Author: CNN Newsource

By Ryan Gamboa

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    Kansas (KSHB) — A 94-year-old Korean War veteran from Johnson County, Kansas, finally received his Purple Heart medal after nearly seven decades of waiting.

Rex Comley, a retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was officially recognized as a Purple Heart recipient on his military paperwork but had never actually received the physical medal for his service and sacrifice between 1951 and 1953.

“It’s something I didn’t know I had coming,” Comley told KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa. “But I knew that I never got caught up with the Purple Heart, even though I was entitled to one.”

During his acceptance speech, Comley remembered those he served with.

“I remember the good times, I don’t remember the bad time, but I remember a lot of the fellas I was with that didn’t make it back,” Comley said.

The medal oversight was discovered during a conversation between Comley and Don Puchalla, the father of a Gold Star Marine and chaplain with the Lenexa Marine Corps League.

Puchalla said a Marine hat he was wearing sparked the chat, with their bond deepening when he shared his son was killed in action serving as a Marine.

One of the many war stories Comley shared sparked a fire in Puchalla.

“When he told me he got wounded and how he got wounded, I said, ‘Oh, you’re a Purple Heart recipient,'” Puchalla said. “And he said, ‘Well, on my paperwork I am, but I never received it.”

Puchalla believes the mistake was likely a clerical error from the Korean War era. With 50,000 service members wounded during the conflict, administrative mistakes involving typewriters and paperwork were likely the cause of Comley’s sacrifice going unrecognized for decades.

“Think about 1952-53, typewriters, papers, clerks, a lot of Marines, Army, all branches in Korea,” Puchalla said. “There was like 50,000 wounded, paper trails get lost. At least it did follow him on his military paperwork from exiting the Marine Corps, so it was official; he just never got the award.”

With help from multiple veterans organizations, Comley finally received his long-overdue Purple Heart in a ceremony attended by family and fellow veterans on Sunday.

The moment was especially meaningful for Comley’s grandson, Shaun Comley, a retired Air Force veteran who served 24 years.

“He’s part of one of the last truly great generations. And to see that recognition, the Purple Heart… It’s not an award that any military member sets out to earn, but he did,” Shaun Comley said. “It’s just close to my heart. It’s him, it’s who he was.

“With me serving, it touches home. It definitely means a lot. He didn’t ask for recognition. He’ll never raise his hand and say, ‘Look at what I did.’ For people to take time out of their day and for the country to pin that medal on his chest, it’s amazing.”

The ceremony represents more than just recognition for one veteran’s service, according to Puchalla.

“For Rex, it wasn’t so much getting the medal, it’s more about recognizing your sacrifice. You did something that very few people will do and understand,” Puchalla said. “He left high school to do this. That takes love of country, and I think it’s important they finally realize, get that warm feeling that what they did was not in vain, not forgotten.”

After finally receiving recognition for his service, Comley remains humble about his sacrifice.

“To me, I think about the guys that went way above and beyond the duty, that got medals like the Bronze Star, Silver Stars, Medal of Honor. Those are the actual heroes,” Comley said.

When asked if the medal makes him a hero, Comley responded, “No, I don’t at all. It makes me think I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

At 94, Comley continues to live a full life with his wife of 65 years, whom he credits for keeping him on track throughout their marriage.

“I have a lot of fun. I’ve had a good life,” Comley said.

The ceremony highlights the ongoing efforts to ensure all veterans receive the honors they’ve earned through their service to the country, particularly as the Korean War generation ages.

“We don’t know what hard times are; they know what hard times are,” Puchalla said. “They gave up all their careers, their school, to go take care of the country.”

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. KSHB’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Lauren Wolfe

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KSHB) — Two women were killed, and two other victims were injured in a nightclub shooting early Sunday morning on Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri.

Police say just after 2 a.m., Jackson County sheriff’s deputies were in the area of W. 28th Street and Southwest Boulevard working off duty for a nightclub when they heard the sound of gunfire inside the bar.

When officers arrived, they found three adult female shooting victims.

Paramedics declared one of the women deceased on the scene.

The two other women were transported to a nearby hospital, where one of the women died from her injuries. The other woman was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police identified the deceased women as Eboni Silas, 29, and Tishauna Ballard, 24.

A fourth shooting victim — a male — arrived at a hospital via private vehicle, per police. He is said to be in critical condition.

Preliminary information indicates the victims had an interaction inside the bar that led to shots being fired.

No suspects have been taken into custody.

Police are asking for anyone who has not spoken with officers but was at the business at the time of the shooting to call detectives at 816-234-5043 or submit an anonymous tip via 816-474-8477.

The club Blvd Nights posted on social media the shooting did not happen at Blvd Nights but at a neighboring venue.

A memorial was later left for the victims outside Status Nightclub.

This is a developing story and may be updated. — If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Pavlina Osta

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — A church in northwest Milwaukee is honoring black history in America with a new museum.

“At one time we weren’t even able to sit in the front of the bus, at one time we were only able to drink fountains that read ‘for colored people only’, at one time we weren’t able to enter the front door,” said Michelle Pitts-Luckett, Overseer at Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church.

Luckett says she started the exhibit to remind and educate her fellow members at Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church.

“There’s a lot in our history that lives today and carries us through our future. Today we have come so far, and I refuse as an individual to allow our history to be erased,” said Luckett.

