Ohio XII

Once again, I am running behind. My apologies.

Stark County Ohio has a memorial to many lost. The memorial, as previously posted, stands in Massillon near the City Hall.

Today, as is becoming my habit, we will honor three from Stark County.

Robert A. Ater

PFC Robert Ater was a passenger on a chopper going to LZ North English. The chopper was seen flying very low and the boom hit the ground causing the craft to crash. All, except one, were lost on August 12, 1970, near Binh Dinh.

Clayton Henry Byers

LCPL Clayton Henry Byers was lost May 24, 1967, just a few days before his 19th birthday, at Quang Nam Province to hostile fire/explosive device.

George K. Galloway

SGT George K. Galloway died of a fatal heart attack on November 17, 1968. He was 50 years old and was known as "Pops" to his men as he took such good care of them. He was lost at Quang Tri Province on the exact same day as his brother died of a heart attack in Ohio. Neither brother knew the other has died. Stranger than fiction.

Next time on May 3rd, we will return to Oklahoma, so join me, as always, at 9 am.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam, and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here. 

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

Ohio XI

As has become my habit, I was looking through files today to see if I had anything I might have over looked in the past.

As I reviewed my pics from a Veterans Park near Canton, I came across one name. I do not remember if it was the only one there or just the only one I photographed. Back then, I was more interested in memorials rather than individual names as I was still trying to see memorials from each state.

Times change. 

Having visited each state, most more than once, I have fulfilled my original goal and am currently trying to honor many of the men and women who served or were lost. I will continue to seek out memorials as I travel. there are new ones in Louisiana and Nebraska that I hope to get soon.

Finding only this one name got me thinking that there simply must be more, so I found a site with names for specific areas and have been studying it for additional heroes to honor. 

The Veterans Park was in Stark County, near Canton. So far, I have identified 27 with many more on the list.

So, for today, a few from Stark County:

Ward Leroy Anthony

Cpl. Ward Leroy Anthony was killed in a motor attack at Thua Thien near Hue' on April 17, 1968.

David Lee french

The following is from his Remembrance page at VVMF's Wall of Faces:

On the 1st of January 1968, a helicopter from the 61st Assault Helicopter Company became the first aircraft loss since the unit was declared operational in Vietnam on 20 December 1967. The crash of the UH-1H took the lives of its four crew members plus six passengers on a mountain in the An Khe Pass. Marginal weather was blamed in the mishap. The crew included aircraft commander WO1 Ronald L. Martin, pilot WO1 Peter Kretzchmar, crew chief SP4 Clarence H. Genau, and gunner PFC Phillip A. Tingley Jr. The six passengers were CAPT Peter S. Kleinberg, CAPT Frank Velazquez, SFC Felix A. Sisario, SP4 David L. French (emphasis mine), SGT Norman R. Anderson, and SP4 Thomas B. Griffin Jr. 

Ronald Lee Hacker

 

 

 

Sgt Hacker was killed on April 3rd, 1969 in a battle near Kontum. He saw one of his men, helping another who was wounded, get wounded. He ran to his aid and was himself fatally wounded.

These three are among the many that I have now found from Stark County, Ohio. I will feature others as time goes by.

I ask you to join me on the 16th of July when we will return to     to add and honor a few more faces, as always at 9:00 am.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group!

Ohio X

Stark County Veterans Memorial is located in Canton. Like so many it honors many lost and living citizens from several wars. It may be found on Lake Road Blvd.

It sits in a beautiful setting on a lake and is a place of calm nestled in among the trees in a bustling city.

 

The lake has a small "island" with a star on it. No explanation was given.

The day Steve and I visited the sun was shining and the wind was blowing.

The memorial itself is quite simple, the usual flags and some artifacts from previous wars. There is a canon and, oddly enough, a part of the conning tower from the USS Maine seen below!

There seemed to be no artifacts from 'Nam and in fact, the only mention is on some of the paver bricks that are along the walkways.

Each service has its insignia etched upon a plain gray wall.

This memorial is just a minute from the Aultman Hospital which has a nursing school dedicated to Sharon Lane, the only one of the eight women on The Wall who was actually lost by enemy fire. She was from Canton.

Next time, on the 8th, we will return to Oregon, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Ohio, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. Thanks!

