Purple Heart Salute Happens Friday At Lawrenceburg Fall Fest

Four local Purple Heart recipients will be honored for their incredibly bravery.

Pictured (left to right): Richard Wayne Sanders, John Richard Lozier, Gerald "Bush" White and Terry Bloomer will be this year's Lawrenceburg Fall Fest Purple Heart Salute honorees. Photos courtesy P.G. Gentrup. 

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – It wouldn’t be Lawrenceburg Fall Fest without the Purple Heart Salute.

This year, four local Purple Heart recipients will be honored on the Fall Fest main stage on Friday, September 27 at approximately 8:15 p.m.

The honorees include Gerald “Bush” White, Terry Bloomer and Richard Wayne Sanders and John Richard Lozier, both of whom will be honored posthumously.

Each honoree and/or their families will receive a Purple Heart Plaque.

Bios for the honorees are listed below.

Richard Wayne Sanders - was born on August 26, 1944 and was killed in action in Vietnam on October 1, 1968.  He was a bright young man with a bright future until the Vietnam War came along and cut his life short. Rick grew up in Goshen, OH, entered the U.S. Army and was stationed at the Nike Missle Base in Dillsboro, IN.  While there he met his future wife, Sandy Cayton, and they got married.  She was pregnant with their first child when he received his orders to go to Vietnam and he deployed two months before the baby was born.  He never got the chance to see his daughter, Dawn, who was seven months old when Rick died in Vietnam.  Sandy would send her husband Polaroid pictures of Dawn daily so Rick could see his baby girl.  Rick was a wonderful man and one of the nicest people you could ever meet according to Sandy.  Sandy and Rick lived with her mother in Aurora when Rick went to Vietnam. Rick Sanders served as a paratrooper as a combat medic and eventually it led to his heroic actions that earned him the Silver Star, Bronze Star, several Air Medals and the Purple Heart.  He was involved in many rescue missions to extricate his fellow soldiers who were badly wounded during battle.  On that fateful day of October 1, 1968 he was aboard a medical evacuation helicopter on a combat rescue mission near Tam Ky in North Vietnam when the chopper was shot down.  An earlier chopper had been shot down but Sanders and his crew went into the hot LZ to rescue 14 severely wounded soldiers.  He knew it was his job to do the best he could to help his comrades.  Rick was always there to volunteer for these dangerous missions because that was how he was trained and believed it was his duty.  He saved a lot of lives and today there are many men able to be a husband, dad and grandpa thanks to his heroism.  Rick never got to go home and “Live the American Dream” but he made it possible for those he rescued to do so. Sandy had just returned from the Aurora Farmers Fair when two Army Officers approached her with the terrible news.  She was just 20 years old and now had the weight of the world on her shoulders as a single mom and mother of an infant. Life goes on and Sandy eventually met and married a U.S. Air Force Vietnam Veteran, Mike Barry.  Mike raised Dawn as his daughter and has been very respectful when it comes to remembering Rick.  Dawn Birkenheuer today has a son, Derek, who was recently discharged from the Navy after six years.  Dawn has her dad’s medals and other memorabilia to display so others can see how brave her dad was. Sandy contacted the Vietnam Veterans of America Lary D Fogle Chapter 71 in Aurora, IN to see about having a ceremony at Aurora’s River View Cemetery to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Rick’s death.  She called Marty Sizemore and he in turn called PG Gentrup to get the event planned.   Gentrup called Sandy and reminded her that he had met her years ago while working on the stories for the Moving Wall when it came to Lawrenceburg.  The Vietnam Veterans came together to pay tribute to one of their own and a True American Hero.  On Saturday, October 20, 2018 the family members met with the Color Guard at Rick’s burial site in the Soldiers’ Circle at River View Cemetery.  There were several American Flags on 8’ poles staked at the circle, a POW-MIA flag, State of Indiana flag and the U.S. Army flag there to pay honors to Rick.  PG Gentrup read a prepared statement from the family and talked about what brave young men, like Rick, mean to our nation and the freedoms we enjoy, thanks to men like him.  He also read Rick’s citations for his Bronze Star, Silver Star and Purple Heart.  Rick’s photo was on display as well as his medals.  The Color Guard was proud to be there and conducted full military rites.  Sandy still had the 5’ X 9.5’ burial flag that was on her husband’s casket and it was also on display.  PG Gentrup and Jerry Bondurant, assisted by Rick’s grandson, Derek, folded a burial flag and presented it to Dawn in honor of her father.  As a Gold Star Daughter, she deserved to also have a flag in memory of her dad.  Her Gold Star Mother, Sandy, along with Dawn and her son, Derek, were presented with Purple Heart Challenge Coins, 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Challenge Coins and 50th Anniversary lapel pins for the Vietnam War.   Sgt. of Arms, Marty Sizemore, then called the rifle squad to attention and they fired the Three Volleys with the rifles and then Taps was played. Love for someone doesn’t die with them and Rick’s family proved that with this ceremony.  He may be gone but he won’t be forgotten. We all have the opportunity to pay tribute to these brave souls who made sacrifices for our freedoms.  It’s our duty as Veterans, to make sure their stories are told.  Please take the time to teach the younger generations about these Heroes and take them to Memorial Day, 4th of July, Veterans Day and other events paying tribute to our nation.  Several area schools have programs coming up for Veterans Day so try to attend one of them or several and make sure the students have an opportunity to shake the hand of a Veteran and say Thank You for your service.  Be sure to look for a World War II Veteran too because there aren’t too many of them left and able to attend these events. May God continue to bless the USA.

