Inaugural Inductees Announced for the Missouri National Guard Hall of Fame and the 2022 Nomination Period Commences

March 02, 2022

JEFFERSON CITY, MO - The new Missouri National Guard Hall of Fame (MONGHOF) was formed by a group of Missouri Veterans in 2020. The new Hall of Fame will be physically located in Kirksville, MO.

MONGHOF Chairman John J. Sastry, Esq., CFP® announces a list of the inaugural inductees. Per Sastry, “This diverse group of Missourians represents the best of us. They are distinguished American warriors, patriots and role models for future generations. In times of turmoil, we should look to the example they set.”

The Inductees:

Lt. Col. Archie Miller (Medal of Honor recipient). Miller was living in St. Louis, Missouri when he enlisted in the 6th Missouri Infantry (Missouri National Guard), serving with the regiment in Cuba. He later joined the U.S. Army and was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery while serving with the 6th U.S. Cavalry during the Moro Rebellion (Philippine-American War) in 1909. Miller died in 1921 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Capt. Alexander Skinker (Medal of Honor recipient). Skinker was a 1905 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and enlisted in Battery A, St. Louis Light Artillery of the Missouri National Guard. He was serving in France with Company I, 138th Infantry Regiment—a federalized Missouri National Guard company under the 35th Division—when he was killed in action on September 26, 1918, at Cheppy, France. On the date of his death, he led an attack on enemy machine-gun positions, seizing ammunition and feeding an automatic rifle until he was killed. His conspicuous gallantry earned him the Medal of Honor. The veteran is interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.

Lt. Col. Dolores Carl. Carl was commissioned as a registered nurse with the Missouri National Guard in 1967. She was assigned to the 135th Army Hospital during the racial unrest in Kansas City in April 1968. At the time, she was the only woman serving in the Missouri National Guard and was in charge of the nursing section of the hospital with medical corpsmen and specialists working under her guidance. Carl achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1981. She passed away in 2017 when 77 years of age and is interred in Floral Hills Cemetery in Kansas City.

CSM Eldon Coy. Eldon Coy served in the Missouri National Guard from November 21, 1955 to September 30, 1998. During his long military career, he held positions of increasing responsibility as a non-commissioned officer, culminating with his assignment as the Brigade Command Sergeant Major for the 135th Field Artillery Brigade. He was a valued mentor to many soldiers over the years, and his untiring efforts to always place soldiers first made him the epitome of "selfless service". Coy was also active in the Shrine Club and was the recipient of the Legion of Merit and the Soldiers Medal for Heroism. Coy passed away in 2011 and is buried in Park View Memorial Gardens in Kirksville.

Col. Mark Randazzo. Between his junior and senior year of high school in 1980, Randazzo enlisted in the 1035th Maintenance Company of the Missouri National Guard. He later graduated with his degree in aviation technology from Warrensburg and completed OCS in the fall of 1989. Having invested 10 years as an enlisted soldier and mechanic with the 1035th. The revered 48-year-old officer passed away unexpectedly in 2011, leaving behind his wife and two young sons. He was posthumously promoted to colonel. He was laid to rest in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. He was the recipient of a host of prestigious medals including the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star.

CW04 Wilburn Rowden. A 1941 graduate of Vienna High School (Missouri), Rowden was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943. He served as a radio operator aboard a B-17 bomber and was shot down near Hanover, Germany on his sixth and final mission on March 6, 1944. Although he safely evacuated the aircraft, he was captured by the German military and spent 13 months in prison camps until his liberation by the 104th Division on April 26, 1945. Rowden was discharged from the service in November 1945 and, several months later, joined the Missouri National Guard. He retired in 1983 at the rank of chief warrant officer four, having dedicated more than 38 years of his life to state and country. Rowden lives in Holt Summit, Missouri and recently celebrated his 98th birthday.

The period for submitting 2022 Hall of Fame nominees has now commenced and runs until June 30, 2022. Nomination are accepted under the “Nominations” tab on the Hall of Fame’s website: www.monghof.org

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