SDN Salute to Veterans

TO VETERANS

A special publication of the Sidney Daily News

November 2012

Defenders of Freedom

YesterdayToday

Tomorrow

YesterdayToday

Tomorrow

TO VETERANS

Veterans of ForeignWars, the nation’s oldestveterans organization,has been supporting bothmembers and their com-munities since1913 whengroups foundedby Spanish-American Warveterans, Ameri-can Veterans ofForeign Serviceand the Colorado SocietyArmy of the Philippinesjoined forces to securebenefits.Since then, the organ-

ization has grown to

about 9,000 posts world-wide with some 2.4 mil-lion members.Local posts are active

in Sidney, Versailles andMinster, follow-ing the VFWtradition of sup-port and provid-ing veterans aplace to enjoythe company ofother veterans.

Sidney VFW Post4239 was established in1945 and is now locatedat 2841WapakonetaAve.Chicken and fish dinnersare held, raising funds to

sponsor scholarships andthe Drug Abuse Resist-ance Education (DARE)program for youth that isdirected by local law en-forcement.The Sidney post also

provides support for vet-erans going to the Veter-ans Affairs MedicalCenter in Dayton.The quartermaster is

Roger Morrow and theCommander is ThomasKinninger. Meetings areat 7 p.m. on the secondTuesday of each month.The VFW Post in Ver-

sailles, established in1943, meets in the Me-morial Building, 106 S.Center St., which itshares with the localAmerican Legion post.It provides military

services and assistanceto servicemen andwomen needing trans-portation to the VA Hos-pital and the VeteransService Commission.Versailles VFW also pro-vides flags for poles indowntown Versailles forholidays.The quartermaster is

Dale Dickmann, and theCommander is TimothyWagner. Meetings are at7 p.m. in the secondWednesday of the month.Minster VFW mem-

bers meet in the Ameri-can Legion Hall at 46 S.Cleveland St. The postprovides military funeral

services with a firingsquad and participatesin Memorial Day serv-ices. Members meet at7:30 p.m. the first Tues-day each month.The quartermaster is

Charles Hoying, and theCommander is NorbertOtting.

Sidney Mayor MikeBarhorst will be thespeaker for ShelbyCounty’s 2012 VeteransDay services Nov. 11.Barhorst is president ofLehman Catholic HighSchool.The annual program

on Sidney’s courtsquarebegins at the World War1 Armistice’s traditionalhour of 11 a.m. ShelbyCounty Veterans serv-ices Officer Ed Ball willserve as master of cere-monies.Cermonies will begin

as Chuck Craynon andDick Snider lower theflag, followed the Na-tional Anthem per-

formed by Lehman HighSchool student MillieWildenhause.Dwight Mullins will

deliver the invocationand Amvets memberswill place the memorialwreaths. MayorBarhorst will be intro-duced by Services officerBall.A rifle salute by the

American Legion Post217 Firing Squad andthe playing of Taps willfollow the speaker’s re-marks and ChaplainMullins will deliver abenediction.

Service veteransCraynon and Snider willraise the flag to conclude

the services.This year’s program

was arranged by AmvetsPost 1986 with the assis-tance of American Le-gion Post 217 and VFWPost 4239, organized bythe veterans service of-fice.

2 • Saturday, November 10, 2012 2012 SALUTE TO VETERANS Sidney Daily News2333545

107 E. STATE STREET, BOTKINS, OH

Call 937-693-3263

Many Thanks to All OurVeterans for Our Freedom.

P H A R M A C Y

498-4846130 W. Russell Rd., Sidney

2333565

Our familywould like toexpress ourgratitude toall past &

presentmilitary

personnel &their families.

Hours: Mon,Wed,Fri 9am-8pm,Tues,Thur 9am-5pm,Sat 9am-2pm,

Sun 12pm-5pm

FultzWarehouse Carpet &

FlooringFultzWarehouse Carpet &

Flooring2640W.Michigan St.,Sidney

(937) 497-1101

Thank You Veterans!

2332

644

On the cover...Korean War U.S. Army veteran Richard Evans,of Hardin, waits to perform a rifle salute with

the American Legion Post 217 firing squad dur-ing Veterans Day services on courthouse

square Friday.

SDN Photo/Luke Gronneberg

Veterans program set for courtsquare

Local VFW posts actively serve veterans

CHUCK CRAYNON raisesthe American flag duringa Veterans Day memorial

last year on the court square.

SDN Photo/Luke Gronneberg

BARHORST

By Melanie Speicher

They served theircountry in a time ofneed.And now, thanks tothe residents of ShelbyCounty and the sur-rounding area, veter-ans of World War II,the Korean War andthe Vietnam Warhave had the oppor-tunity to visit Wash-ington, D.C., to seethe memorials built intheir honor.The Shelby County

Vets to D.C. organizationhas hosted eight trips tothe nation’s capital.More than 200 veteranshave made the trips,which have been held inMay and September forthe past four years.

The ninth trip for vet-erans is planned forSept. 20-22, 2013. Moredetails on the trip will bereleased in the new year.The three-day bus

trip includes stops at Ar-

lington National Ceme-tery, where the veterans,their caregivers and vol-unteers watch thechanging of the guard atthe Tomb of the Un-known Soldier. They alsovisit the Marine Memo-rial andAir Force Memo-rial.During the trip in

September, veteransfrom the Vietnam Warwent on the trip. Morethan 35 veterans, alongwith one WWII veteranmade the trip.Wreath-laying cere-monies have beenheld at the KoreanWar, World War IIand Vietnam WallMemorial Wall. Thenames of all ShelbyCounty residents

who lost their lives in allthree wars are read dur-ing the ceremonies.The trip gave the

Vietnam veterans, whofought in a war Ameri-cans didn’t support, theopportunity to begin ahealing process whichhas taken more than 40years to happen.

