Hope some one heard
Today we are talking about Marvin “Mark” Sloan, a vet who passed on April 3 at the age of 94 in St. Peters, MO. My memory tells me St. Peters is bit west of St. Louis – I recall replacing a VW generator there by the side of the road several decades back.
Sloan, 94, died on April 3 in St. Peters, Missouri. After losing his beloved wife Elizabeth in 2020, Sloan went into a shell. Saying farewell to his partner of 60 years, he became depressed and aloof, alienating former friends. To make matters worse, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Sloan couldn’t even visit his wife during her remaining days in the hospital.
CPL Jason Gray of the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department met Mr. Peters by chance at a LongHorn Steakhouse.
Gray said hello and the two began chatting. The Korean War veteran told Gray he had no remaining family members. Oh, and it was also his birthday.
The random meeting struck Gray’s sympathy cord. Serving for the St. Peters Police Department, Gray talked to his superior, saying they should do something nice for this courageous Purple Heart veteran.
The department purchased a birthday cake from Schnuck’s, a popular bakery in the St. Louis area and a card signed by officers. Gray met up with Sloan later that day to present him with the card and cake. A forgettable birthday turned into a very memorable one.
Couple of minor notes – Schnuck’s is a major local grocery chain, not a bakery. More significant, Mr. Sloan had FIVE Purple Hearts.
Serving in the Korean War in the early 1950s, Sloan witnessed intense combat. All five Purple Hearts carry a story, many of which he shared with Gray. Some were difficult to believe until Gray viewed Sloan’s DD-214 military separation records confirming the hell Sloan went through in Korea.
Barely escaping death several times would likely scare off most from staying in the military. Not Sloan. After Korea, he enlisted in the Air Force and moved to St. Louis.
Getting his mail one day, he met Elizabeth. The couple started dating and were married three months later.
Gray said Sloan’s battles with PTSD, combined with the death of his wife, caused him to push away anyone who tried to help. However, Gray’s uniform allowed him to build a bridge to the aging veteran.
“He respected the uniform,” Gray said. “He said he wore one in the best years of his life.”
Was hoping to appeal to local readers to attend, but I see that Military.com was late to the party and the funeral was Friday.
A funeral with full military honors will be held April 17 at 10 a.m. inside the Baue Funerals Cave Springs location and the Memorial Gardens Cemetery in St. Charles.
St. Peters Mayor Len Pagano is planning for a large turnout.
“I’m hoping word of mouth would get out to respect this man,” Pagano said. “And I’m hoping a lot of other veterans will be there as well.” Military.com
Category: Korea, We Remember
RIP