A new memorial bench honors Henry J.R. Franklin, an Iraq War veteran and police officer from Missouri killed in the line of duty in October 2025. (Blair Moran of the American Legion)
A city veterans park in Missouri that features displays of military equipment from World War II through the Vietnam War is the site of a new memorial honoring a 41-year-old police officer and Iraq War veteran killed in the line of duty.
Officer Henry J.R. Franklin, who served for 12 years with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, was memorialized this month with the placement of an inscribed black granite bench at the Sikeston Veterans Park.
The 5-acre park is on the former Harvey Parks Air Base, where World War II pilots once trained. Veterans Park today recognizes the military history and contributions of Sikeston residents.
A new memorial bench honors Henry J.R. Franklin, an Iraq War veteran and police officer from Missouri killed in the line of duty in October 2025. (Blair Moran of the American Legion)
“This memorial bench is a reminder to our generation and future generations of the service and sacrifice that Officer Franklin made for our country and the ultimate sacrifice he made for our community,” said Blair Moran, a Vietnam veteran and member of the Sikeston American Legion Post No. 114.
Franklin’s family, friends and colleagues gathered for a special ceremony in his honor on April 11. The American Legion, along with city and state leaders were there to pay tribute.
Franklin served for nearly 20 years in the military.
He enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard in 2013 after joining the Sikeston police department. He served for nine years, rising to the rank of staff sergeant.
Franklin also served in the Army from 2002 to 2013, deploying twice to Iraq.
Franklin participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of the Global War on Terrorism. He was a member of the 101st Airborne Division.
Henry J.R. Franklin, who served for 12 years with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, in Missouri, was memorialized in April with the placement of an inscribed black granite bench at the city’s Veterans Park. (Sikeston Department of Public Safety)
A member of the police tactical team, Franklin was responding to a mutual aid call in October 2025 when he was shot and killed by a barricaded suspect, according to the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.
“We really appreciate it. We hate that we lost him. It hurts every day, but we do appreciate the city of Sikeston coming together and doing this for him, and something that we can drive by and see every day,” said Amy Eastman, his sister, according to WKVS, a local TV station.
The bench was donated by Amy Christian, owner of Christian Memorial Co., in Dexter, Mo.
A $3 million gift from the William A. Brookshire Foundation will enable the University of Houston to expand its Veterans Services Center, the university announced.
The dollars will enable the center to grow its footprint and capacity, adding staff and resources to support student veterans from enrollment through graduation and into their careers, the university said.
“Military-connected students bring extraordinary leadership, resilience and real-world experience to the University of Houston,” said Paul Kittle, vice president of student affairs.
Access to comprehensive support services is critical to the success of veterans who are students, Kittle said.
“Our founder, W.A. (Bill) Brookshire, UH Class of 1957, often spoke of the deep debt of gratitude he felt toward the veterans who served our nation, affording him the opportunity to pursue his education,” said John Garrison of the W.A. Brookshire Foundation.
The Veterans Services Center supports nearly 3,500 students, including veterans, active-duty service members, reservists, National Guard members and their families, according to the university.
A documentary by a former Navy pilot who embedded with a Ukrainian counter-drone unit will screen in the nation’s capital on Tuesday.
“Drone Hunters of Kherson” offers a view from the front lines of Ukraine’s fight to defend itself against attacks by Russian drones, according to Ken Harbaugh, the film’s producer and a retired Navy pilot.
Harbaugh embedded with Ukraine’s counter-drone units as they protected Odesa and Kherson from the aerial assaults, according to the film’s notes.
He is scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer discussion after the showing of the 18-minute documentary.
“In the Navy, I flew with the most sophisticated aircraft known to man. But they can’t protect the skies in the drone era,” Harbaugh said. “Out of necessity, the Ukrainians are leading the world in counter-drone tactics and technology.”
Harbaugh served in the Navy from 1996 to 2005, rising to the rank of lieutenant.
The event is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at a venue in Washington, D.C. There is no cost to attend the film and reception, but advance registration is required.
Members of the public will receive the address after they RSVP, according to the sponsors.
The event is co-hosted by Razom, a Ukraine advocacy group, and by the Atlantic Council.
Post-9/11 combat veterans with exposures to severe blasts during military duty show accelerated biological aging markers of DNA degradation, according to new research from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Scientists with the VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center analyzed the DNA of 114 veterans who volunteered for the study, according to the VA.
“Analysis revealed both higher-intensity and more frequent blast exposures contributed to faster aging,” the VA reported. “The findings suggest accelerated biological aging could explain the link between blast exposure and long-term health decline.”
R.G.B. Robb, a former cafeteria worker at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, is embarking on a nearly year-long quest to walk across the United States and interview veterans about their experiences receiving health care at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Robb said his two-year gig working the grill at the VA hospital in Aurora, Colo., has inspired him to research and write a book featuring the insights of veterans about the VA health care system.
“I was the grill guy and innocuous, so I heard about a lot of problems talking with doctors and other medical staff,” said Robb, who has an extensive background as a magazine writer.
Pulling an aluminum cart with his belongings, Robb said he plans to start his trip on Tuesday at Union Station, in Washington, D.C., and hike 18 miles per day until he reaches Sacramento, Calif.
“The goal of the walk is to meet veterans along the way and interview them. I also will visit VA facilities to meet people — patients and staff,” said Robb, adding that he will not be following a specific schedule or agenda.
Robb, who is not a military veteran, will use his cellphone to record conversations and share them on his Facebook page.
