18020 E. 39th St.
Independence, MO
Phone: 816.373.3600
Fax: 816.373.5320
Email: info@speakschapel.com
300 Adams St.
Buckner, MO
Phone: 816-650-5555
Fax: 816.252.9758
Email: info@speakschapel.com
1501 W. Lexington Ave.
Independence, MO
Phone: 816-252-7900
Fax: 816.252.9758
Email: info@speakschapel.com
Community Events
Holiday Services of Remembrance
Every year we hold a special program during the holidays. This holiday program is a great benefit to those who want to come together and remember those they have have lost. By placing a unique ornament upon a tree, their loved one is remembered in a positive and healthy way. Please join us this year as we gather for a meaningful ceremony. For more information regarding our Services of Remembrance, please contact David Speaks at (816) 373-3600.
Past Event History
Scenes from our 2010"Lest They Be forgotten" Veterans Day Program
On Saturday, July 18th, veterans and their families packed the auditorium of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library for the Speaks 4th Annual “Lest They Be Forgotten” Veterans Program. Sponsored by Speaks Family Legacy Chapels in Independence, the program was dedicated to all the men and women who served our country in time of war, with a special tribute to veterans from the Vietnam era.
The event featured “Vietnam – Remembered”, a documentary by award winning filmmaker Larry Cappetto. This one-hour film is an up-close, personal and first hand look into the lives of Vietnam veterans who fought, survived and endured the pain, suffering and anguish of a war that changed their lives and America forever.
Brad Speaks recounted the heroic actions of two Vietnam War Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, retired Colonels Roger H.C. Donlon and Donald E. Ballard; and presented each of them a flag that had flown over the U.S Capitol in Washington, DC. Then Captain Donlon was awarded a Medal of Honor for numerous heroic acts and several injuries while leading his twelve man team and 311 South Vietnam soldiers were fending off a full-scale, five-hour attach. He was the first Vietnam War serviceman and the first Green Beret to be so recognized. Ballard was a Navy corpsman who jumped on a hand grenade to protect injured Marines and when it failed to detonate he continued treating other comrades while under heavy fire. Both men received a standing ovation from their fellow servicemen.
The featured speaker was Art Fillmore, a decorated Vietnam veteran and founder of the Heart of America Stand Down Foundation, a not-for-profit organized to help homeless veterans. Fillmore gave his perspective on a statement about the Vietnam conflict that reads, “We were the unwilling, led by the incompetent, to do the impossible, for the ungrateful,” and spoke about his first-hand experiences during and after the war and the treatment of returning Vietnam servicemen.
He stated that there are three accomplishments Vietnam veterans should be proud of.
One, the American public has learned that the horrors of combat and bottling up one’s feelings and emotions about those experiences can result in erratic and often violent behavior. It is a condition, now called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) and the military has changed the way they help today’s fighting units deal with this problem.
Two, more people have learned that “regardless of what you think about the war, you should honor, support and respect the warrior.”
And, three, Fillmore said that America needs to end the commonly held belief that we lost that war. In 1994 and 1995, Fillmore led six medical missions to Vietnam for Heart To Heart International. He spent a great deal of time with his former enemies, including the Vietnamese Secretary of Agriculture who asked him, “Why are you Americans so hard on yourselves about losing the war? You wanted to end the spread of Communism, and no country on this continent has gone Communist since you left. You wanted to curtail the spreading influence of the Chinese Communists, and you did that. You wanted to establish an economic foothold in Southeast Asia, and now all of Southeast Asia seeks your assistance in building our economies. Tell me again why you think you lost?”
(NOTE: Read a complete text of Art Fillmore’s speech below,
Event attendees were also allowed to view a Huey helicopter that was shot down four times while in service during the Vietnam War. It was displayed on the Truman Library front driveway for this event by Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter #243. Chapter members were on-hand to answer questions about the helicopter and its importance to the American troops during the Vietnam conflict. Attendees were allowed to climb inside and inspect a machine that helped change modern warfare and saved thousands of American lives.
