Finding his way to service

Phil Ebert's military career took him from Panama to Korea. And he has recently begun to dedicate his service to assisting other veterans.
Phil Ebert served in the U.S. Army from 1968-1971. He’s now Commander of VFW Post 6324 in LaHarpe. Photo by Tim Stauffer / Iola Register
by Tim Stauffer, Register managing editor
Published: November 9, 2026
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Phil Ebert’s military career took him from Panama to Korea. And he has recently begun to dedicate his service to assisting other veterans.

Phil Ebert landed at the Kansas City airport in 1971, home after four years that included stints in Panama, South Korea, and Germany. He had joined the U.S. Army at 18, a high school dropout who was looking for direction.

Back on American soil, his first stop was the airport restroom, where he promptly changed into civilian clothes, removing his military uniform and stuffing it into a duffel bag.

“You have to understand,” Ebert, age 76, recalled in an interview last week, “no one wanted anything to do with the military back then. I was not welcomed home. I was ridiculed.” 

Tim Stauffer, Register managing editor

Tim Stauffer came to The Iola Register in 2018, becoming the fifth generation of his family to work at the small-town newspaper. Tim graduated with honors from the University of Kansas in 2007 and subsequently served for one year as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Seattle, providing GED instruction at Youthcare’s Orion Center. He then served 2.5 years as a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador. After his time as a Peace Corps volunteer, Tim received his MA in English Education from New York University, graduating with distinction. He then taught high school English for 5.5 years at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas. While teaching, he completed the Hollyhock Fellowship Program through the Stanford Center to Support Excellence in Teaching. Tim and his wife Violeta have two children.

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