by Nate LaMar
My great uncle, Loren Cleo Lovegrove, was known to me as “Uncle Cleo.” He was married to my great aunt, Lela June Padgett Lovegrove (my “Aunt June”). Uncle Cleo was born in Butlervillein 1935 and passed away in Muncie in early 2024. He dropped out of school and lied about his age in 1951 to join the Navy for the Korean War! He worked on helicopters and was discharged in 1955.
In his civilian career, Uncle Cleo first worked for my grandfather, William Burkman, a World War II Navy veteran of the Construction Battalions (aka the Seabees), at Burkman Construction Company near New Castle. In 1966, Uncle Cleo joined the Seabees, served a tour in Vietnam, was discharged in 1968, and then served in the Navy Reserves until retiring in 1987. Along the way, he changed his civilian career to the US Postal Service, from which he retired, and had served as project manager and manager of plant maintenance in Indianapolis and Muncie, living nearby in Cowan.
Uncle Cleo & Aunt June had three children, the oldest of whom was Linda Lou Lovegrove Joseph. Linda studied at Anderson College (later obtaining a degree from Indiana Business College), then joined the Navy. She went to Naval Station Great Lakes and served in a post-partum hospital ward.
Linda and her former husband had three children. Their oldest son is Shafik Benjamin Joseph. Although his parents divorced when he was young, Shafik remained close to his father, who had immigrated from Egypt. In fact, Shafik married an Egyptian Coptic Christian, Nancy, and made their home northeast of New Castle. Shafik & Nancy owned and operated Ma’adi Grill, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Muncie. More recently, they owned and operated Joe’s BBQ & More in Selma. In addition, for years, they have had a substantial catering business.
But despite entrepreneurial success and two young children, Shafik told me that he had wanted to be an Arabic linguist for years. As a former Army linguist/liaison officer, this was “music to my ears!” Already knowing some Arabic from his father, from his wife, and from his many visits to Egypt, Army recruiters saw Shafik as a good catch! In addition, according to the Rand Corporation, in 2006 Congress changed the maximum age for all enlisted military recruits from 35 to 42!
Therefore, on September 30, the day before his 43rd birthday, Shafik enlisted in the Army! He is now in basic training at Fort Sill, OK, where I attended Field Artillery School. Some of the younger recruits in his unit refer to Shafik and three other older guys as the “AARP crew!” He is on track to graduate from basic training on December 13, then will beginArabic language study on January 13 at the Defense Language Institute, another one of my “old stomping grounds” in Monterey, CA.
The Federal News Network reports that the Army missed its recruiting targets in FY22 and FY23, and just barely met its target for FY24. Therefore, allowing older recruits, like Shafik, is a great idea, especially because they can provide the peer leadership and maturity that young recruits need. In a recent letter to me, Shafik wrote, “Basic training is different than I expected. I didn’t anticipate how difficult it would be to live with 20 young men. I think that is more stressful than the actual training.” He went on to say, “Basic training is for sure a young man’s game, but I’m doing ‘OK’ so far.”
On this Veterans’ Day, I want to especially salute not only my kin – the Lovegrove and Joseph families – but also those who have served in non-traditional ways, such as lying about one’s age, in order to serve when too young, or now being allowed to serve when older. Both are very honorable forms of service. May the Lord bless and keep our veterans and those still serving safe from harm!
Nate LaMar, an international director, also serves as Military Academy Liaison Officer (West Point recruiter) for East Central Indiana, and served as Henry County Council President from 2009-2019.