In his closing remarks, David Speaks asked the veterans to stand and stated, “Please know that we appreciate and value the sacrifices that you have made for all of us, ensuring that we may live free and wonderful lives as we do in this great country. You will never be forgotten in the eyes of this community. Ladies and gentlemen, we wake up everyday in a free country and we have these veterans to thank for that.” David is Director of Community Relations for Speaks Chapels and chairman of the fourth annual event.
Honor guards for the event were members of VVA Chapters #243 and #317. Sam Rushay, Supervisory Archivist for the Truman Library, welcomed the audience. In commenting about the Speaks program, he stated, “The veterans who appeared in the film provided an enlightening and emotional view of the Vietnam War that was shared and deeply appreciated by the large number of veterans and their families that attended. The recognition of the two Medal of Honor recipients and Art Fillmore’s words were truly inspiring. It is the type of excellent programming that we are proud to offer at the Truman Library and we thank the Speaks family for selecting our facility as the venue for this meaningful presentation.”
The Veterans program was free to those who attended. Speaks provided the cost of producing the program. While a fee is normally required to enter the facility, there was no charge to attend the movie and veteran’s program compliments of the Truman Library.
Pictured at the Speaks 4th Annual Veterans Program held at the Truman Presidential Library are: (L to R) Bob and David Speaks, Roger Donlon, Art Fillmore, Don Ballard and Brad Speaks. The three Speaks are the event sponsors; Donlon and Ballard are Medal of Honor recipients who were recognized at the program; and Fillmore was the event’s featured speaker.
Event chairman David Speaks (L) thanked Charles Stapleton, president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #243, for bring the Huey helicopter to the Truman Library for the Speaks 4th Annual Veterans Program.
Before leaving the event, Art Fillmore (center in coat & tie) visited the Huey helicopter to reminisce about the many flights he took while serving in Vietnam. He is pictured with the members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #243 and their president, Charles Stapleton. VVA #243 owns the helicopter.
Arthur E. Fillmore, a decorated Vietnam veteran and attorney with Levy and Craig, was the featured speaker at the Speaks Family Legacy Chapels 4th Annual “Lest They Be Forgotten” Veterans Program. The event was held at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri on July 18, 2009. The Speaks family was so moved by the words Art shared with the veterans and their families that attended the event, that we wanted to share it with others to help them better appreciate our Vietnam veterans, the challenges they faced and their service to our nation.
Brad Speaks Bob Speaks David Speaks
VIETNAM VETERANS: A PERSPECTIVE
by Art Fillmore
First, I would like to thank Brad and David Speaks and the entire Speaks organization for sponsoring this event.
I would like to give you my perspective on the treatment and recognition of Vietnam veterans. It is just that…my perspective and it does not reflect the views of any of the organizations with which I am affiliated.
One saying familiar to most Vietnam veterans best captures, in my opinion, the feeling of many fighting soldiers during the Vietnam conflict. It reads:
“We are the unwilling, led by the incompetent, to do the impossible, for the ungrateful.”
Let’s break that down.
“We are the unwilling”
The draft, while instituted in 1940, was not heavily utilized until the Vietnam War. However, by 1969, 88% of army rifleman, known by their MOS, 11B, or by their more popular name, grunts, were draftees, and more than 50% of the army casualties in Vietnam were draftees. Thus, at least with respect to the army, a vast percentage of the combatants never wanted to be there or anywhere else in the military, for that matter. Having such a high population of reluctant warriors created systemic problems of its own.
“Led by the incompetent”
Our military was in total disarray by the end of the war, which officially ended on April 30, 1975. Our officers and non-commissioned officers were mostly trained for a conventional war and were forced to learn on the job to fight a guerilla war.
I, for example, was trained at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, to be a forward observer, or FO. I was trained to call in artillery at a site which was barren, dessert-like terrain, and I was shooting at burnt-out car bodies silhouetted by hills and small mountains. I did, in fact, serve as a FO for the 1st Wolfhounds of the 25th division. I must say that not once did I call in artillery fire, helicopter gunships or F-4 air strikes on a target which was not moving and which could be seen by the naked eye for several kilometers. Like others, I soon learned to adjust. Today the Army, in a lessons learned-based leadership, is constantly refining, re-tooling, even re-inventing fighting tactics on a nearly daily basis to best confront the situation at hand.
