By Curtis D. Tucker, Enid Buzz | Tuesday, May 31, 2016
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ENID, Okla. - The annual Memorial Day Ceremony was held at Enid Woodring Regional Airport and the Woodring Wall of Honor Monday morning in remembrance of those that lost their lives in the line of duty. It began with music from Tania Warnock and opened with the Kiowa Black Leggins Honor Guard.
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The ceremony was led by State Rep. Chad Caldwell, who introduced speakers Mayor Bill Shewey, David Henneke, Woodring Wall of Honor board president, Vance Air Force Base Wing Commander Col. Clark Quinn and former state Sen. Patrick Anderson.
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Six of Oklahoma’s heroes were added to the stone in Woodring Memorial Park. The Kiowa Black Leggins Honor Guard sang a warriors memorial song which included a cleansing with cedar smoke for the families of the fallen.
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The names added were U.S. Army Master Sergeant Anthony Yost; U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Christian Mendez; U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Thomas Avey; U.S. Army Master Sergeant Joshua Tate Toone; U.S. Army Specialist Haden James Bean; and U.S. Army Master Sergeant Joshua L. Wheeler.
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Commander Col. Clark Quinn told the story of the Leon Vance, an Enid native, who was lost in a plane crash. His heroism during the war led to the Enid Army Airfield being renamed Vance, AFB. A new memorial was dedicated in his honor.
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Doug Frantz invited audience members to name relatives and friends that they had lost in war. Many in the crowd raised their hands and called out names.
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Eight names were added to the Woodring Wall of Honor for those soldiers who fought in Vietnam and whose remains have been returned or been accounted for in the past year. Nine names had their statuses changed from "Missing in Action" to "Killed in Action." Anderson commented that the Woodring Wall of Honor was trying to be as accurate as possible with those lost in Vietnam.
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Vance Air Force Base Wing Commander Col. Clark Quinn.
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Tania Warnock.
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State Rep. Chad Caldwell.
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Mayor Shewey and Colonel Quinn.
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Father and son.
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Doug Frantz asking for names.
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David Henneke, Woodring Wall of Honor board president.
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Col. Clark Quinn telling the story of Leon Vance.
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A soldier.
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Kiowa Black Leggins Honor Guard
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A salute to U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Christian Mendez.
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Names added to the stone.
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The Woodring Wall of Honor.
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Memorial Day 2016