Ohio IX

I am often astounded by how few Vietnam memorials actually feature  statues of our brothers and sisters.

There are some, of course, but far fewer that I would have expected, or perhaps, I have just not found them yet.

I have been writing in this sub-group, Faces of Remembrance for at least a few years now and am rapidly running out of these few and far between remembrances.

In Ohio, I actually have only seen one, in Masillion, that I will feature today.

Along with this one, I will include something I have never done before: a grieving wife (?) from the Clinton memorial.

Finally, I found this guy in Gallipolis at a multi-war memorial site. He is obviously not from the Vietnam era, but the look on his face, the thousand year stare, is universal, so I will honor him too.

So, as I have not found them, I ask you, challenge you, to send me ones in your town, city, or county. If they have not been featured here, I promise to give you a photo credit and if you provide info, I will credit you for that too. The least I need is location, and name if any. Please use the highest resolution your camera has and you can reach me by the email listed on the left side of this page.

Next time, on the 17th, we will revisit Pennsylvania, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Ohio, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

PS, you are not limited to statues, any Vietnam memorial is fine, even if it is part of a multi-war site.

Ohio VIII

While visiting Cleveland on a business trip, I had the opportunity to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and other sights. One of them was this great War Memorial. It honors all who have perished during 20th Century wars. Those lost in Vietnam are, of course, honored here.

The memorial was originally built to honor WWII soldiers but in 1991 was refurbished and expanded to include all from the 20th century.

 

Our other conflicts post Vietnam are recalled here, too. As always seems to be the case and not particularly prophetic, empty spaces are provided for the future sacrifices of those possibly not yet born.

The statue is of a man escaping the flames of war and reaching for everlasting peace. There are fountains surrounding the statue, but they were not on the day I was there which provided this clear view.

Interestingly, the statue/fountain is known by three different names: The Fountain of Eternal Life, The War Memorial Fountain and Peace Emerging from the Flames of War.The large globe on which he is standing represents the earth. The whole statue is 35 feet tall.

Next time, we will visit Pennsylvania . So join me at 9:00am on the 14th of February.

To see other posts from Ohio, or any other state, click the state name on the left of this page.

Memorial Day 2013

The practice of decorating the graves of soldiers is an ancient one. The origins of Decoration Day, as it was first called, has a long and varied history in the United States. Decorating the graves of fallen soldiers was practiced at different times, in various ways, sometimes depending on what part of the country one resided.

Around the time of the Civil War, the practice became more common and legend has it that the first observance happened in Virginia in1861. There is actual documentation of a ceremony in Georgia in 1862.

The first National Decoration Day was proclaimed in 1868 and events were held in 183 cemeterys in 27 states. Remember that a number of states were still territorys and not admitted to the Union for quite some years. An interesting fact is that the first Memorial Day Parade was held in Irontown, Ohio in that year and has been held every year since.

As time moved on the day became about honoring any one who had died in service and still later to remembering anyone who was lost in any way.

The name "Memorial Day",  was first used in 1882 and became more common after the second World War.  The change was not made official until 1967. A year later the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passes and May 30th was no longer the official date of the remembrance.

Over the many years this day has gone from honoring our war dead to a beginning of summer celebration, so as you enjoy the long weekend, take just a moment to remember all of those who have given up their lives in defense of our country. Regardless of our feelings about any specific war, those we remember made a sacrifice that we who are celebrating did not have to make and if we don't remember fewer and fewer may be willing to serve.

On the first of June we visit a small memorial to Meal Of Honor awardees in Omaha. Join me there at 9:00am

Ohio VII

One final stop in Ohio. We found ourselves in Rio Grande, Ohio, the home of Bob Evan's! Yes, there really is such a place, so we felt obligated to stop. After a few pics of the Homestead (it looks just like you see in the advertising) we decided we should go in to eat.

While inside we saw a guy who seemed to fit our profile of the Vietnam vet (our age, long hair, beard, biker gear) so I asked him if there was a local site? He directed us to a town 10 miles or so away. He was very interested in our journey and tried to be as helpful as he could. (It turns out he missed the war by a year or two) A few minutes later, a young woman from another table came over and said, "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and I wanted to help you find the site," she spent several minutes making sure we knew just where to go. What amazing, friendly folks. Thank you all!