Communication was also an issue. As an unfortunate result of pressure from the Pentagon on down, “bad” outcomes were not reported or under-reported, because at every step along the chain of command, episodes depicting gains in our efforts to hold South Vietnam for an unappreciative citizenry were often viewed as the key to promotions.
Through the father of a friend, I was invited to have dinner while returning from R&R at Officers Mess Number One in Long Binh. When the generals, including General Creighton Abrams, found out that a Lieutenant fresh from the Cambodian invasion was present, they surrounded me and asked me questions like school children, anxious to hear what was really going on in their war. Suffice it to say, bad news did not travel upward.
Finally there was the pressure in the Capitol and the Pentagon to present a positive appearance of progress in the war to appease an ever increasingly cynical public.
In Washington, the late Robert McNamara, often viewed as the architect of the Vietnam War, often overruled the Joint Chiefs of Staff and insisted that more and more troops should be deployed. The troop level surged as high as 350,000 servicemen. Convinced that numbers win wars, the number of troops deployed under his leadership skyrocketed. Years later, in his book titled “In Retrospect”, he admitted he was wrong. Of small solace to the friends and families of the 58,000 men whose names adorn the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.
“To do the impossible”
Ours was a mission impossible almost by definition, because on a strategic basis, we didn’t have a clue what the objectives were. What we knew was that on a daily basis, we were to kill as many of “them” as possible while preserving as many of “us” as possible.
Victories were measured by body count, not by territorial gain. Without a clear strategic objective, except for the foggy bromides such as “Vietnamization”, “light at the end of the tunnel” and “winning the hearts and minds” foisted upon us by President Nixon, we went about our jobs, kept our heads down, and wanted nothing more than to get home safely.
“For the ungrateful”
Has any nation ever been more ungrateful than the United States was toward Vietnam veterans? We all have our stories of painfully unwelcoming homecomings. When I joined my wife in Hawaii for R&I, I was less than a week from returning to Vietnam from the Cambodian Invasion. She, on the other hand, was less than a week from participating in a campus protest against the Cambodian Invasion. That marriage divided was a microcosm of a country divided. We all remember Kent State. Even such hotbeds of liberal thought as Lawrence, Kansas, erupted in protests and violence (although in Lawrence they mainly threw their bongs and peace beads at each other.)
So, were our efforts in vain? Absolutely not. We should stand tall and be proud of our accomplishments. And what are they?
First, through a painfully evolutionary process, the American public learned that our occasionally erratic and often violent behavior when we returned home was more than a trait of the crazy Vietnam veteran. The medical and clinical world finally came up with a fancy name for what troubled us: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. So we may have acted crazy, but there was a reason for it.
Today’s military recognizes the potentially fatal manifestations of PTSD. Today’s fighting units meet regularly with counselors while still in the combat theater to talk about their naturally disturbing thoughts and dreams of the horrors of combat, of seeing a buddy killed or maimed. While we often stuffed our feelings inside, while, like our fathers, not discussing our feelings for years, today’s Soldiers and Marines are encouraged to talk about their feelings and emotions. It’s finally OK to admit that witnessing horrific events can be a little troubling when the fighting stops.
Second, because in great part American citizens have realized the errors they committed when they shamed us rather than thanked us when we returned from war, today’s soldiers are treated like the heroes they are when they return home.
Here locally, many of you may recall that when we were building the Kansas City Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a vandal defaced it on March 31, 1985, with swastikas and anti-American slogans. The public outrage that followed caused Kansas City’s citizenry to finally, more than a decade after our service, to thank us and welcome us home.
Today when you see complete strangers in an airport walk up to a serviceman and thank him for his service, you should congratulate yourself for the role you played in teaching the American public a vital lesson: regardless of what you think about the war, you should honor, support and respect the warrior.
