is a day of great importance, a day we honor those who came before us and, maybe more importantly, our newest veterans. This day takes on a special meaning as we honor these newest veterans, those who served our nation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank a veteran. Talk to a veteran. Learn about their experiences and what issues they have faced in transitioning back to civilian life.

Millions of veterans face challenges that many Americans do not fully understand, from shortfalls in veterans programs to dealing with the mental and physical scars of war. A good place to start is visiting a local veterans affairs center, a medical facility and/or learning more at Web sites like VoteVets.org.

The best way to honor our veterans today is to connect with them.

JOHN WENDLE, ex-USMC

Youngstown