The site, like so many we find, is a war memorial in a small park. Sitting along a river, in Gallipolis, Oh., it commemorates all the local citizens contributions to our history. Guarded by a dough boy from WWI, the names of far too many are listed on the various panels.

Ohio VI

This memorial in Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Dayton, Ohio is called a living memorial. The dedication plaque says that you will find no "... war torn soldiers with pointed weapons... the Vietnam veteran... remind America of the dream of peace and serenity."

This site was difficult to photograph in a way that would do it justice. Everything is flat in the memorial itself. It is a circular stone walk with the lost sons and daughter listed by county.

Other interesting parts of the site are the American Red Oak (state tree of Ohio) marking the POW/MIA site and the crypt containing mementos from the era.

The exact location of the park, also called the Miami Valley Vietnam Veterans Memorial is;

S. Patterson Blvd. and W. Stewart St., Dayton, OH, 45409

intersection of S. Patterson Blvd. and W. Stewart St., just north of the Stewart Street Bridge

Ohio V

We found this site in Union Township in Clermont County, Ohio. It is located at the corner of Clough Pike and Este-Withamsville Rd, south east of Cincinnati.

Located in a community park, this site does it all. In addition to the chopper, there are markers for those who have died as a result of Agent Orange (Silver Rose) womens' service, dogs and as shown in one shot, Gold Star Mothers. The guys in the picture, who were not old enough to have even been born during Vietnam, were working hard to get the memorial completed before Memorial Day which was coming up shortly after our visit. They were very respectful and took pride in their efforts.

I was not familiar with The Silver Rose before finding it here. It is an interesting program and effort on behalf of vets and families who have suffered from or been affected by Agent Orange. This, as I have stated before, is a growing problem possibly having terrible outcomes for nearly anyone who served in-country, their families, and their children..

You can find their site here;

http://www.silverrose.info/main%20menu%20page.html

Ohio IV

Thirty Three of Medina County, Ohio's sons lost their lives serving in Vietnam. The number 3, or multiples of it, plays a major role in the thinking regarding the planning of this site. The main stone is 3 sided (33"x33"x33"x72"), the base stone is 3 sided (45"x45"x45"x12"), there are three benches provided, 3 marker/flag groupings and 3 sets of evergreens that are 33" tall.

The black granite, that was quarried in the U.S., was chosen to echo that used in D.C. This site sits on land shared by the local Veterans Services Office. The people in the office were very kind in getting me information about this site.

There is no front or back so that no "...veteran or group...would be slighted" and all services have had their insignias included.

The picture with the squares lists the number lost from individual towns or cities.
Note that along the base of the memorial, each of the 33 are listed in chronological order of their loss. Only their initials are used to identify these lost heroes.

Ohio III

In Massillon, a town we went to to check out J&J Motorcycles, we found this monument is a small memorial area near City Hall. There are several war memorials along this narrow strip of land but this one, alone, has a permanent sentry, always on guard. The site honors all those from Stark County who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Ohio II

This magnificent memorial site is often referred to as the Ohio Vietnam Memorial and I believe it serves as such. However, it is actually a joint effort by vets, citizens, and private companies. In fact, the state of Ohio is not involved at all.

Far from complete, the are plans for a reflecting pond, helicopter placements, a Blue Star Mother Statue, a heroes wall, a visitor's center and much much more.

For more info;

http://www.ovmp.org

I think the pictures need no explanation or further comment, especially if you have read the previous post, except to say that the Gold Star Mother statue was dedicated to Sharon Lane and her mother was on hand to assist in the ceremony. Sharon lane is considered the only woman actually killed in direct combat in 'Nam. There is a VVA chapter dedicated to her and other memorials in Ohio. She is one of the eight women listed on the Wall in D.C. and among the 67 women lost mentioned in a previous post.

Another interesting fact is that Beallsville, Ohio (pop. 475) gained unwanted national attention between 1966 and 1971 by having suffered the largest per-capita loss of life in the Vietnam War. Six young men lost their lives in the war, a terrible and profound loss for this small town.

If you would like to know more about Patriot Guard, a group of vets who protect soldiers funerals from protesters, go here;

http://www.patriotguard.org/Home/tabid/53/Default.aspx