Finally, let’s end the commonly held belief that we lost the war. Part of the reason that we received so little respect when we returned home was the notion, which we often shared, that we had fought in the only war lost by the United States in its entire history. Now we know that perception is wrong on many fronts.
When I traveled back to Vietnam six times in 1994 and 1995 while leading a medical mission for Heart To Heart International, I spent a great deal of time with my former enemies. One of the men I became closest to was the Vietnamese Secretary of Agriculture. One night while having dinner, we discovered that we had been combatants in a ferocious firefight in the Cambodian Invasion. As dinner ended, he said “Why are you Americans so hard on yourselves about losing the war? You wanted to end the spread of Communism, and no country on this continent has gone Communist since you left. You wanted to curtail the spreading influence of the Chinese Communists, and you did that. You wanted to establish an economic foothold in Southeast Asia, and now all of Southeast Asia seeks your assistance in building our economies. Tell me again why you think you lost?
He’s right. We should hold our heads high for all of these reasons. I’m proud to be a Vietnam veteran, and I’m proud to have you as my brothers. Thanks for your service."
Information about Art Fillmore:
Arthur E. Fillmore is an active leader in a wide range of civic, cultural and political affairs whose involvement in supporting veteran causes is truly stellar. He has served as Chairman of the Kansas City Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation, the Veterans Administration Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of War Veterans and is the founder and President of the Heart of America Stand Down Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation organized to help homeless veterans. In 2002, Art was inducted into the Field Artillery School Hall of Fame at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.
For the fourth straight year, Speaks Family Legacy Chapels is proud to present a truly memorable, award winning program dedicated to the men and women who preserved our freedom by serving our great country in time of war.
The Speaks 4th Annual “Lest They Be Forgotten” Veterans Program will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2009, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence. This program is FREE and open to the public. It will include:
- “Vietnam – Remembered”, a documentary by award winning filmmaker Larry Cappetto. This one-hour film is an up close, personal and first hand look into the lives of Vietnam Veterans who fought, survived and endured the pain, suffering and anguish of a war that changed their lives and America forever.
- A Huey helicopter on display in front of the Truman Library for visitors to see. Owned by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #243, the helicopter served in Vietnam from 1966 until 1968 and was shot down four times while in service.
- Recognition of two Kansas City area Vietnam Veteran Medal of Honor recipients, retired Colonels Roger H.C. Donlon and Donald E. Ballard.
- Our featured speaker, Arthur E. Fillmore, a decorated Vietnam veteran and attorney with Levy and Craig. Art has served as Chairman of the Kansas City Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation, the Veterans Administration Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of War Veterans and is the founder and President of the Heart of America Stand Down Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation organized to help homeless veterans. In 2002, Art was inducted into the Field Artillery School Hall of Fame at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.
- Members of VVA Chapters #243 and #317 will serve in a joint Honor Guard for the event.
Last year’s Speaks Chapels “Lest They Be Forgotten” Veterans program receive one of two KIP (Keep It Personal) Awards given by the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association for outstanding community events. ICCFA membership is comprised of over 7,200 cemeteries, funeral homes, memorial designers, crematories and related businesses worldwide.
The KIP Awards are judged by marketing and communications professionals from outside the cemetery and funeral service profession. Judges were impressed with the creativity and compassion displayed by Speaks Family Legacy Chapels. One judge commented that “this must have been a very moving event. I am struck by the joy everyone expressed because of this event. It is very uplifting.” Another judge described the efforts as “thoughtful and thorough. Speaks seems to put the veterans and their cause before its own.”
The auditorium for this event is courtesy of the Truman Library. While there is no charge to attend this Speaks program and movie, an entrance fee is required for admittance to the museum exhibit area.
Seating is limited to this event. For more information, call David Speaks at (816) 252-7900.
As a funeral home, Speaks Chapels serve the families of many veterans who so bravely put their lives on the line for the cause of freedom, and we believe that veterans should be honored and remembered for the sacrifices they have made. We hope you, your family and friends will both join us in paying tribute to our area veterans this special event.
