InsideNoVa is honored again this year to be able to recognize a number of veterans and active-duty service members from Prince William County and surrounding communities in our annual “Salute to Veterans” section.
The write-ups and photos in these pages were submitted by InsideNoVa readers to honor and remember their family members and friends. The submissions have been lightly edited for style and grammar.
As we honor all veterans this weekend, we recognize that these write-ups represent only a tiny percentage of the veterans and active-duty service members who live in or are from our community, and we salute all those veterans and thank them for their service. We also thank the advertisers who made this section possible.
– Bruce Potter, Publisher
JOHN MAGNUSSON
Age: 81
Hometown: Bristow Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Lieutenant colonel Years of service: 20
Honors received: Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Honor graduate FA Basic Course, FA Career Course, selected for master studies in Computer Science.
Other details: Served in Korea, Vietnam and Germany; was a member of C&C Info Systems Study Group and Professional Development of Officers Study Group; selected to serve as ADP Action Officer, OJCS Pioneer in the Army. Selected to become first single-tracked field grade officer paving way for highly qualified technical specialty officers to have successful careers.
ERIC PROVOW
Age: 54
Hometown: Haymarket Branch of service: Marine Corps and Air Force
Highest rank: Technical sergeant Years of service: 20
Honors received: Two Bronze Stars of Valor, among other awards. Other details: A retired combat veteran with a distinguished career spanning 20 years of military service split between the Marine Corps and Air Force. Specializing in special operations, he ascended to the elite units within the Joint Special Operations Command, undertaking numerous deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. After retiring from the military, he became a local firefighter/paramedic. He and his wife also founded a nonprofit, Making Everything Good, that helps first responders, veterans, the military, their families and the local community.
JOHN SLOAN
Age: 91
Hometown: Manassas
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Lieutenant colonel Years of service: 20
Other details: John Sloan graduated from West Point in 1955 and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. He served in Korea and Vietnam and taught European and Russian history in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy. While deployed to Vietnam, he served in the U.S. Army II Field Force Headquarters in Long Binh as an engineer intelligence officer (1967-68), tracking the progress of construction projects across the country. Upon returning from Vietnam, he spent much of the remainder of his career studying the Russian language and history, becoming a recognized expert on the Soviet Army. In 1976, he retired as a Lieutenant colonel. Col. Sloan is the embodiment of service to country, and family. He served in the Army faithfully in multiple positions during his career. Also with his wife, raising four children (two of whom are also West Point graduates); and sacrificing his personal wealth by paying college tuition for his 15 grandchildren. Col. Sloan has lived in Manassas since 2007, is a member of All Saints Catholic Church and always enjoys and attends the Manassas parades.
VICTOR W. BURNETTE
Age: 67
Hometown: Woodbridge
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Lieutenant colonel
Years of service: 26
Honors received: Bronze Star
Other details: Served in Operation Desert Storm. Lt. Col. Burnette served across the United States, Korea and Germany. He is a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and the only survivor of his team. After serving 26 years in the Army, he served Prince William County as the Woodbridge Senior High School Army JROTC Senior Army Instructor for 12 years before he retired in the summer of 2023. During this time, he helped several teens get into West Point, get ROTC scholarships or go to a college of their choice. He was the voice of a father for kids that didn’t have dads at home. He worked nights and weekends serving to help the teens in Woodbridge excel and grow up with aspirations to be better citizens. He served as a foster parent for 10 years. In addition, he convinced his three daughters who graduated from Prince William schools (Potomac and Forest Park) to go to college and join the service, and all three are Army officers continuing in his footsteps. He also serves as a deacon at The Life Church, where he has been a member for over 23 years.
CORTEZ GRIER
Age: 27
Hometown: Alexandria
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Sergeant Years of service: 8
Honors received: Arcom with a combat device air assault school badge
Other details: Served one tour in Afghanistan in 2018. Has no family military background but decided to leave his job at City Hall in Dumfries to serve his country.
EDWARD STARR SR.
Age: 51
Hometown: Triangle Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Sergeant
Years of service: 9
Other details: Starr is an advocate for freedom and patriotism for our land and his fellow U.S. Army soldiers. He displays honor and appreciation for the United States with valor and courage.
JOHN O. RAYMER JR.
Age: 79
Hometown: Ashburn
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Staff sergeant
Years of service: 5
Honors received: Good Conduct Medal
Other details: Served in Korea for three years safeguarding the area on the demilitarized zone during very hostile times.
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CHARLES P. ‘CHUCK’ WILSON
Age: 70
Hometown: Manassas
Branch of service: Air Force
Highest rank: Colonel
Years of service: 27
ARTHUR J. GREGG
Age: 96 (passed away Aug. 22)
Hometown: Dumfries
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Lieutenant general Years of service: 35
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Honors received: Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Aerial Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with four oak leaf clusters, Combat Readiness Medal with one oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal with one star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two stars, Humanitarian Service Medal. Other details: Commanded U-2 Squadrons in Saudi Arabia and South Korea and led or served on operational deployments in Europe, the Pacific and Southwest Asia. He was the commander of the AF Command & Control Training and Innovation Center (AFC2TIC) that became the 505th C2 Wing headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Fla., with 13 units nationwide. Veteran of the Cold War and the Gulf War. Col. Wilson is a USAF Command Pilot with over 3,800 hours in T-37, T-38, KC-135A, KC-135Q refueling the SR-71, TR-1 and U-2 aircraft. He served in key positions within the Office of the Secretary of Defense and in the Pentagon’s Joint Reconnaissance Center, where he handled reconnaissance issues for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell.
