Marine Who Served In Vietnam Is Vet Of The Month
February 19, 2021 at 11:34 p.m.
Marine Who Served In Vietnam Is Vet Of The Month
By David [email protected]
The Kosciusko County Commissioners and Veterans Affairs Officer Rich Maron honored Raymond L. Bledsoe at the Commissioners meeting Friday. The meeting had been rescheduled from Tuesday due to the snowy and icy road conditions.
Bledsoe was born Nov. 21, 1946, in Burlington, Wash., to Marvin and Evelyn Bledsoe. His dad was in the Coast Guard so he moved around a bit, according to Maron in his award presentation to Bledsoe.
Bledsoe would attend kindergarten in Staten Island, N.Y.; first through seventh grade in Port Angeles, Wash.; eighth through ninth grade in Wessington Springs, S.D.; and 10th through 12th grade in Warsaw.
After graduation, he decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps. He did his basic training in San Diego, Calif., and his infantry training regiment and truck driver school at Camp Pendleton, Virginia Beach, Va. Bledsoe remained there until being sent to Vietnam in April 1968 at a base just north of Danang.
He drove 2-1/2-ton and 5-ton trucks, helping transport supplies and manpower as needed to support the war efforts.
He completed his enlistment and was honorably discharged in May 1969 after three years of service, Maron said. Bledsoe returned home to Warsaw, where he landed a job with RR Donnelly & Sons, retiring from there after 43 years.
Raymond married Joyce A. Folk on July 28, 1973. She died Aug. 16. Maron said they were blessed with two children, Jason (and wife Kim) and Lydia (and husband Matt). Each child gave Bledsoe two grandchildren: Kerstin and Hallie Bledsoe and Gunnar and Hadley Campbell.
Bledsoe is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 1126, Warsaw, and a past Post commander of the American Legion Post 49, Warsaw.
He is a member of Harley Owners Group (HOG), and says he loves to ride his Harley, Maron said.
Bledsoe is a member of the Honor Guard, which provides military honors for his fellow veterans that have died.
Asked if he had anything he wanted to say, Bledsoe just said, “Thank you. (This was) kind of unexpected.”
Before presenting the honor to Bledsoe, Maron briefly explained how the whole Veteran of the Month nomination process is done. He said nominations go through the Commissioners – Bob Conley, Cary Groninger and Brad Jackson.
“So, if you have anybody you want to nominate for Veteran of the Month, you just need to find out where that person lives and then send an email to the commissioners and they can bring that person forward for possibly Veteran of the Month,” Maron said.
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The Kosciusko County Commissioners and Veterans Affairs Officer Rich Maron honored Raymond L. Bledsoe at the Commissioners meeting Friday. The meeting had been rescheduled from Tuesday due to the snowy and icy road conditions.
Bledsoe was born Nov. 21, 1946, in Burlington, Wash., to Marvin and Evelyn Bledsoe. His dad was in the Coast Guard so he moved around a bit, according to Maron in his award presentation to Bledsoe.
Bledsoe would attend kindergarten in Staten Island, N.Y.; first through seventh grade in Port Angeles, Wash.; eighth through ninth grade in Wessington Springs, S.D.; and 10th through 12th grade in Warsaw.
After graduation, he decided to join the U.S. Marine Corps. He did his basic training in San Diego, Calif., and his infantry training regiment and truck driver school at Camp Pendleton, Virginia Beach, Va. Bledsoe remained there until being sent to Vietnam in April 1968 at a base just north of Danang.
He drove 2-1/2-ton and 5-ton trucks, helping transport supplies and manpower as needed to support the war efforts.
He completed his enlistment and was honorably discharged in May 1969 after three years of service, Maron said. Bledsoe returned home to Warsaw, where he landed a job with RR Donnelly & Sons, retiring from there after 43 years.
Raymond married Joyce A. Folk on July 28, 1973. She died Aug. 16. Maron said they were blessed with two children, Jason (and wife Kim) and Lydia (and husband Matt). Each child gave Bledsoe two grandchildren: Kerstin and Hallie Bledsoe and Gunnar and Hadley Campbell.
Bledsoe is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars 1126, Warsaw, and a past Post commander of the American Legion Post 49, Warsaw.
He is a member of Harley Owners Group (HOG), and says he loves to ride his Harley, Maron said.
Bledsoe is a member of the Honor Guard, which provides military honors for his fellow veterans that have died.
Asked if he had anything he wanted to say, Bledsoe just said, “Thank you. (This was) kind of unexpected.”
Before presenting the honor to Bledsoe, Maron briefly explained how the whole Veteran of the Month nomination process is done. He said nominations go through the Commissioners – Bob Conley, Cary Groninger and Brad Jackson.
“So, if you have anybody you want to nominate for Veteran of the Month, you just need to find out where that person lives and then send an email to the commissioners and they can bring that person forward for possibly Veteran of the Month,” Maron said.
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