2019 Spirit of America: Blair Moran: 'It's a team effort and I'm just part of a team'

Even though Veteran James Blair Moran will be receiving the Southeast Missourian Spirit of America Award on Thursday, he's dedicating the recognition to fellow infantrymen William Allsbrook Jr., David Tinsey and Bruce Stickle.

Moran, 71, served with the 25th Infantry division in III Corps during the Vietnam War and participated in two major offensive operations.

"Coming back from R & R, I was informed that [Allsbrook, Tinsey and Stickle] had gone down in a fiery chopper crash," Moran said Friday while holding back tears. "Those men truly represent the spirit of America. And you never forget."

They "really made the sacrifice," he said.

The award also will honor the sacrifice of Josh Echoff, he said. During Echoff's second combat tour in Iraq, Moran said, he had a very difficult task.

Echoff's unit was in charge of disarming Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and after successfully disarming an IED, on the way back to the compound their vehicle was blown up, according to Moran.

Upon being notified of the award over the phone last week, Moran said he was "very humbled."

"The work which we've done in Sikeston, it's a team effort and I'm just part of a team," he said of being nominated by the Sikeston Veterans Park Committee.

And to be included within the circle of previous award winners -- Pete Poe, Jim Bollinger, Jerry Ford and last year's winner Raymond Buhs -- Moran said it's an honor.

Born in Charleston, Missouri, Moran graduated from Charleston High School in 1956, and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1969.

He said during the Vietnam War, if you could obtain a college deferment, you could stay out of the draft.

"My freshman year at Southeast, there was a boy down the hall that had a sign over his desk: 'Study your ass off, the Vietnam Kong are waiting.' So I assumed by the time I graduated the war would be over," Moran said with a laugh.

But six months after he graduated, Moran found himself on his first combat operation -- a night ambush -- on Christmas Eve.

After the service, Moran returned to Sikeston. He retired as the foundation director of Missouri Delta Medical Center in 2013. He's assisted with Veterans Affairs for the past 30 years, mainly through the American Legion, Moran said.

One memory Moran will forever remember is of his good friend, Col. Bud Day, who received the Medal of Honor.

Col. Day spent five and a half years in the Hanoi Hilton, and was "one of the most tortured prisoners, a very fierce resister," Moran said.

"He was a frequent house guest. He duck and goose hunted with us. One weekend I had him speak at our church, and he had been tortured so much, he had very limited use of his hands and he asked me to pin the Medal of Honor on his uniform," Moran said, getting choked up. "And that was quite an honor."

According to the Sikeston Veterans Park Committee, the Missouri American Legion awarded Moran the Distinguished Legionnaire of the Year in 2011. And in 2012, former Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder presented Moran with the Veterans Service Award on behalf of the State of Missouri.

Moran's current projects include serving on the Missouri Military Veterans Hall of Fame Committee, and fundraising for the Missouri National Veterans Memorial in Perryville.

He lives with his wife, Sharon, in Sikeston.

Moran also is a member of First Baptist Church in Sikeston, Missouri; Missouri Military Veterans Hall of Fame; Stars and Stripes Museum in Bloomfield, Missouri; Sikeston Community Sheltered Workshop; Henry Meldrum American Legion Post 114; and the American Legion Legislative commission.

He will be recognized at the City of Cape Girardeau's Great American Fourth of July celebration to be held at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Arena Park Grandstand. The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will perform patriotic music from 8 to 8:30 p.m., followed by the Spirit of America Award presentation and patriotic program. Fireworks will cap off the evening at 9 p.m. with patriotic music playing on all River Radio stations.