Sidney Daily News 2012 SALUTE TO VETERANS Saturday, November 10, 2012 • 3

www.FairHavenServices.com

wants to paytribute to all our

heroes, fallenand living

Fair HavenShelby County Home

Hero - a person admired for courage,achievements and noble qualities

2333183

They didn’t ask to beheroes, but they are

VETERANS FROM the Vietnam War andWorld War II participated in a wreath

laying ceremony at the Vietnam MemorialWall in Washington, D.C. in September.

SDN Photo/Melanie Speicher

"As we express our gratitude, wemust never forget that the highestappreciation is not to utter words,

but to live by them."-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Maurita “Rita” Riddleserved in the U.S. Navyas a WAVE and workedin a hospital in Texasduring World War II.

She was an Ohio na-tive and marriedClarence Riddle, whoserved in the U.S. Army.

Clarence was born inSidney in 1915 and diedin 1980. He served in thePhilippines and SouthPacific Islands duringWorld War II.

The couple marriedwhile Clarence was onleave.

Rita served as grandmarshal for the SidneyMemorial Day parade in1988 and was a lifemember of the local Dis-abled American Veter-ans.

4 • Saturday, November 10, 2012 2012 SALUTE TO VETERANS Sidney Daily News

2332861

For more information,please contact

Lu Ann Presser at937.497.6542

3003 W. Cisco Rd., Sidney

TheVeterans

HonorableServiceGrant

Celebrating yourservice to our countryRetired veterans who have faithfullyserved out country may be eligibleto apply for a Veterans HonorableService Grant for use at an OhioPresbyterian Retirement Services

(OPRS) community.

Dawn Andrews-Clark1266 Wapakoneta Ave.

Sidney

937-492-60662332890

Riddles proudlyserved during WWII

Maurita Riddle Clarence Riddle

Photos Provided

BByy EE.. RRiittaa HHeeiittkkaammppO God, we beseech

thee, watch over thoseexposed to the horrors ofwar, and to the dangersof a soldier’s or sailor’s orairman’s life. Give them astrong faith and may theybe ready to meet death,if it may happen.

Be with them on thebattlefield, and if theyshould be called, to makethe supreme sacrifice, ob-tain for them, that theymay die in the grace ofthy divine son.

AAmmeennThe writer lives inNew Bremen.

Prayer for those in active service

America’s most deco-rated living veteran ispresenting a radical newperspective on the Viet-namWar with importantlessons for American for-eign policy today.WND books is reis-suing “Dead MenFlying – Victory inViet Nam, The Leg-end of Dust Off:America’s BattlefieldAngels,” by Gen.Patrick Henry Bradyand his daughter,Capt. Meghan BradySmith.Gen. Brady, a recipi-

ent of the Medal ofHonor, says that Amer-ica’s greatest victory inVietnam was humani-tarianism.As commander of the

54th Medical Detach-ment, Gen. Brady ledhis unit as it rescuedover 21,000 wounded –enemy and friendly – in10 months, while sus-taining injuries that re-sulted in 26 PurpleHearts. It’s a story thatGen. Brady says hasbeen all but neglected asmany historians andpundits seem deter-mined to view the Viet-nam War as a terribleAmerican crime.By contrast, Brady

provides many examplesof howAmerican service-men and medical per-sonnel risked their livesto care for the Viet-namese people. Theyalso brought new tech-nology and technicalknow-how to win the“hearts and minds” ofthe Vietnamese civilians,including introducingbasic dentistry and solv-ing protein deficiencies

among the children.Brady also tells the for-gotten story of America’sindigenous allies in Viet-nam, including the Mon-tagnards, a fierce

warrior societythat lost half of its adultmale population in sup-port of the American ef-fort in Vietnam.Most importantly,

Brady tells the story of“Dust Off,” the helicopterrescue program thatachieved legendary sta-tus during the VietnamWar because of the will-ingness of pilots to prior-itize rapid reaction timeeven in the face of ex-treme danger. Maj.Charles Kelly, the al-most mythical father of“Dust Off,” set the exam-ple of the heroic creed ofthe air ambulance pro-gram. Kelly had to fightboth on and off the bat-tlefield to secure the po-sition of “Dust Off” as anindependent and au-tonomous unit with its

own moral code that putpatient survival first.Kelly died in combatafter flying into thickenemy fire. His last

words, “When Ihave yourwounded,” set theexample for every-one who was to fol-low. Brady and hisfellow pilots spentthe remainder ofthe war trying tolive up to Kelly’sstandards.Brady himself

personally res-cued over 5,000wounded in over2,000 combatmissions. Hecredits his sur-vival in the warto God. He says,“I cannot em-phasize enoughthe role myfaith played in

any success I have had.”When flying helicoptersinto almost zero visibil-ity, with death allaround, Brady says“God’s good will” was in-dispensable in comingout alive on the otherside. Unfortunately,Brady’s thrilling tale ofcourage and faith inVietnam has more trou-bling modern implica-tions. He contends thatthe U.S. Army has for-gotten lessons that somany died for. “I amafraid that CharlesKelly is turning over inhis gave,” writes Brady.The Army has placed

the “Dust Off” missionunder the control ofCombat Arms Aviation.This means that “DustOff” operations have losttheir autonomy and are

