Scott B. Mexic (LLM’84) appointed to State Funeral for World War II Veterans board

DALLAS – August 7, 2019 — State Funeral for World War II Veterans announced today Greg Hamer, of Morgan City, Louisiana, and Scott B. Mexic (LLM’84) of Washington, D.C. as new members of its national board of directors.

Both hold long-standing records of public service.

“Less than two years ago we launched a nationwide petition drive to convince President Donald J. Trump to designate a state funeral in Washington D.C. for the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II,” said Lee W. (“Bill”) McNutt, National Chairperson of the State Funeral for World War II Veterans. “This single state funeral would provide special recognition, and serve as a final salute to the 16 million men and women who served in our armed forces from 1941 to 1945. “We are working hard across the nation with patriotic and successful leaders like Greg Hamer and Scott B. Mexic to make this state funeral a reality.”

In total, 472 World War II service members received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Only three of these recipients are living today. They are Hershel (“Woody”) Williams, U.S. Marine Corp Corporal of West Virginia; Charles Coolidge, U.S. Army Technician Fifth Grade of Oregon; and Francis S. Currey, U.S. Army Private First Class of New York.

Mr. Hamer is a former President of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, and an Emeritus Director of the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C. He and his B&G Food Enterprises Group own more than 140 Taco Bell and other food franchises located across Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana.

A great supporter of Veterans, Hamer traveled to Iwo Jima in March of 2018 with Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Woody Williams from West Virginia to the commemorate 73rd Anniversary of the battle. The day American Forces raised the U.S. Flag over Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, Corporal Williams was responsible for taking out numerous Japanese concrete pillboxes using only a flamethrower.

During a recent interview, Corporal Williams said, “The idea of a state funeral for the last of us to go is great. The nation needs this. It brings recognition to all 16 million of us who wore the uniform. A state funeral is part of our nation’s history that can never be erased.”

Hamer spearheaded a Louisiana Congressional Delegation letter to President Trump supporting the nonprofit’s mission. The letter was signed by Louisiana United States Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, and by Representatives Steve Scalise, Clay Higgins, Mike Johnson, Ralph Abraham, Garret Graves and Cedric Richmond.

Few Americans can match Mexic’s record of bipartisan service in both Democrat and Republican Presidential Administrations. His service included senior positions in the Office of Privatization in the Reagan White House and the Department of Veterans Administration during the Clinton Administration, as well as Senior Fellow on the staff of U.S. Representative Solomon Ortiz a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee. During the Bush-Cheney Administration, he served in the United States Department of Agriculture and was deployed to Afghanistan as the Senior Advisor to the Afghan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock and led the International effort to reorganize and modernize the Ministry’s structure.

The proud father of University of Mississippi Navy ROTC student, Scott “Blake” Mexic, Jr. Mexic is a principle of CIH International, an international Private Equity firm. A native of New Orleans, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s of Business Administration Degree and Juris Doctor’s Degree from Tulane University. Mexic also received a Master of Tax Law from Boston University. He resides in McLean, Virginia, and is licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C. and Louisiana.

State Funeral for World War II Veterans exists to convince the President of the United States to designate a single state funeral for the last Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, as a final salute to the 16 million men and women of the Greatest Generation who served in our armed forces from 1941 to 1945.

This effort is the brainchild of McNutt’s 10-year-old daughter, Rabel, a public school student, in honor of her godfather, Walter Ehlers, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for his efforts at the Battle for Normandy in June 1944.

For more information on how to join us in this mission, please visit www.worldwar2salute.org.