The Town of Vinton honored its employees who have served or are serving in the military at its third annual Veterans Luncheon on November 7 at the Vinton War Memorial.
Those recognized included: Deputy Chief of Fire and EMS Chris Linkous, Deputy Chief of Police Captain Fabricio Drumond, Fire and EMS Captain Chad Helms, Firefighter/Paramedic Wayne King, Public Works employees Kevin Orange and Tim Perdue, Vinton War Memorial employee Daniel Hernandez, Vinton Police Officers Danny Cox, Adam Hoover, Josh Chandler, and Kristopher Moore, Police Corporal Silas Chapman, and Mayor Brad Grose.
Chief Linkous served in the United States Air Force as a Senior Airman from the summer of 1991 until the spring of 1995. He was stationed at McGuire Air Force base and worked as a firefighter. He returned from the Air Force on May 25, 1995 and began working for the Town of Vinton the next day.
Captain Helms served in the Army and Army Reserves from 1996 to 2003, leaving the service with the rank of Corporal. He was stationed in Ft. Lewis, Wash., Babenhausen, Germany (with an eight-month deployment to Taszar, Hungary), and at Ft. Bragg, N.C. He was assigned to the 2174th GSU in Salem for his reserve duty and was activated for eight months at Ft. Eustis, Va. His job in the service was as a Wire Systems Equipment repairman, working on field phones, switchboards, and power supplies. Helms began working for the Town of Vinton in August 2005.
Captain Drumond served in the US Marine Corps from 2002 to 2006. He earned the rank of Sergeant, E-5, and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was deployed to Africa, Cuba, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He was trained as an assaultman. He has been employed by the town since 2009.
Firefighter/Paramedic Wayne King was a Corporal in the US Army. He served in the infantry from 1993 until 2002 and was stationed stateside in California and at Fort Benning, Ga. He has been with the town for two years.
Kevin Orange served in the US Army from 1982 through 1986 with the rank of E-4. He was in light infantry and stationed in Georgia and Kentucky. He has worked in the Vinton Public Works Department for 13 years.
Public Works employee Tim Perdue served in the Marine Corps from 1994-1998. He earned the rank of Corporal and was stationed in Hawaii. He has been with Vinton for six months.
Daniel Hernandez served as a Master Sergeant in the Marine Corps, from 1970 to 1991. He served as an aircraft firefighter and was stationed in a variety of locations including Quantico, Camp Pendleton in California, Parris Island in South Carolina, Okinawa, and Hawaii. He has been working at the Vinton War Memorial for four years.
Officer Danny Cox served in the United States Army and has been with the Vinton Police since September 2016.
Officer Adam Hoover served as a Corporal in the infantry in the US Marine Corps from 2011 until 2016, stationed in Spain and Africa. He joined the Vinton Police Department in April 2016.
Corporal Silas Chapman served from 1997 to 2008 in the U.S. Army infantry with the rank of Staff Sergeant E-6. He was stationed in Germany, the Middle East, Fort Benning, Ga., and also in Texas and California. He has been with the Vinton Police Department for three years.
Mayor Brad Grose served in the US Army from 1966 to 1968 during the Vietnam era, stationed in Korea, achieving the rank of Sergeant E-5. He worked as an electrical technician and in tech/supply. Grose was elected to Town Council in 2000 and became mayor in 2004.
Officer Josh Chandler served in the Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003 and in the reserves from 2006-2009. He was a Staff Sergeant and served as an infantryman. He was stationed at Camp LeJeune, N.C. He has been a member of the Vinton Police Department for a year.
Officer Kristopher Moore served in the United States Navy from 2007-2011, serving as an E-4 Quartermaster in Japan. He joined the Vinton Police Department in 2017.
Members of the Employee Recognition Committee who organized the luncheon for the veterans and many other events throughout the year include Human Resources Director Donna Collins, Chasity Barbour, Susan Johnson, Mary Beth Layman, GinaMarie Overstreet, Jessica Parker, and Bonnie Stevens.
