Hometown Heroes - Patriots of the Year

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Four Lake Charles residents will be honored this weekend for their patriotism. They are KPLC Hometown Heroes we have honored in the past. For the last 16 years, the Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission has held its Patriot’s Ball, a chance for the City of Lake Charles to honor its military citizens. This year, four will be recognized for their patriotism to the community.

James Johnson was severely wounded in 2005 by an IED in the Iraq War. He spent over a year recovering and urges his fellow soldiers to seek help with P-T-S-D.

“It feels like nobody understands,” said Johnson. “It feels like you’re alone. It feels like I’m the only one going through this. You question, “Am I going crazy? Why do I think all these things? What’s happening?” But the truth is, you’re not. You’re not alone. There is absolutely help out there.”

James says writing a book helped him overcome adversity by changing himself.

In 2010, Veteran Nic Nicosia told me he believes most police officers like himself want to serve the public and being patriotic is second nature.

“From my own personal belief, I think there’'s a sense of patriotism and a sense of wanting to serve and wanting to help,” said Nicosia. “So we get out here and do what we can to serve and protect the folks of Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish.”

Lake Charles businessman Paul Pettefer has been supporting veterans for years. It was in 2007 when his Laundromats helped wash and dry hundreds of flags in the Avenue of Flags project.

“Our staff assisted the boy scouts in drying all the flags. There were 700 casket flags that were very large, six by nine, heavy. They had the run of our three facilities using a couple hundred dryers to dry the flags and fold them properly.”

Vietnam veteran Dan Didelot died in 2020 and will be honored posthumously. Dan told me in 2011, he wanted history to show that his fellow soldiers in Vietnam did what they were asked.

“We did our duty. We’'d like people to know that,” said Didelot. “We didn’'t question it. Going back to what President Kennedy said, what we can do for our country...and we did it.”

The four will be honored at the Lake Charles Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission Patriot’s Ball on Saturday, June 29 in the L’Auberge Grand Ballroom.

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