subject to a torturous ap-proval process beforemissions can belaunched. According toBrady, risk analysis isprioritized above reac-tion time and the“Golden Hour” that iscritical to the survivalrate of wounded soldiers.Most importantly, the es-sential creed of “DustOff” is being compro-mised.Current pilots see the

problems but are afraidof speaking out becauseof repercussions. For ex-ample, a wounded sol-dier was left overnight inthe cold on a mountainin Afghanistan, eventhough the enemy wason the other side. Even

relatively safe rescuemissions are not beingapproved. “Dust Off” hel-icopters are also the old-est in the fleet withpotentially deadly conse-quences for troops.Brady contends that themain problem are “ob-sessive command andcontrol issues and igno-rance among the ASO(Aviation Staff Officers);the lack of a championand leadership in theMedical Corps are con-tributing favors.”High ranking officials,

including four-star gen-erals and senators, haveheard the about prob-lems but seem unwillingto do anything that willactually solve them, he

said. Brady calls for a re-turn to the foundingprinciples of “Dust Off,”with air ambulance op-erations prioritizing sav-ing patients andwounded soldiers aboveeverything else, andwith specialized pilotsand equipment whollydedicated to a medicalmission. “Dead Men Fly-ing” is not just a revi-sionist look at theVietnamWar. It’s a com-bat thriller, a testimonyto the power of faith, anda powerful challenge tothe political and militaryleadership of the UnitedStates that is repeatingthe mistakes of the past.


Quality Collision ServiceAuto Body Repair ExpertsSIDNEY BODY CARSTAR ®

www.sidneybodycarstar.com175 S. Stolle Avenue, Sidney • (937) 492-4783

CARE COMMITMENT SERVICE

2333

195

Most decorated living military man speaks outMedal of Honor hero reveals humanitarianism of flyboys in Vietnam

BY MARY ELLEN EGBERTOn a day when the United States takes a mo-

ment to say thank you to its veterans, there is afamily in Sidney that pays extra attention to themessage.Within two generations of the Kemp fam-ily, eight of their young men have bravely servedtheir country when called.Ralph, Art, Don and Jim Kemp were brothers

who served during the 40’s and 50’s and witnessedhistory as it unfolded. Ralph, the oldest, knew hewas going to be drafted. He also knew that a groupof young men from the Sidney State Highway De-partment were being sent to a unit where his skillsas a combination welder would help keep him out ofharm’s way, so he enlisted in the Army to be as-signed to that unit.“Back then you didn’t get drafted for a specific

number of years,” begins Ralph. “You served for theduration of the war plus six months. I was fairlycertain I would get into the unit out of the HighwayDept., but in November of 1943, I was sent over-seas.“My first stop was England for seven months. I

was in the 329 Harbor Craft Unit. Then my orderstook me to Omaha Beach just three weeks after theinvasion. I remember the first night there like itwas yesterday.We had to dig foxholes on the beachand in the night, German planes flew over us.“We couldn’t see it at the time, but we had a

90mm anti-aircraft gun covered with camouflagethat began shooting and brought the plane down. Iwas sweating bullets all night.“We could see another unit building a cemetery

on top of the hill off the beach where American sol-diers were buried. There are about 6000 graves upthere. I spent the next two years in the EuropeanTheatre of operations before I came home.”Being the first of her sons to go into the military,

Don recalls her reaction the day Ralph left for basic.“Mom took him to the top of Sulfur Hts. Hill here inSidney and let him out of the car to hitchhike toFort Knox in Kentucky,” states Don. “She saidwatching her baby go off to war was the hardestthing she ever had to do. But one by one, all four ofus that were able to enter the military followed inhis steps.”Ralph was followed by is brother, Art, who was a

tail gunner in a B-17 as a part of the 351st BombGroup, 508th Squadron in the United States Airforce. He flew 35 missions with his first mission fly-ing over Berlin. Art now lives in Bellefontaine.Another brother, Jim, also went into the Army

and spent his four years in the Signal Corp. as atele-typewriter. His job required very high securityclearance with a complete FBI check from theShelby County Law Enforcement agencies beforehe could get the job. He served in Hawaii for threeyears.Don was drafted in 1952 and served his two

years in the motor pool and as a mail courier. “I washeaded for Korea, but was fortunate enough to beone of the few men who were held back in Japan,”adds Don.Four brothers from the same family, four unique

experiences. But as the Kemp men came back fromtheir stint in the military, they knew it was theirduty to do what they did. There was no questionabout what they had done and no regrets. But thecasualties did hit close to home.One young man who had lived next door to the

Kemps, Richard Gump, was one of those casualties.“I remember Rich sitting on our porch shortly be-fore he went into the service,” recalls Martha KempSkeens, sister to the Kemp brothers. “He told usthat he didn’t think he would make it back alive.He was so certain.”

“He was only over there for a few weeks beforehe was killed in action during WWII,” adds Don.As the young men and Martha began their own

families, they would once again experience that mo-ment when it would become necessary to watchtheir babies leave home to go to war. Ralph hadthree sons along with Martha’s son who also an-swered the call to military.“Robert enlisted into the Navy where he was a

boiler technician,” recalls Martha. “He spent fouryears, from 1966 to 1970 and during the VietnamWar, on the USS Wasp and the USS Little Rock inthe Mediterranean Sea in Italy. We were fortunatehe wasn’t sent into Vietnam.”Ralph had to say those good-byes to his three

sons, Dave, Steve and Tom. Steve went into theSee Kemp page 7


The Pavilionextends a big thankyou to all the troops

and veterans.