John Richard Lozier - was born March 20, 1941 in Warsaw, KY, the son of Curtley and Mary (Gulley) Lozier.  The family then lived in Lawrenceburg out on Route One , on the road to Guilford,  He had five brothers: Curt, Tommy, Philip, Herbert and Gerald and one sister, Angela Lozier (Jerry Ruble). John attended Central Grade School in Lawrenceburg and was in the Lawrenceburg Consolidated High School (LCHS) Class of 1959. John entered the United States Army in 1964 and was eventually sent to Vietnam where he served with the 556th Transportation Co., near Saigon, Vietnam.  John received the Purple Heart for wounds suffered when he was shot in the elbow and also had shrapnel wounds to the stomach.  His Purple Heart citation reads that it was for “wounds received in connection with military operations against a hostile force.”  His elbow as shot off and it led to having seven operations to rebuld his elbow and remove the shrapnel from his stomach.  He was sent back to Ft. Knox, KY for some of the operations.  He was honorably discharged in 1967. He met his wife, Paulette, after his discharge, when he stopped in at Frisch’s in Aurora and she was working as a car-hop waitress.   They were married on October 11, 1968.  They have three children:  Paulla (Cole), Rayette Lozier and John Richard Lozier Jr. (JR).  There are two grandchildren:  Izaak John Lozier and Seth Powers.  When speaking with Izaak, who is 11 years old, he said his Grandpa was in Heaven, and he wanted people to know that he was an American Hero and didn’t want people to forget him.  His grandma, Paulette, makes sure he isn’t forgotten.  John passed away on January 5, 2005 and is buried at the Mt. Sinai Cemetery. John worked for Top Quality in Lawrenceburg. He was a member of the Southeastern Indiana Vietnam Veterans of America Lary D. Fogle Chapter 71 in Aurora and the Lawrenceburg American Legion Post 239. His medals include: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and the Purple Heart.  He received the expert shooting badge for the rifle and the sharpshooter badge for a pistol. He was a Specialist 4 or Spec 4 and was a very patriotic man who was proud of his service to our great nation.  He passed that patriotism on to his family. Some of our wounded warriors have passed on, but it is our duty as Americans and as veterans, to make sure they are not forgotten.

Gerald “Bush: White - was born on November 16, 1924 in Switzerland County, Indiana to Matthew T. and Abbie (Lothridge) White.  Bush was one of nine children.  Brothers:  Bill, Jess, Jim, Dick and Bobby.  Sisters:  Wanda, Helen and Katherine. He married Frances “Fannie” Poling on June 25, 1950 and they have one daughter, Diane, and three sons, Ed, Kenny and Bobby. There are 15 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Bush served in the United States Army from 1944- 1946 and attained the rank of Tech 5.  He served with Co. I, 41st Armored Infantry, 2nd Division. He served in the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.  Bush was in the 3rd wave at Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.  It’s a day he will never forget. One of his darkest memories is of seeing the concentration camp at Dachau later in the war. His medals include: Combat Infantryman’s Badge, WWII Occupation Medal,  World War II Victory Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East (EAME) Medal with 3 bronze stars, Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart Medal for wounds sustained in battle at Puffendorf, Germany.  He also earned the Expert Rifle Badge. Bush’s wife, Fanny, passed away in 2015 after 65 years of marriage. Bush has been honored by the Cincinnati Reds as a Hometown Hero, was on the field on opening day and honored as a Purple Heart Recipient and honored on the field at Great American Ball Park on another occasion as a World War II Veteran on the Anniversary of VJ Day and the end of WWII.  He has been presented a Quilt of Valor for his service and also a beautiful American Flag afghan.  He has been recognized at many events for Veterans Day and other holidays. Bush is proud of his service to our great nation and very proud to be an American Veteran and Patriot.

Terry Bloomer - was born on December 11, 1948 in Hamilton, OH to Sam and Leona Bloomer.  He has one brother, Tyrone and a sister, Billie Jo. He attended Lincoln Grade School in Hamilton and Wilson Jr. High.  He attended Hamilton Taft High School and Hopkinsville, KY High School. Terry married Gloria Blevins in 1980.  They have three children, Matt, Wendell and Angel.  There are seven grandchildren:  Clifford, Jasmine, Terrance, Tyler, Jenna, Payton and Erin.  Granddaughter, Gretchen Grace, is deceased.  There are nine great grandchildren. Terry entered the United States Marine Corps on May 1, 1967 and took basic training at San Diego, CA.  Terry was sent to Vietnam where he served as a Lance Corporal in 1967-68-69, with three tours of duty.  He served with “C” Co., 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines in I Corps.  Terry was assigned to a M1-48A3 tank as a loader, driver and gunner.  The tank was armed with 90mm guns named Let Her Eat and .30 cal and .50 cal. machine guns.  He was wounded in action from enemy fire and awarded the Purple Heart.  He was in the Con Thien (Hill of Angels) area in Vietnam which was near the DMZ and only 3km from the North Vietnam border.  Some very fierce battles took place in this area of Quang Tri Province. Terry was awarded several medals:  National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Purple Heart. He was discharged on March 13, 1970.  He worked at the Champion International Paper Co. Terry is a member of the Scottish Rite and Masons as well as the VFW and Southeastern Indiana Vietnam Veterans of America Lary D. Fogle Post 71 in Aurora. Today, Terry and Gloria reside near Rising Sun, IN. Terry is proud of his faithful and dedicated service to our great nation.  Once a Marine, always a Marine.  Semper Fi.