by Beverly Clinkingbeard

The observance of Veterans Day is another opportunity to say thank you and recognize the tremendous talent and diversity of the individuals that make up our Armed Forces, and often unrealized, continuous protection. Perhaps the life and service of Ponya Harper King of Westboro, Missouri, is representative of a veteran’s varied assignments.

Ponya’s parents were Austa Andrews and Euell “Diamond” Harper. They were farmers and Ponya had a brother, Marvin, sister, Janine, and another brother, Randy. They attended West Nodaway School. Ponya married the late Jim King of Westboro in 1969. There are three children, Chris, Nic and Crystal. Shortly after marriage, Jim joined the U.S. Navy Seabees (the Navy’s Construction Force) and after training was sent to the Island of Guam.

Guam is of the Mariana Islands with the Philippine Sea on one side and the other the Pacific Ocean. Ponya said she liked the tropical weather and was unbothered by the fact that they were limited in travel because of “water, water, every where.” Departure must be by boat or airplane, and it wasn’t a short trip to the mainland. While in Guam she worked in the office of International Equipment of Guam, and they lived off-base.

Once Jim’s active duty commitment was fulfilled, he was assigned to the Navy Reserves, with monthly training exercises and in the summer a deployment to a Navy purpose project. They settled in Westboro and gradually turned a little schoolhouse into a home. They also joined his father in the business of raising breeding pigs. Jim drove a truck and Ponya was a busy mom caring for pigs, sometimes working at school food service, the greenhouse, the care centers, raised goats and helped her kids and grandkids with their 4-H projects doing whatever was and is needed.

In 1990, with one of the boys in the Navy, Ponya said she bought into the “Join the Navy and see the world” slogan. She became a Naval Reservist, and in January was sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for training as a Corpsman (medical) where the recruits were to acclimate for duty in Bahrain. This she finds amusing, as New Jersey was miserably cold. Once again, the midwestern farm girl would find herself on an island of balmy temperatures, this time in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm. She was there six months, and once home again in Westboro, she continued as a Naval Reservist with monthly training and summer military exercises. Meanwhile, son Nic joined the Navy and departed for Portsmouth, Virginia, and submarine duty. Son Chris was already serving in the Navy as a Navy Seabee. Ponya remembers this time of life as a shuffle with all of them going different directions and places while someone had to be there to keep the home fires burning until the next King got home, and be there for Crystal, who wasn’t old enough to be in the Navy, but participated in school activities.

Ponya’s father served in World War II and her brother Marvin (deceased 2024) served. He also served as American Legion Missouri State Department Commander. Ponya is Commander of the American Legion Merrill Smith Post 32 and the Merrill Smith Auxiliary unit which has 40 members all over the country. She says she has retired time and again, only to be rehired to retire again. There are four grandchildren, two in service (one Navy the other a Marine) and one great-grandchild. Today her life may not be quite as demanding as it once was, but Ponya is still very busy and especially enjoys time for reading.

The contribution women make to the Armed Forces is often overlooked or minimized, and we thank you, Ponya, for you and your family’s service, and your contribution to the community.