Rehab and Skilled Care

705 Fulton Street, Sidney

937-492-95912332881

492-5266of Sidney-Shelby County

304 S. West Ave.Sidney

2

Mon-Fri 8 AM to 6:30 PMSat 8 AM to NOON

TThhee SSttaaffff aanndd MMeemmbbeerrssaatt tthhee SSeenniioorr CCeenntteerr

SSaalluuttee aanndd HHoonnoorr OOuurrWWoonnddeerrffuull VVeetteerraannss..

Kemp family quick to answer call to dutyRALPH KEMP ARTHUR KEMP DONALD KEMP JAMES KEMP DAVID KEMP THOMAS KEMP STEVE KEMP ROBERT FRIDLEY

BY KAREN VORNHOLTOur son, Wayne, and

his wife, Amanda, havebeen serving in the U.S.Army since December1996. Both are majorsand currently are at Ft.Leavenworth, KS. Eachhas had three deploy-ments to Iraq orAfghanistan and eachhas served in Korea.Amanda just left Iraq,

and subsequentlyKuwait in May 2012.Their daughter, Chloe,was three years oldwhen we first flew toGermany to bring her to

live with us whileWayneand Amanda were de-ployed to Iraq. She’s 13years old now.As Americans we

have it so good in thiscountry - able to go onabout our lives almostwithout realizing wehave been in “wartime”for years. Past genera-tions have felt a definite“wartime” and “peace-time”— an end of war ora treaty would be cele-brated. An end to ra-tioning could beanticipated, homecom-ings were cause for jubi-

lation.Many Americans

seem separated from therealities of war and ourtroops who are serving.We have great gratitudethat we do not havethese conflicts at home.Here are a few com-ments that help putthings in perspective forme:The War on Terror—

the longest war in UShistory—-we just beganour 12th year in thiswar.War in Afghanistan

began Oct. 7, 2001

War in Iraq beganMarch 20, 2003 andended December 2011.

AmericansOver 6,000 U.S. troops

killedOver 49,000 U.S.

troops woundedAdditional civilian

and non-US coalitiontroop casualties as wellLess than 1 percent of

Americans are currentlyserving in the militarycompared to over 9 per-cent who served inWWII.Unlike WWII, now

there is no draft and thecurrent war is not na-tionalized. Examples: InWWII typewriter compa-nies had to make riflesand piano manufactur-ers produced airplaneengines. Ford Motor Co.

ceased making cars andbegan turning out tanksand bombers.Everyone participated

in the WWII effort be-cause of rationing ofsugar, butter, gasoline,rubber, etc. Example:Each person received a

coupon for one pair ofshoes per year.When I think about

not having actual conflicton our soil, not havingrationing,manufacturersbeing able to make what-ever I need - I am trulyhappy and thankful!


2333

268

At Comfort Keepers®, we cherish those whoserved our country. If you are a veteran or thesurviving spouse of a veteran requiringin-home care, you may be eligible to receiveadditional cash benefits from the VeteransAdministration or VA Hospital system. Learnhow Comfort Keepers can bring comfortingin-home care home to those who served.

BROTHER, FATHER, GRANDPAOR AMERICAN HERO. • Companion Care

• Housekeeping & Meals• Shopping & Errands• Personal Care Services• Incidental

Transportation

© 2011 CK Franchising, Inc. | An international network ofindependently owned and operated offices.

Troy: (937) 335-6564 (877) 408-4848Call For A Free In-Home Assessment

Army but was injured during histraining that kept him from going intocombat. He served his country sta-tioned state side for two years.“Dave and Tom were both in Viet-

nam at the same time,” adds Ralph.“Dave enlisted in the Navy and Tominto the Air Force. Dave and his wifehad a son,Adam, who was born with aheart deformity which took his life.The family always wondered if it was-n’t the Agent Orange that Dave wasexposed to that caused that defor-mity.”Two generations and eight veter-

ans in the same family may be con-sidered rare today, but these youngmen entered into that responsibilitynot questioning their roles in history.And a little digging exposed that therewere others who came before them intheir family who lived up to their re-sponsibilities as well.Don’s wife, Jane Kemp, recalls the

stories her mother tells of her firsthusband. “His name was ClarenceMaxson,” she begins. “And he waskilled in action during WWI. Hestepped on a landmine and wasburied in Belgium. Even though hewasn’t a blood relative to me, he wasstill part of my family.“And my great grandfather served

during the Civil War. He was a drum-mer boy. Isn’t that interesting?”As the family brings up memories

and photos they have forgotten theyhad, they share what they consider anevolution of the military as they un-derstand it. Besides being glad thatall their loved ones came home safely,they observe that the enemies our sol-diers face today are very differentthan when they served.“There are not distinguishable

sides anymore,” adds Jane. “Theenemy is different, they are terrorists.That is very scary. It was scary backthen too, but not like it is today. I re-member I had a calendar that Imarked off every day that Don wasgone and the date he would be back.Keeping track of his return helped meget through it.”“Something I find that has changed

too is that our country is showingmore respect to the soldiers whenthey return home from war,” addsMartha. “I remember when our guyscame home, they just went back towork. And when the Vietnam soldierscame back, well, that was just ashame how they were treated.”As they hand down their legacy

from generation to generation, theKemp family has much to be proud ofand thankful for. And to insure thathistory is shared, Ralph has begun toorganize his thoughts and experi-ences.“I’ve had a good life,” concludes

Ralph. “I am ready to write my mem-oirs to the next generation of Kemps.”

