Missouri Manuel dedicated to veterans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The new Official Manual of Missouri, dedicated to the state's military veterans, was unveiled Wednesday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars headquarters.

Secretary of State Matt Blunt chose the book's theme, Missouri patriotism, and dedication in January, his wife, Melanie said.

Melanie Blunt spoke Wednesday in place of her husband, a lieutenant in the Naval reserve who was called to active duty after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Dozens of veterans attended the event.

"As a Navy wife, I know he will never make a better decision than to dedicate the Blue Book to Missouri veterans," she said.

The manual, published since 1878, is popularly known as the "Blue Book" because of its royal blue cover -- though it has been printed in other colors.

"The book marks a long line of recognition of Missouri veterans," said Missouri Supreme Court Justice Duane Benton, a veteran of the Vietnam War.

1,536 pages

"It is an appropriate time for the state to recognize veterans with a Blue Book," Benton said.

The book is 1,536 pages long and contains detailed information about Missouri government, including election results, names of county officials and a list of state employees and their salaries.

The book also contains photographs from a contest called "Missouri Patriotism: Then and Now." The "best of show" photograph was a self-portrait of 20-year U.S. Navy veteran Jim Jones, of Dawn, sitting and holding the chief petty officer's hat he wore during the last third of his naval career.

More than 40,000 copies of the book are distributed statewide at no charge every other year. Walsworth Publishing of Marceline and Brookfield printed the manual for the fourth straight time.

Matt Blunt is the first statewide elected official in Missouri to ever be called to active military duty.