W W W. S E M I S S O U R I A N . CO M
ESTABLISHED 1904, CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO. $2.00
Salute to veterans November 5, 2020
Veteran Ladner carries military family mindset into law enforcement career BY RICK FAHR
SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN Lt. Jason Ladner’s military career ended four and a half years ago, but he carries his soldier’s mindset to work every day as the leader of Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office jail division. Ladner served for nearly 13 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, primarily as a medic. He deployed to Iraq for nearly 18 months in 2008 and 2009 with the 955th Engineer Co. based at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He also served with the 325th Combat Support Hospital based in Independence, Missouri. His Iraq deployment took him to Sadr City, a suburb of Baghdad. The time there led him to develop a sense of mission and teamwork. “You have a mission, and you have to be there for each
Jason Ladner
other,” he explained. “There was a bunch of guys who left with me, and we call came home. That’s a big deal.” Ladner, a sergeant in the Reserve, said the bonds forged among troops are strong and do not recognize time. “I have friends I might not see for four or five years at a time, but when we do see each other, you just pick back up. For those who understand, no words are needed, and for those who don’t understand, there are no words,” he said. Detailing difficult conditions in a combat zone, Ladner contended supporting fellow troops is key. “The guy next to me — the man to my left and the man to my right — are the most important thing. You keep him going, and he keeps you going, and that’s all there is,” he noted.
Such relationships become building blocks for a mindset that carries beyond the military. “When you are part of that, it is so much more than a job or a career, it’s a lifestyle,” he explained. “It’s not for everybody, but those of us who feel that lifestyle, it’s ingrained. It becomes who we are to give and to give and to give because that’s how we’re built. If you’re not giving, you’re not being you.” As leader of the sheriff’s jail division, Ladner said he has tried to build up the “unsung heroes” of the department. He said he embraced the position because he wanted the staff to have a leader who cares about them professionally and personally. He likened the jail staff to a military unit with a new mission each day. See LADNER, Page 2C
BROTHERS IN ARMS Jerry Lee Young, left, and his twin brother, Larry Dee Young, of Dexter, Missouri, are shown in this undated photo. The brothers trained together in Michigan before deploying to Okinawa, Japan, in air defense posts. They were fortunate to serve together throughout their three years in the military. The Army honorably discharged the brothers in 1961. Regrettably, for the pair, they were unable to serve in the Airborne Corps — an eventuality determined by an agreement their mother made with their recruiter and without their knowledge.
Submitted by Carla Young