Kemp continued from page 6

Vornholt husband and wife serve nation

THE 115TH Support Brigade Battalion, with MajorAmanda Vornholt standing at left, front.

Photo Provided

A Sidney area Navyveteran shares his vividmemories of World WarII era experiences, in-cluding seeing enemyships being sunk by U.S.forces.The following was

written by Ralph Born-horst of 10200 Fort Lo-ramie Road.I was born Feb. 18,

1922. I left school aftermy sophomore year tohelp my father on thefarm. I had six sistersand five brothers. I wasthe sixth one born in ourfamily of twelve.My par-ents raised our familythrough the Great De-pression, which wasn’teasy. We lived on a farmand we raised all ourfood. We had plenty ofgood food. We never hadany money and ourclothes were hand medowns.When the war started

for the United States onDecember 7, 1941, I wasstill helping on the farm.I had a farm defermentso I wasn’t drafted intothe military early on inthe war. I was drafted bythe Navy in Septemberof 1944. I was 22 yearsold at the time. I took mybasic training at GreatLakes Naval TrainingCenter, near Chicago. Iwas on the farm mywhole life, so I very sel-dom got out of ShelbyCounty. My first trainride to Chicago, the basictraining, and meetingmen from all over theUnited States, was anoverwhelming experi-ence for me. Completingbasic training in Decem-ber, 1944, I went by trainto Shoemaker, Califor-nia, across the RockyMountains. I wondered ifmountains could reallybe that big? Shoemaker

was a distribution centerfor the Navy.They sent me to Bre-

merton, Washington. Iwas assigned to serve onthe USS Idaho. It was abattleship built in 1918.It had twelve 14-inchguns. The shells wereabout 6 feel high and 14inches in diameter. Ithad some 8-inch gunsand many smaller anti-aircraft guns. From Bre-

merton the Idaho wentto San Francisco, Cali-fornia to take on sup-plies and a 1,000 or moresoldiers. The Idaho’s reg-ular crew was about2,400, so the ship was re-ally crowded. I had tosleep in a hammock thatwas tied to the ceilingright over a busy pas-sage way. I never got agood night sleep until wegot to Hawaii. All night

long some one would bebumping their head intomy hammock. My jobaboard ship was a sur-face lookout. We wereplaced high up on thecrow’s nest. We hadstrong binoculars thatwe would scan the oceansurface and sky forJapanese ships orplanes. We were taughthow to identify theirplanes and ships.We left San Francisco

with many other ships.There were other battle-ships, aircraft carriers,cruisers, destroyers anddestroyer escorts. Theyall traveled in a zig-zagroute, all flying U.S.flags. It was quite a sightto see. At night they alltraveled without anylights. On a full moonnight, it was another

fantastic sight. AtHawaii, we dropped offthe soldiers.We went to the Ulithi

Islands next. From therea group of ships and theIdaho went to Iwo Jima,arriving on Feb. 14, fivedays before the invasion.We would fire on theJapanese military tar-gets on the island all daylong. We would go out tosea at night and cruisearound. The next morn-ing we would be back atthe island and bombardsome more. We did thatfor four days, then on themorning of February 19,when we got back to IwoJima, the sea was full ofships. It was the day ofthe invasion. Stationedup in the crow’s nest, Iwatched the invasion,like watching a movie.

These memories I’llnever forget. We carriedtwo planes aboard. Theywould fly over the islandand spot the targets forus. By luck, I saw theraising of the Americanflay on Mt. Surabacki. Inever thought the pic-ture taken of that eventwould becomne the mostfamous picture of WorldWar II. After about amonth, Iwo Jima was se-cured.We went to Guam for

repairs, then back to theUlithi Islands for moresupplies. A group ofships, including us,headed for Okinawa. Itwas sort of a repeat per-formance like Iwo Jima.We were there about fivedays before the invasion.The invasion was April

See Bornhorst page 9


BRUNCH

BUNCH

3003West Cisco RoadSidney, Ohio

Please join usat Dorothy Love for

“Brunch Bunch”Free & Open to the Public

AMOS COMMUNITY CENTERThur. Nov. 15th at 9:30am

In honor of Veterans Day, Dorothy Love andThe Champaign Aviation Museum present...

“For the Love of the Lady”We will tell the epic story of the 8th Air Force and the heroic actions of the B-17 crews during the period

of 1942-1945. This will be followed by how the Champaign Aviation Museum restored/re-built the B-17bomber lovingly dubbed the Champaign Lady.The speaker will be Bill Albers. Bill has been a volunteer on the B-17 project for more than 2 years, is an

active pilot with an instrument rating and a commercial license. He has a BS degree in Mechanical Engi-neering and served his younger days in the Royal Dutch Air Force as a jet aircraft mechanic.His reason for volunteering on this project is to preserve the history of the airmen who served inWWII.

Special guest, Jean Vallo, will speak on the "Honor Flight"

Come enjoy a hot brunch and celebrate or veterans!Please call Deb Sanders for reservations at 937.497.6543

www.oprs.orgEQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNITY

2332

864

Dorothy Love Crafterswill be holding their

annual craft sale!

