Honoring Our Veterans
This page is dedicated to honoring the Veterans in our community for their service and telling their stories.
What Tom Brokaw referred to as "The Greatest Generation" is quickly declining in number. This, of course, refers to not only our World War II Veterans but also to the families that supported those veterans in the war effort. These are some of the veteran's personal stories pertaining to their own war efforts. It's the club's hope that should you be so inclined, you will reach out individually to these veterans and get to know them a little better.
We will start with the World War II Veterans as we do not want to lose their stories. The goal is then to get stories from all Sunflower Veterans. Click on the veterans name below their picture to read that veteran's story.
U.S. Marine Allen Fannin, E-4 – A Life of Service, Music, and Scholarship
Allen Fannin joined the United States Marine Corps on August 19, 1960, at just 17 years old. He began basic training in San Diego, California, followed by Infantry Training Regiment at Camp Pendleton. On the basis of entrance exams, he was given a choice between electronics school or joining the Marine Band. Allen chose music – and never looked back. Stationed in California, Allen played trumpet in both civilian and military parades and concerts throughout Southern California. His band from 29 Palms marched and played in the 1961 Rose Bowl Parade. Later he was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for two years where his band had the honor of performing on the deck of the USS Kitty Hawk. One of his most memorable experiences was a joint concert featuring top musicians from all military branches, performing the William Tell Overture -- complete with cannons firing. After leaving the Marines, Allen worked a variety of jobs before returning to school. Despite not having finished high school, he went on to earn Bachelor’s (top 7 of 1500, Summa Cum Laude!) Masters, and Ph. D, degrees in Psychology at the University of Houston. During this period, he was also tested and accepted for membership into the international organization of Mensa. Today, Allen is known to many as the trumpeter of the Sunflower Veterans Club, who played Taps for many of our fallen heroes. His life reflects his persistence in striving for excellence and dedication to both country and community.
