Friday, May 24 2013 11:20 PM EDT2013-05-25 03:20:27 GMT
For a family in Lake Charles, one phone call changed everything. The aftermath of the Moore, Okla. tornado revealed the loss of a loved one. One of the children who died at a school destroyed by the tornadoMore >>
A family in Lake Charles mourns the loss of a young relative in the Moore, Oklahoma tornado.
Friday, May 24 2013 8:43 PM EDT2013-05-25 00:43:00 GMT
The Vernon Parish Sheriff's Office is looking for a bank robbery suspect. The Vernon Bank branch on Colony Boulevard in New Llano was robbed Thursday afternoon. Investigators say a black male subjectMore >>
The Vernon Bank branch on Colony Boulevard in New Llano was robbed Thursday afternoon.More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 7:33 PM EDT2013-05-24 23:33:22 GMT
A kindergartner at T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School in Lake Charles read 875 books in one school year. Sophia Moss is 5-years-old and she loves to read. "A lot of the days I read books. It's justMore >>
Sophia loves to read. She even wrote her own book and did her book report on it! And even though she's just beginning her academic career, it's only the beginning of her story.More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 7:24 PM EDT2013-05-24 23:24:38 GMT
Southwest Louisiana is doing its part in the Oklahoma tornado recovery effort. In Westlake, people from all over Southwest Louisiana donated items for the tornado victims. It all started with one manMore >>
Southwest Louisiana is doing its part in the Oklahoma tornado recovery effort.More >>
Friday, May 24 2013 5:51 PM EDT2013-05-24 21:51:00 GMT
The following are closures and changes in garbage collection schedules in Southwest Louisiana related to the Memorial Day holiday: Lake Charles: The City of Lake Charles will observe the Memorial DayMore >>
The following are closures and changes in garbage collection schedules in Southwest Louisiana related to the Memorial Day holiday:More >>
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Get local news, weather, sports, and video on your mobile device.More >>
LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) -
More than 40 years after his death the City of Lake Charles continues to honor one of its native sons who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Folks crowded the Lake Charles Civic Center Saturday night for the 1st Lieutenant Douglas B. Fournet Memorial Banquet.
Fournet died while serving in Vietnam and received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The City has raised more than $70,000 to erect a statue in his honor at Veteran's Memorial Park on the Lakefront.
Fournet's son Bill, who was born four months after his father's death, spoke at the banquet and said the family is extremely grateful for the continued support.
"It's about friendship. This has all happened because of the community that loved him and the friends that he grew up with who 40 years later are still doing these types of events and wanting to keep his name and his memory honored. I don't know what kind of testament or friendship or character you can have beyond that and it's just incredible over the years what Lake Charles has done for my father," said Bill Fournet.
"This country has always been so fortunate to have men and women step up to that plate and deposit their lives on the alter of freedom. And Doug Fournet did the same thing," said Calcasieu District Attorney John DeRosier. "Now his community has really come together to put up the money for the statue and maintenance for years to come. So we are very fortunate. The community really stepped up to the plate."
The statue is under construction. There is still no firm timetable on when it will be placed on the Lakefront.
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