2332639

Francis SINCE 1935Francis FURNITUREwww.francisfurniture.net

2230 W. Michigan Street, Sidney, Ohio937-498-4584

We ProudlySupport

Our Veterans

We ProudlySupport

Our Veterans

Bornhorst recalls action-packed WWII Naval service

RALPH BORNHORST


UNITED STATESMARINES

Marion A.Vonderhuevel, Sr.Corporal, Third Air Wing

Veteran of Korea 1952-1954

2310

156B


Josh CrawfordSgt., 2/2 WarlordsVeteran of Iraq

2003 OIF II - 2004 OIF IIITwo Purple Hearts

2310

156C

UNITED STATESARMY

William A. SiebergTechnician Fourth Grade562nd Ordinance Heavy

Maintenance Company TankVeteran of World War II

1943-1945

2310

156D

UNITED STATESARMY

Gary L. GrossSgt - Btry B - 8th /4th Arty

Veteran of Vietnam1967-1968

2310

156F

UNITED STATESARMY

ArtPequinotPFC, Engineer 665th

5 Bronze StarsVeteran of World War II 23

1015

6E

1, 1945, Easter Sunday. I watched the invasionagain like on Iwo Jima. I could tell where the bat-tle front line was located. The United States sidehad trucks, tanks, Jeeps, soldiers walking aroundand lights on during the night.Watching the Japan-ese side, you would never see any movement unlessour troops would force them out into the open.While the battle was going on day after day, theJapanese started to send suicide planes(Kamikazes) over the Navy.They came nearly everyday.I saw many small ships and aircraft carriers get

hit and sunk. One day it became our turn, and onesuicide plane hit us right above the water line. Itblew about a 10 foot by 10 foot hole in our side. Itdidn’t bother us much, because our ship had 14inches of solid steel around the outside. To give usmore protection, they had a four-foot wide tankwelded on the outside of the 14 inches of steel. It

was pumped full of air pressure. When the suicideplane blew this hole in our side, it just blew a holein that tank. The high air pressure stopped a lot ofthe concussion. If the suicide plane would of hitabout 40 feet higher, it probably would have takenme out. Lucky me!!!! These suicide planes wouldcome over every day and all the ships would be fir-ing their anti-aircraft guns at them. It was like abig Fourth of July fireworks display. There weresome shot down. They would fly real low over thewater making it hard to hit them for fear of hittingthe other ships. I have a piece of the suicide planeabout as big as a dinner plate. Okinawa was se-cured in July.We went to the Leyte Gulf, on the southern part

of the Philippines.There they repaired the hole thatthe suicide plane blew in our side.On August 14, 1945 Japan surrendered, after

two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. When

the news came that the war was over there was onefantastic celebration in Leyte Gulf. All the shipswere shooting rockets in the air and blowing horns.We went to Tokyo Bay to help secure Japan. We

were there when they signed the Peace Treaty.We left Tokyo Bay and returned to Hawaii. We

passed through the Panama Canal on our wayhome. The ship was so very wide, I could havestepped on either side of the walls of the canal.Then we went to the Norfolk,Va. Navy Yard.Therewe started to put the Idaho into so-called mothballs. We put plastic covers over all the guns, etc.Some years later the Idaho was sold to the GilletteCompany, which I’m told made razor blades out ofit.In early May they started taking all the crew off.

I hitchhiked all the way home with my big seabagof all my belongings. That was another experience.I was discharged from the U.S. Navy May 29, 1946.

Bornhorst continued from page 8

PORT JEFFERSON - William Earl Reeves of Port Jefferson served as asergeant in the U.S. Army. Reeves, joining in February, 1943, and went to Al-abama for his basic training.After that he went to Virginia where he then leftfor Casablanca with the Third Division.Reeves was on Anzio and Southern France when he was captured and

taken prisoner by the Germans for eight months. He was liberated by the Rus-sians and returned to Lucky Strike, France, and eventually to Norfolk, Va.From there he was sent to Oklahoma and was discharged in October, 1945. Hereceived seeral battle stars.

Reeves wasprisoner of war

PORT JEFFERSON resident William Earl Reeves was a German prisoner ofwar. He is shown here as a young soldier and in a current photo.



Tim CaudillGunney Sgt., RetiredVeteran of Grenada,Enduring Freedom,

Iraqi Freedom and Somalia21 years, 8 months service 2310

157B

UNITED STATESARMY

John E. MaderT/4 150th, Ordinance M.V.A.

Veteran of World War IIServed in New Caledonia,India, Australia, Philippinesand Japan 1942 - 1946

2310

157C

UNITED STATESNAVY

RalphBornhorstFireman 1st Class

Veteran of World War II1944-1946 23

1015

7D

UNITED STATESARMY

Bobby P.Gross

PFCVeteran of World War II

2310

157E

UNITED STATESAIR FORCE

Alfred H.Schlater

Corporal 1103rd Air ForceVeteran of World War II

1943-194623

1015

7F

Several members of a local family have servedtheir country in the U.S. military, two or whom arenow deceased and two who survive.Frederica Staley, wife of Harry Staley, offers the

following:Master Sgt. Harry W. Staley was awarded two

Bronze Stars for service above and beyond the callof duty in World War II while serving in Reyens-burg, Germany.The citation noted, “He distinguished himself by

meritorious service as a platoon leader in a man-ner far superior to that normally expected for an in-dividual. He volunteered and completed missionsof great importance to communications.”Harry Staley was born and raised in Sidney and

was an engineer for Dayton Power and Light Co. for35 years. He died in California in 1976.The Staley’s’ son, Douglas A. Staley, was born in

Sidney in 1947 and served in the U.S. Army at Ft.Lewis,Wash. and in Germany (1972). After his dis-charge he became a sheriff ’s deputy in California.He died in 2000.John F. Staley, another son, was born in Sidney

i n

1943 and served in the U.S.Army at Ft. Geo Meade,Md., with the Intelligence Division. He was honor-ably discharged in 1967. He entered California Col-lege of Law, Hastings, in San Francisco, and iscurrently a practicing attorney in California.Frederica Staley’s sister, Virginia A. McMillen,

was a first lieutenant in the U .S. Army NurseCorps, serving in the 124th Army Evacuation Sta-tion Hospital in Austria during World War II. Shewas honorably discharged in 1947, receiving the

World War II VictoryMedal and the Army Occupation Medal. She is nowretired, having served as a professor of nursing atthe college of San Mateo, San Mateo, Calif. She wasinducted into the Sidney City Schools Hall of Famein 2010. She recently returned from the an HonorFlight to Washington, D.C. for veterans to view theWorld War II Memorial.Frederica Staley and McMillen reside in Fresno,

Calif.