Honors received: Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Army Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge and Army General Staff Identification Badge. Other details: Lt. Gen. Gregg enlisted in the Army as a private in 1946 and was later selected to attend Officer Candidate School, where he graduated as a second lieutenant in 1950. He served with distinction during the Vietnam War in 1967 as a battalion commander, leading a logistics battalion of over 3,700 soldiers. In 1972, he was promoted to Brigadier General and served as the commander of the European Exchange System. Four years later, he was promoted to Major General, and in 1977 he was appointed Director of Logistics for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That same year, he was promoted to Lieutenant General, becoming the first African American three-star general in the U.S. Army. As a Lieutenant General, he served as the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, overseeing the Army’s logistics operations at the highest levels. He retired in 1981 after 35 years of exemplary service. In recognition of his legacy, Fort Lee, Va., was renamed Fort Gregg-Adams, honoring both Lt. Gen. Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams as trailblazers in military history. Lt. Gen. Gregg passed away on Aug. 22, 2024.
VICENTE ‘VINCE’ C. OGILVIE
Age: 75
Hometown: Dumfries
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Colonel
Years of service: 28
Honors received: Defense Superior Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Service Medal with Star Device, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachutist Badge and the Office of the Secretary of Defense Service Badge. Other details: Col. Ogilvie served as an infantry officer during the Cold War, stationed on the front lines along the inner German border in Germany. He commanded Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the prestigious 82nd Airborne Division. Later, he held the position of professor of military science at the University of Puerto Rico, where he played a critical role in shaping future military leaders, including future general officers. After commanding a battalion in Germany, Col. Ogilvie was assigned to the Pentagon, serving as the Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. He and his wife selflessly served in the U.S. Army for 28 years, relocating about every three years. This lifestyle profoundly shaped their two children, one of whom graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, while the other serves in a leadership role in the Red Cross. Col. Ogilvie continues his service as commander of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars, which supports veterans and youth across our community and beyond.
DOUGLAS E. MOORE
Age: 88
Hometown: Haymarket
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank: Colonel Years of service: 30
Honors received: Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and 33 Air Medals for heroism and meritorious achievement in flight. Also inducted into the Dustoff Hall of Fame, the Army ROTC Hall of Fame and the Army Aviation Association of America Hall of Fame. Other details: Served two tours in Vietnam as a medical evacuation (Medevac) “Dustoff” helicopter pilot. During his time in Vietnam, he flew 1,874 combat missions and evacuated 2,782 patients. Between his Vietnam tours, he served two years in Japan, where he flew 8,596 patients to military hospitals. Many of these patients arrived on Medevac flights from Vietnam. In addition to his assignments in Vietnam and Japan, he commanded the 307th Medical Battalion in the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C., and he commanded the 62nd Medical Group at Ft. Lewis, Wash., where he served as the Air Mission Commander for the massive rescue effort following the eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980. He also held senior leadership positions in key Pentagon assignments. He is the author of the book “Bullet Through the Helmet: A Vietnam Dustoff Pilot’s Memoir,” which describes when his helicopter came under intense ground fire during an evacuation mission. A bullet came through the windshield and through his helmet causing him serious injury. Col. Moore dedicated the book to the heroic men who served in the Medical Evacuation units during the Vietnam War. All income from the sale of the book goes directly to the American Huey 369 Organization, a nonprofit that established and operates the National American Huey History Museum in Peru, Ind.
A Salute to Veterans
MANDY GONZALEZ
VETERANS
OF
TRIBUTE AT THE GLEN
The team at Tribute at the Glen Senior Living in Woodbridge would like to commemorate all the veterans residing in our community:
• Harry Nesbit, Navy
• Harold Nelson, Army
• Clemmie Griffin, Army
• Robin Hidalgo, Air Force
• Sidney Haynes, Marines
• Paul Mann, Army
• Beverly Meyer, Navy
• Thomas Beale, Army
• William Brandt, Army
• John Fraber, Navy
• Larry Davis, Army
• William Tinder, Army
• Charles Boigegrain, Marines
• Joseph Lamoreux, Army
• Darrell Kornegay, Air Force
• Charles Waddell, Army and Navy
• Thomas Feickert, Air Force
• Donald Marlo, Army
KEITH HARMON
Age: 42
Hometown: Ashburn
Branch of service: Navy
Years of service: 8
Honors received: Good Conduct Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal.
Other details: Was deployed when 9/11 occurred; has contributed so much and loves his country.
DURWOOD R. SOUTHER
Age: Passed away Oct. 3, 2021, at age 93
Branch of service: Navy
Highest rank: Signalman
Years of service: 4
MOFFETT H. BRADY JR.
Hometown: Flint Hill
Branch of service: Navy
Highest rank: Seaman
Years of service: 3
Honors received: World War II Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal.
Other details: Enlisted in 1945 and served in Guam. Lived all of his life in Flint Hill in Rappahannock County. He was proud of his service for his country. He died in 2011 at the age of 84.
Other details: Souther joined the Navy when he was 17 on Nov. 27, 1944, and trained to be a signalman. In August 1945 he along with his fellow mates headed to Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean to take back the island that the Japanese had taken on Dec. 23, 1941, after Pearl Harbor. The mission was halted enroute when Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945, ending World War II. Later he served on the U.S.S Coral Sea (CV43), a Midway-class aircraft carrier commissioned on Oct. 1, 1947. He never saw battle and felt he hadn’t earned the honor of serving but he went heading straight into battle, not knowing what he would encounter. He was honorably discharged in 1948 and married the love of his life, Frances, and was married for 68 years.
