Horace N. Stogner Jr., of Murfreesboro, earned a Silver Star, four Bronze Stars (three for valor) and three Purple Hearts while serving in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in the 1960s.
On the eve of Memorial Day, a federal holiday honoring and mourning military personnel who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, Capt. Stogner will be recognized on Sunday, May 25, by the Nashville Sounds during the True Blue Day and Salute to Armed Forces game presented by Middle Tennessee State University.
Stogner will be joined by family members and close friend Laurie Witherow, vice provost for MTSU Enrollment Management, during ceremonies.
First pitch for the game between the Sounds and the visiting Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at First Horizon Park, 19 Junior Gilliam Way in Nashville, will be at 2:05 p.m. Central, with gates opening at 1:05.
The Sounds and MTSU plan to make it a special day for veterans and active military personnel. Visit https://www.gofevo.com/event/Truebluenight
for tickets.
Future partnership games this season for MTSU and the Sounds, the International League Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, include:
• Scout Night presented by MTSU, first pitch at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, July 19, for the Sounds game against visiting Indianapolis.
• First Responders Night, first pitch 6:35 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, when the Sounds face Gwinett.
Sounds’ players, manager and coaches will wear special military jerseys for Sunday’s game and the Sept. 11 game.
Hero turned academic advisor
A Raeford, North Carolina, native, Stogner enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17. He needed parental approval since he was underage. He graduated from high school early, taking summer classes in order to enlist.
Stogner initially went into the infantry following basic training. He arrived in the Republic of Vietnam in April 1966 and joined the Army’s 1st Battalion/7th Calvary Regiment.
He received a severe head wound from being shot in the head in 1968 and was sent back to the U.S. for recovery. This marked his second Purple Heart since deploying to Vietnam.
Released from medical care and healthy, Stogner returned to Vietnam, this time as part of the 110th Cavalry. He was shot again (earning a third Purple Heart) and sent home. Army policy was that after the third Purple Heart, the service member had to return stateside.
Stogner’s term of service ended in 1969. He left the Army and went to college, graduating from Brigham Young University in 1971.
He met his future wife, Catherine, at Duke University. They married and started a family.
Stogner reenlisted in 1972 and was assigned to the Army’s 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was an honor graduate in all military schools and received a direct commission in 1974.
He moved from Fort Bragg to Fort Benning in Georgia, where he became a top-rated jumpmaster. He commanded a Reconnaissance Unit for the 82nd in Granada, commanded Airborne School at Fort Benning and was a Pathfinder — highly specialized soldiers tasked with preparing the area for airborne operations and providing navigational support to the aircraft.
Stogner retired from military service in 1996, with approximately 25 years active duty between his enlisted and officer times.
The Stogners moved to Murfreesboro, where he was an academic advisor for 10 years in the Academic Support Center at MTSU before retiring and Catherine Stogner was an associate professor in the MTSU Department of Human Sciences before retiring.
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