Staley family long on military service

HARRY STALEYDOUG STALEYJOHN STALEYVIRGINIA MCMILLIN

Shelby County Draft Board

Shown here are members of the Shelby CountyDraft Board during the 1940s. It was their

responsibility to select names of young men tobe called up for military service. Shown (l-r) are

Lou Marrs, Clem Fogt, Emerson Deam, F. Smith,Janell Wooddell and Bill Milligan Sr.

Photo Provided


UNITED STATESARMY

David M. IkeMajor

3 tours OIFCurrently AC/RC Fort Dix, NJ

Vetern of Iraq2000 - Current

2310

158B


John WillardIkeA-2C

Served 1951-1954Veteran of Korea 23

1015

8C

UNITED STATESARMY

Jarrod HowellSergeant

82nd Airborne, Ft. Bragg, NCVeteran of Iraq 9/05-1/06and Afghanistan 1/07-4/08

2310

158D

UNITED STATESARMY

Robert G.Swob

Sergeant 1st ClassVeteran of Desert Storm andIraqi Freedom 1983-2003

2310

158E

UNITED STATESARMY

Everett McMasterSergeant

832 Amphibious Creek Comp.Veteran of World War II

1944-1947

2310

158F

EDITOR’S NOTE -The following account isprovided by the wife ofCW3 Andy Bolinger ofSidney, the last Vietnamveteran to retire from theOhio Army NationalGuard.

BY CLAUDIA BOLINGERIn March of this year,

the last VietnamVeteranretired from the OhioArmy National Guard.He was CW3 AndyBolinger, who retiredfrom four years of activeduty in the MarineCorps and 26 years ofservice in the OANG.CW3 Bolinger joined

the Marine Corps in1972. After boot camp atParis Island he went toMillington, Tenn. tostudy helicopter mainte-nance. Then he com-pleted a heavy helicoptermaintenance course.During his four-year

enlistment, Andy spentalmost two years aboardLPH ships as a crewchief of a CH53 helicop-ter. The other two yearswere spent at MarineCorps Air StationsCherry Point, New Riverand Santa Ana.Assigned to a heavy

Marine HelicopterSquadron, Andy was aparticipant of OperationEagle Pull and Opera-tion Frequent Wind inApril of 1975. These op-erations were the evacu-ation of Phnom Penh,and Saigon. The U.S.Ambassador to Cambo-dia, John Gunther Dean,was a passenger aboardAndy’s aircraft duringOperation Eagle Pull.Andy tells me that Oper-ation Eagle Pull wasvery organized. Theywere given their missionand it was completedwith order. OperationFrequent Wind howeveris a different story. Herelated to me that it wasa very long, hectic, andtense day. Andy tells methat the Marine helicop-ters were landing be-tween buildings on apaved area.They were topick up refugees whowere assembled there.Midway through the day,it appeared that some ofthe Vietnamese soldiersfigured out that timewas running out fortheir families to have theopportunity to leave. Soit became extremely

chaotic without thesesoldiers maintainingorder at the pickupsight.In fact, it was very

hard to ascertain if therewas room to land amidstthe sea of people. Takingoff became tenuous aswell, as some of the evac-uees would grab onto theback of the helicopter asthey were leaving. It wasabout a 45-minute tripfrom the UPH, USS Oki-nawa to the pickup area.They airlifted the evac-uees back to the ship.The day became moretense with each trip.After dropping off evac-uees, the aircraft weregiven a “splash” of fuel

and had to leave in orderto make room for otherhelicopters ready toland. This whole processwas further complicatedwith the helicopters ar-riving aboard ship flownby Vietnamese pilots.They did not have train-ing to land on a ship sothe whole deck had to becleared because these pi-lots landed where everthey pleased and with asplat. After these air-craft were unloaded they

were immediatelypushed overboard intothe sea. Meanwhile theCH53’s were waiting forthe all clear to land hav-ing used most of theirfuel. I wondered whathappened to all therefugees once they wereonboard the ship. TheMarines had to give uptheir bunks for therefugees. The Marinesslept on the hangar floor.He assured me they hadenough emergency ra-

tions to feed everyone.Andy doesn’t remember,but thinks they weredropped off in Thailanda couple days from theevacuation. It is soamazing that we haveactual pictures of anevent that is so oftenportrayed in movies. Butwhat is even more amaz-ing is that my husbandwas there.Andy was honorable

discharged from the MaSee Bolinger page 12

Bolinger last ONG Vietnam vet to retireANDY BOLINGER is

shown with a helicoptercrew in Vietnam.