Luckett says she wants people how far black history and culture has come over the years.

“I would hope people would allow this to resonate in their hearts their minds and souls when you can just sit and know where you can from it will take you where you need to go,” said Luckett.

While members of the church read the signs before they head into service, Luckett, says she wants younger generations to know what their ancestors had to fight for.

“We have some schools that will be coming in. I would hope that its very educational and then I would hope that they understand where we have come from and not just that but learn to respect who they are,” said Luckett.

Charlotta Pritchett is the principal of Assata High School; she says her students will be seeing the museum on a school assignment.

“I was just so overwhelmed it almost brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of a mini–African American history museum similar to the one in Washington D.C.

It takes me back to the generation of where our forefathers and founders, the Harriet Tubmans, Martin Luther Kings the Rosa Parks these are individual that our students were not aware of,” said Pritchett.

Luckett says as the kids walk through the exhibit, she hopes it inspires them.

“When you see it, you know where we have come from and where we are going,” said Luckett.

She says she wants to find a place to display the exhibit so it’s up beyond Black History Month.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Montse Ricossa

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    Wisconsin (WDJT) — Movies have been around for well over a century, bringing families together and making memories. In Wisconsin, the Marcus family is behind one of the nation’s largest movie chains.

90 years later, they remain committed to their original values and making movie magic. It all started in Ripon, Wisconsin back in 1935 with Ben Marcus. His grandson, Greg Marcus, is now the face of the company as chairman, president, and chief executive officer of The Marcus Corporation.

“He converted this department store to a movie theater, which we still have to this day! It’s called the campus theater. It’s in Ripon. We call it the shrine” shared Greg. ‘The Shrine’ has brought in years of success — And that theater still stands alongside 78 others in 17 states! “I can’t tell you where theaters two through 20 are, but I can tell you where the first one is, because it’s important to remember where he came from” Greg said.

In the 1960’s, Ben Marcus started expanding, explained Greg, “He said, ‘I shouldn’t have all my eggs in one basket.’ And he started getting in the real estate business. And he got into the restaurant business.” After the restaurants, Ben started buying hotels too, “so at one point we had full-service hotels, and limited-service hotels, and restaurants and movie theaters,” shared Greg.

Some of those hotels include the Pfister and Saint Kate. That’s where you’ll be able to find Greg off the movie screen and behind a piano. He says playing the piano is a passion he’s had since childhood. “Jeff and I have been playing together for years there. And yeah, cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7:30 [on Tuesdays] is just fun to go do it, and it’s something different. And we have fun. And he carries me, because he’s a professional… it’s just sort of music to fill the room.”

When he’s not playing the piano or running The Marcus Corporation, you’ll find Greg as the final trailer before the movie starts playing at a Marcus Theatre. “I’m on at about minute 14. I know exactly when I’m on.” Greg said he likes to sneak in after his trailer, though his family prefers him to come in before, “because they can torture me because they like they know that it’s very hard for me to watch myself.” Nonetheless, he’s been a part of about 100 trailers over the last 14 years.

Greg said he didn’t “intend to be the face of the business,” but as Co-Chair for the nonprofit of United Way, when he was asked in 2012 to be in front of the camera, he said he would think about it and said he would do it “if I can have a little bit of fun.” He’s done just that – had fun with trailers and social media. Some videos on TikTok have even garnered millions of views!

“That started, and we said, ‘you know what? Something, something good is happening. And people … they seem to be reacting positively to it. I’m not sure anybody’s coming here to actually see me, but — it makes it feel local,” Greg shared.

Whether it’s filling a room with music or popcorn, Greg said they’re all amounting to memorable moments: “We’re in the business of making memories. That’s what we do in all of our businesses. If you think about the common theme, there really isn’t anything you leave with except maybe a full stomach full of popcorn.”

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By KTBS staff

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — When visitors walk along the Shreveport riverfront, they are encouraged to stop at a granite memorial honoring two Navy SEALs killed in action 15 years ago.

The tribute recognizes Rob Reeves and Jonas Kelsall, both Shreveport natives who died in August 2011 when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan.

The two SEALs were en route to rescue Army Rangers pinned down by Taliban fighters. Their deaths were part of a mission that remains one of the deadliest single-day losses for U.S. special operations forces. Today, their legacy is etched in stone overlooking the Red River.

Reeves and Kelsall grew up in Shreveport, where they swam in the river, played on local ballfields and excelled at Caddo Magnet High School. After graduation, both men joined the U.S. Navy and earned the elite SEAL designation. Friends and family describe them as among “the best we have.” Determined that their story would not fade, a group of supporters rallied to create a permanent memorial in their honor.

Leading that effort was retired cardiovascular surgeon and artist Jim Ciaravella, a Vietnam-era veteran who once served at Andersen Air Force Base. Ciaravella said he felt called to act after Kelsall, whom he knew through his son, was killed in action.

“I wanted to do something,” he said. “I can paint and I can sculpt.”

What followed was a community-wide effort, with vendors donating materials and services to ensure the granite monument reflected the excellence of the men it honors.

The memorial includes the Navy SEAL ethos, beginning with the words: “When in times of war there is a special need for a special breed of man,” now permanently engraved for future generations.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.