59 of our national cemeteries have lodges on property. In most cases, they are used as administration buildings or by Veteran Service Organizations. In five cases, like Baltimore National Cemetery, the lodge is used as a full time residence for cemetery directors.

On Aug. 13, 1965, a flight of RC F-101 Voodoo reconnaissance jets roared in the mid-day skies over Son La, North Vietnam near the Laotian border. In the lead, was Lt. Col. Fredric M. Mellor of the United States Air Force Reserve. It was a particularly unlucky Friday the 13^th, as enemy fire raked his Voodoo forcing him to eject.

Vietnam Veteran: It takes a hero to ask for help

Pierre Williams was a young Marine whose job as a “tunnel rat” was to ferret out any North Vietnamese soldiers. There were poisonous snakes and danger around every corner.

He came home to bad dreams and post-traumatic stress. With the help of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, Williams is learning to get past the pain.

 VETERAN OF THE WEEK

This week we honor Marine Corps Veteran Bruce Lee Anderson. Bruce served during the Vietnam War.

Bruce enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1972 and received basic training at Parris Island. After completing basic training, Bruce received advanced training to become a fire direction control officer and specialized training in security and sniping.