TAPS remembrance of departed members 2019

 It is with great sadness that we announce James Hall Kent, of Elk Rapids, Michigan, passed away on October 5, 2024. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend. Most of his friends called him Jim, but he was also affectionately known as “The Colonel.” He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.   He served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and continued to remain involved in the U.S. Army Reserve for over 30 years rising to the rank of Colonel. He was recognized for his selfless dedication and personal commitment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Reserve, by receiving The Meritorious Service Medal. Colonel James Kent maintained a lifelong allegiance to the U.S. Army military by recruiting for West Point, which was truly rewarding for him. He received numerous letters of gratitude from those lives he impacted. 

Retired Army Lt. Col. Charles Kettles, a Vietnam War helicopter pilot awarded the Medal of Honor in 2016 for his courageous acts in South Vietnam, has died.  The Ypsilanti, Mich., native, who turned 90 on Jan. 9,  2019. He received the Medal of Honor in 2016 for heroic action on May 15, 1967, while a major with the 176th Aviation Company, 14th Combat Aviation Battalion, Americal Division, hear Duc Pho, Vietnam, leading a platoon of UH-1D helicopters in support of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, which was ambushed.  In a 2018 interview with Press & Guide, a Southgate, Mich., newspaper, Kettles said he had volunteered to return to active duty for service in Vietnam after seven years in the Army Reserve because “the Army was screaming for pilots.”  “They spent several hundred thousand dollars training men, and at that point I had six children. In fairness to the youngsters, I went back on active duty to do my share,” he said in the interview published as he was named grand marshal for the Memorial Day parade in Dearborn, Mich.