A steady crowd gathered at the Broken Bow Municipal Building Wednesday evening for the annual Veterans Day soup supper, with strong attendance reported throughout the event which started at 4 PM and wrapped up at 7 PM. Funds collected will go toward supporting the upkeep of the Veterans Building on 1st Avenue in Broken Bow.
A short program started at 6 PM, featuring a performance of the national anthem and the presentation of some special items to veterans in attendance.
Dell Moninger presented Stan Young with a Korean War Recognition Coin as part of a statewide effort through the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs to recognize living Nebraska veterans who served during the Korean War. The initiative aims to recognize as many of the estimated 2,400 living Nebraskans who served during the conflict as possible.
The program also included the presentation of four Quilts of Valor to local veterans: Johnny Peck, James Goings, Terry Beckenhauer and Matthew Denson.
Teri Buhlmann and Deb Bryner, members of the Quilts of Valor Foundation, introduced the presentations and explained the organization’s mission of covering service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts. Since its founding, the foundation has awarded more than 460,000 quilts to American veterans and military personnel. Each quilt represents gratitude, respect and admiration for the sacrifices made by those who served.
The quilts were placed over the shoulders of the four veterans by family members following the reading of their military service histories, given to serve as a reminder that their service and sacrifices are remembered and appreciated.
Here are summaries of the bios read about each veteran ahead of their Quilt of Valor presentation:
Johnny Peck served in the United States Air Force from 1969 through 1973 during the Vietnam era. Following training in Texas, he served in Okinawa for 18 months, as well as assignments in Omaha and Oklahoma. Peck worked as a radio repairman on the KC-135 cargo and transport aircraft and also performed reconnaissance and refueling duties. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant.
James Goings served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971 during the Vietnam era. He was stationed in Augsburg, Germany, where he worked in a maintenance unit servicing Army vehicles before later serving as a gym supervisor. Goings was honorably discharged with the rank of Specialist 4.
Terry Beckenhauer enlisted in the United States Army in early 1968. After completing basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington, he attended HVAC school at Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Following his training, he spent a year as an HVAC instructor before being assigned to Karat, Thailand, in October 1969. There, he was in charge of a refrigeration and air conditioning shop supporting military bases in Thailand. His unit also maintained equipment and supported blood banks used during the Vietnam conflict. Beckenhauer completed his service with assignments at Fort Belvoir and was honorably discharged July 3, 1971, with the rank of E-5.
Matthew Denson served in the United States Marine Corps from 2014 through 2025. After boot camp in San Diego, California, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and deployed to Okinawa, Japan. He also served aboard the USS Iwo Jima as part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit, traveling to Jordan, Djibouti, Israel, Spain, Greece and Cyprus. His later assignments included Camp Pendleton, California, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Denson received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal three times. He was honorably discharged in 2025 with the rank of E-7, Gunnery Sergeant.
