During the VFW pancake feed Monday evening at the Broken Bow municipal building, William (Bill) Chalupa received a quilt of valor. The quilt was made by Deb Bryner.
Chalupa enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1977. He was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for his basic training, and then stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. While stationed at Fort Bliss, Bill served as a track vehicle mechanic. He was discharged in 1980 and returned to Nebraska.
Chalupa reenlisted in 1981 through the Army National Guard, Broken Bow, B-Battery. He served in the National Guard through 1990. He was an artillery gunner and was trained on the Howitzer. His training also included nuclear weapons.
Chalupa was called up as Inactive Ready Reserve to serve in Desert Storm from 1990-91 as an artillery specialist. He was being sent to Saudi Arabia, but his unit was staged in Germany. The orders changed after a few months, and they all returned to the United States.
Chalupa was honorably discharged for the last time as a SPC-4, from the base in St. Louis, Missouri.
