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Helping others

Veterans give back after service

By Janelle Patterson 9 min read

Neither were expecting selection for the Washington County Veterans Hall of Fame.

“I’m honored they’re doing this, and to be in the first class, but I’m also not a person trying to get notoriety,” said Kyle Hockenberry, 27, of Newport Township.

Hockenberry was wounded in Afghanistan in 2011 while serving in the U.S. Army and will be the youngest inductee into the inaugural class of the hall of fame.

He’ll be among 11 military veterans to be recognized next week by the Washington County Veteran Service Commission.

“It’s a great group of men to be a part of,” said Marietta Mayor Joe Matthews, who was selected because of his service to veterans and his public service achievements as a civilian.

Matthews served during peacetime in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1956 to 1958.

The two share a common drive for continuing past their military service to make a mark on the local community.

Matthews, at 79, is the longest-serving mayor Marietta has had and has accolades and memberships in many service and veterans organizations.

Hockenberry has his eyes set on passing physical and aptitude tests in the police academy to become a deputy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, a goal he’s focused on as he also keeps up with his 3-year-old son, Reagan.

Currently he works part-time in the civil division of the sheriff’s office, often found with eyes on security feeds within the courthouse.

Public servant

Matthews is a man with a memory for names.

Talk with him about bringing the Veterans Affairs clinic to Marietta, he’ll tell you the initial doctor to oversee the clinic.

“Oman was his name, I’ll never forget him,” he said Monday. “I went up to Chillicothe and told them we needed it here for folks.”

Or bring up working with the Appalachian Regional Commission to invest in Marietta College’s physician assistant program.

“I’ll never forget the day Ella Rosinko from the ARC came to town from Washington D.C. to meet with me and get that started,” he explained.

And though he served as a marine in peace, he still has fond memories of his time in uniform, too.

“I was on the Marine Corps Drill Team and walked in Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inaugural parade,” Matthews described. “And I escorted Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip (of the United Kingdom) to church. She was a young lady back then, very beautiful.”

Being a marine taught him to stay sharp, both in mind and appearance, he said.

“That’s what I’ve carried with me, you look your best,” Matthews said.

And when he walks into a meeting or event he’ll usually be sporting a collared shirt and make his way around the room, saying hello to everyone, clasping hands and greeting people by first name.

“I’m just a people person, I guess,” he said with a small smile.

That has served him well, with membership in nine veteran-specific organizations.

“I want to help them all I can, it’s one of my big passions… I wasn’t in wartime but I know how it was for Vietnam veterans when they came home and how others have struggled with rent or a car,” he explained. “I’m happy to help if they need it.”

He shared one story, of an unnamed veteran who was renting from a friend but was behind on rent.

“I went to talk with him and asked why he wasn’t paying the rent, and he said he didn’t have the money,” Matthews said. “I told him God helps those who help themselves and asked him if he had the money would he pay rent?”

When satisfied that the man was just down on his luck, Matthews said he was more than willing to connect him with resources at Washington-Morgan Community Action.

That’s why he likes Operation Give a Vet a Car, he explained.

“We gave one to a guy who was riding his bicycle in every weather from Harmar Hill out the Pike,” Matthews described. “Now he’s back on his feet and working hard.”

And Matthews said he’ll continue to serve, whether it’s through listening to veterans or connecting them with aid.

“I’m not an overly wealthy man but I’ve been blessed and I think it’s my duty to help others as long as I can,” he said.

Matthews remains determined to work after two bouts with cancer and most recently a hip replacement that didn’t keep him from the office for long.

“It’s all about the people,” he said.

Private mission

Hockenberry’s son has begun to ask questions, ones that will have more detailed answers as he gets older.

“He’s asked me why he has two hands and I only have one,” the father described. “He doesn’t really understand why, but I just told him daddy was fighting bad people.”

Hockenberry lost his left arm above the elbow and both legs above the knees when an improvised explosive went off while he was on foot patrol in Haji Ramuddin, Afghanistan.

He said that conversation, explaining to his son why the physical differences are there, was one he was worried about when becoming a father.