Dr. Allan Wolfelt's Grief Seminars
On Thursday, October 23, Speaks Family Legacy Chapels will sponsor two programs presented by Dr. Alan Wolfelt designed to help people in mourning deal with their loss. An author, educator and grief counselor, Dr. Wolfelt is known to thousands across North America for his inspirational teaching gift.
The morning program is an inspiring one-day workshop for professionals. “Companioning the Bereaved: A Workshop for Caregivers,” will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This seminar is designed for Nurses, Social Workers, Counselors, Educators, Psychologists, Hospice Personnel, Nursing Home Administrators, Physicians, Clergy, Chaplains, Lay Ministers and others caring for bereaved people. It focuses on assisting both professional and private caregivers to enhance their sensitivity and coping skills related to grief. Dr. Wolfelt will present ways for caregivers to companion, not treat, those who’ve encountered loss.
Our evening program, “Understanding Your Grief: Touchstones for Hope and Healing,” is free and open to the public and runs 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. It is designed to help those who have encountered loss to understand feelings and emotions. Dr. Wolfelt teaches that these feelings are inevitable and need to be realized in order to properly heal and continue a productive and healthy life.
“Every month, thousands of people in the Greater Kansas City area are faced with what can be the very worst time of their life; the death of a loved one,” said David Speaks. “Many survivors can't see beyond their own despair to know that the feelings they are encountering are natural, normal and common. They need to experience the grieving process in order to heal.”
Dr. Wolfelt’s compassionate messages about healing in grief are based on his own personal losses and his experience supporting children, teens, adults and families over the past three decades. He speaks not only to the intellect but also to the hearts of all who hear him. Perhaps best known for his model of “companioning” versus “treating” mourners, Dr. Wolfelt is committed to helping people mourn so they can live well and love well. A frequent guest of the media, he has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live and the NBC Today Show. Dr. Wolfelt is the Founder and Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, as well as the author of over twenty books on grief and loss.
A $20.00 fee is required for the morning professional workshop, which includes lunch and refreshments. Please RSVP by October 17, 2008 by calling (816) 252-7900 or email david.speaks@speakschapel.com. Make checks payable to: Speaks Family Legacy Chapels.
The evening program for the public is free, but we do ask that you call ahead to reserve your seat at (816) 252-7900.
Both programs will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, I-70 and Little Blue Parkway, in Independence, Missouri. They are both based on Dr. Wolfelt’s best-selling books by the same titles.
For more information about either program, please call (816) 252-7900.
For the third straight year, Speaks Family Legacy Chapels is proud to present a truly unique program dedicated to the men and women who preserved our freedom by serving our great country in time of war.
This year’s presentation, Korea, The Forgotten War, will be of special interest to area residents. It is very fitting that the film’s world premier is being held at the Truman Library, as President Harry S. Truman was Commander-in-Chief during the Korean War. One of the veterans featured in the movie is David Tanquary, an Overland Park resident.
“These award winning films by Larry Cappetto include many veterans’ first hand personal accounts, allowing them to share their stories and help deal with the grief that comes with the loss of comrades and the experience of war,” said David Speaks. “Larry's unique and compelling series of documentaries are historically important, as America's generation of war veterans are dying everyday. His documentaries are unusual, in that the entire narrative is drawn from the memories and monologues of today's veterans. With his series of Lest They Be Forgotten films, he has tried to make sure their sacrifices for our country and to preserve our freedoms are not forgotten.” Seating is limited, so those planning to attend are urged to come early.
On June 26 and 27, Cappetto will be conducting veteran interviews at the Carson-Speaks Chapel for use in his upcoming documentaries so that area veterans may be a part of this moving project. Veterans who would like to be considered for these interviews, should telephone Cappetto’s office at 970-254-9262, email him at larry@veteranshistory.org or visit his website, http://veteranshistory.org
For more information on the film presentation and the veteran interviews, call David Speaks at (816) 252-7900