Sun City Daughters honor veterans

The late Senator John McCain introduced formal legislation to designate May as National Military Appreciation Month in 1999. Both the Senate and House of Representatives adopted the resolution for Americans to honor and recognize United States service members.

Sun City’s National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Agua Fria Chapter have honored many military service members for the last few years. Agua Fria Chapter Daughter Deena Gibson sent a family friend, Eldon Leemhuis, a patriotic lap robe made and donated by Sun City’s Bell Stitchers Club. Because Leemhuis served in the Vietnam War, Gibson also sent him the 50th Vietnam War era commemorative veteran’s pin and pin packet.

He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1962 and received training in Biloxi, MS from Nov. 1962 until Dec. 1963. Prior to his duty in Vietnam, from 1965 to 1966, he was assigned to the Detroit Sector of NORAD (North American Air Defense) Headquarters in Michigan as radar maintenance control. He volunteered for Vietnam to get away from the cold because two winters in Michigan was enough.

After coming back from Vietnam, Leemhuis was discharged in 1966. He and his two brothers all served four years in the U.S. Air Force. All three brothers were in the field of electronics, radio and radar maintenance and early electronics of unmanned planes, which have expanded into drones. His older brother was stationed in Spain and Pakistan for 2 ½ years. He and his younger brother served one year in Vietnam.

Leemhuis’s father was born and raised in Germany, coming to the states when he was 21 years old. His mother’s brother served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during WWII. His mother’s grandfather was a Civil War veteran.

Visit aguafria.arizonadar.org for more information.