Veteran Window Display

When I was a child growing up in the 1950's, going to Marion and seeing all the business windows displays was really exciting. All the stores on Main Street would take special care in decorating their windows for all the different occasions. Halloween and Christmas displays would sometime have a special night for the grand showing of each window. Sometimes there would be a contest for the best window display.

Memorial Day and Veteran's Day also were special days that the places of business showed their respect by honoring the Veteran's with some kind of special window display.

This year Roy Rogers and Tim Harrison's Barber-Shop on South Main Street has their window's decorated for Veteran's Day with pictures, stories and two Crittenden County soldier's uniforms on display. The two Veteran's that were honored in their window are Floyd "Rip" Wheeler and Jesse Hughes.

Rip Wheeler was a member of the Third Army Battle Corps of Engineers. His duties included building bridges, constructing camp sites and planting land mines. Wheeler fought in the deadly Battle of the Bulge and also Hedgerow. Wheeler and his fellow soldiers were called upon to lay land mines and keep German troops back. Their jobs were done under constant fire from the Germans.

Jesse Hughes flew cargo planes on dangerous missions for the U. S. Air Force. His plane carried medical supplies to the hundreds of wounded soldiers in Okinawa. One of his missions included being sent to evacuate allied survivors of a prisoner of war camp. Hughes was in the military for 21 years of service.

It was good to see this old tradition of a store window being displayed to Honor Our Veterans. Thank you Roy and Tim for honoring our Veterans this way once again.