“I asked other people about it that were in similar situations,” he explained. “But it’s just his normal, he’s never known anything different so even when we’re out in public he doesn’t point out if he sees someone else in a wheelchair. It’s normal to him.”

And though the physical challenges are present, from keeping up with his son in the yard, on the swings, in the woods and racing around the fireplace in their home, Hockenberry said the larger challenge is mental.

“The physical part is not even the bad part, physical stuff is easily fixed… I figured out how to do stuff with one hand pretty quickly,” he explained. “The brain is more complex. I didn’t realize how complex it is until recently, how much PTSD affects your daily life.”

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, post-traumatic stress disorder can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like combat, assault or disaster. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that about one-half of all U.S. adults will experience at least one traumatic event in their lives, but most do not develop PTSD.

Individuals who experience PTSD may have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories of the event(s), experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb or may be easily startled. In severe forms, PTSD can significantly impair a person’s ability to function at work, at home and socially.

“It definitely affects your relationships,” Hockenberry said as he drove his son home Thursday from Reagan’s mom’s house.

He described a training to stay calm in chaos, which can keep those in combat alive.

“They pretty much re-train your mind so that you’re hyper-vigilant and focused but when you bring that back to the states, that’s paranoia,” Hockenberry detailed. “I learned this from another veteran and it makes more sense than post-traumatic stress, really it’s lack of traumatic stress.”

In combat, he explained, stress is the new normal.

“So when you’re in a calm for some reason you try to create situations of chaos, that’s where you best function,” Hockenberry continued. “Or so you think, but really you’re creating chaos that impacts your relationships and how you talk with people.”

One source of solace Hockenberry has found as he lives with the images and experiences he’ll never forget has been in serving in the Mid-Ohio Vally Veterans Outreach group.

“I’ve had a lot of support from people both in the community and nationally,” he said as his motivation for serving veterans now. “It’s nice to know that if you need something there are people willing to help you. Unfortunately, unless you’ve been critically wounded you don’t get much support from foundations like I did, but MOVVO is in place like the other organizations to help here.”

His other cathartic relief is hunting.

“I was always an outdoors guy and with the tracked wheelchair I can get around the woods,” he explained.

It’s his time to think, relieve stress and consider a question he’s torn on answering.

“It’s a tricky question, do I want him to serve in the military,” he said, pausing as Reagan talked in the back seat about a toy car in his hands.

Hockenberry said he would support his son if he chose to serve, but grapples with whether the costs are worth the benefits he still recognizes from his time in uniform.

“Do I have a good life now, yes, but it’s definitely not glorious…mentally what I have to go through I wouldn’t wish on anyone,” he said. “I definitely want him to understand what it means to serve your country and what it could cost.”

2018 Washington County Veterans Hall of Fame Inductees:

• 1st Lt. Robert L. Pioli, U.S. Army Air Corps 1942-1945; Military Service.

• Pvt. James “Jimmy” Starner, U.S. Army 1944-46; Military Service.

• Sgt. David Smith, U.S. Marine Corps 1953-1956; Veterans Advocate, Professional Achievement, Civic and Community Service.

• Cpl. Joe Matthews, U.S. Marine Corps 1956-1958; Veterans Advocate, Professional Achievement, Civic and Community Service.

• Builder Petty Officer 3rd Class Ronald W. Davis, U.S. Navy 1966-1971; Veteran Advocate and Community Service.

• Spc. Kelly E. Burchett, U.S. Army 1967-68; Military Service, posthumous award.

• Sgt. Gary A. Rhoades, U.S. Army 1967-1969; Military Service.

• Cpl. Charles “Jean” Yost, U.S. Marine Corps 1967-1969; Civic and Community Service.

• Sgt. Meredith L. Barnett, U.S. Marine Corps 1969-1970; Military Service, posthumous award.

• Sgt. Steven J. Hall, U.S. Army 1969-1971; Military Service.

• Cpl. Kyle A. Hockenberry, U.S. Army 2010-2013; Military Service.

Source: Washington County Veterans Service Commission.

Note: The Marietta Times has published this series recognizing the 11 veterans to be inducted in the inaugural Washington County Veterans Hall of Fame leading up to the induction ceremony scheduled for Nov. 1.

Starting at /week.