Photo Provided

BOLINGER


UNITED STATESARMY

Jim LoopTRP-L, 3 ED. SQDN, 3 ED.ACR, ARMOR. 1963-1965

2311

0159

B

UNITED STATESARMY

Bob BergerSgt. E-5 25th Inf. Div.Veteran of Vietnam

April 1968 - April 1970

2310

159C


Donald Billing1st Lieutenant - Pilot

1942-1945Veteran of World War II

2310

159D

UNITED STATESARMY

Donald J. DavisStaff Sgt. 71st Infantry Regi-ment - 44th Infantry DivisionVeteran of World War II

1943-1945

2310

159E


James GillPFC 27th Air Force Base

Randolph Field1947-1949

2310

159F

Bolinger continued from page 11

-rine Corps. After10 years of civilian life, he joinedthe Ohio Army National Guard in order to build aretirement income. He was allowed to keep therank he had attained in the Marine Corps. Hestarted in the Guard as a Sergeant and worked hisway to First Sergeant and then Warrant Officer.Over the course of his Guard career, he became acivilian technician and belonged to many differentunits. He started his career as a heavy equipmentoperator in the refueling unit inOxford. Then after he was hired asa technician working on helicop-ters, he joined the 107th ArmoredCalvary Regiment eventually be-coming the First Sergeant of Com-pany R. When it was time to go toSergeants Major Course he optedfor Warrant Officers Course in-stead. Since becoming a warrantofficer, he has worked on trucks, tanks and any-thing with wheels, finishing his career with the134th Field Artillery and the 1487th Transporta-tion Company.When the war in Iraq began, he filled in as the

Unit Maintenance Officer of the 1485th trans-portation unit and arrived in Balad Iraq in Aprilof 2003. He served at Anaconda until June of 2004.When they first arrived they were hauling cargofrom Bagdad to Anaconda. And then when the air-field was opened at Anaconda they hauled cargofrom Anaconda to Bagdad. Upon arriving at Ana-conda, Andy had to search for scrap metal to rein-force the doors on the cabs of the trucks becausethey were not armored. He was able to keep 185pieces of equipment in working order. One thing Ifound interesting was that although they arrivedin April, their tents did not have wood floors untilNovember.

He was activated again in December of 2007.After training at Ft. Hood until March, he spentthe remainder of 2008 at the Kuwait Naval Baseas the battalion maintenance officer in the 134thField Artillery Battalion. The mission this timewas as a security force. So the equipment he wascharged with maintaining was hwmmvs. At theNaval Base, he worked with many different peoplethere. He met a most interesting Marine who

stayed in a room down the hallfrom him. Captain Ken Bevel hada prominent role in the movieFireproof. Andy tells me he is thefirst person to request an auto-graph from Captain Bevel whoalso starred in Courageous whichwas released last year. While atthe Kuwait Naval base, he washonored as the oldest Marine

present at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball eventhough he belonged to the Army at the time. Thishonor gave his the privilege of cutting the birthdaycake with the youngest Marine in attendance. Thisproves the adage, “Once a Marine, always a Ma-rine”.At his retirement luncheon I was very proud to

hear his commanders and colleagues speak abouthim. One commander mentioned that he had askedfor words describing Andy from guys in his unit.They used words like, dedicated, tireless, and Mac-Gyver. Major Banta who was Andy’s commander inthe 1485th reminded me of a letter he had sent mein which he said that they had an average opera-tional readiness of 95%. And that they were theonly unit to attain a 100% operational readinessrate, which reflected highly on his maintenance of-ficer, my husband. I thought that was a fitting endto a very lengthy and interesting career.

It is so amazing that wehave actual pictures of an

event that is so oftenportrayed in movies.

But what is even moreamazing is that myhusband was there. Puthoff saw action in WWII

Donald T. Puthoff of Minster salutes themilitary service of his brother, Francis U.Puthoff .Francis was born March 2,1922, near St.

Patrick, son of the late Bernard and Bertha(Menker) Puthoff. He served on active dutyin World War II, volunteering in the U.S.Army on Nov. 1,1942 and being honorablydischarged on July 7, 1946.Puthoff served in the South Pacific -

Luzon, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Hewas awarded the American Theater ServiceMedal, Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, VictoryMedal and Philippines Liberation ServiceMedal with one star.Puthoff died April 26, 2009 and is buried

in Interment Popular Hill Cemetery, MurlinHeights, Dayton.

DONALD T. PUTHOFF


UNITED STATESARMY

Brian NasemanMaster Sgt., Army National Guard,

108th Fwd.Support Co. Attached to 127th Inf.,

32nd Inf. Brig. Combat team,Operation Iraqi Freedom 1990 - 2009

Killed in line of duty in Iraq.

2310

160C

UNITED STATESARMY

RichardNaseman

Spec 4278 Signal Corp.

Veteran of Vietnam4/1963 - 4 /1965

2310

160B

2310

160D

UNITED STATESARMY

Jerome BartonMaster Sergeant4 years of serviceEuropean Theatre

Veteran of World War II

UNITED STATESARMY

Marion P. BartonPrivate

6 months of service prior tobeing killed in action in

North AfricaVeteran of World War II

2310

160E

UNITED STATESARMY

James Barton18 months of service in

PhillipinesVeteran of World War II

2310

160F

BY PAUL FARACE, CuratorUSS Cod Memorial

CLEVELAND—U.S.S. Cod (SS224), named after the world’s most im-portant food fish, is aWorldWar II eraGATO class fleet submarine. The 312-ft, (95-m) 1,525-ton submarine beganher life on July 21, 1942 when her keelwas laid at the Electric Boat Co., Gro-ton, Conn. Cod was launched onMarch 21, 1943 under the sponsorshipof Mrs. Grace M. Mahoney, wife of aveteran shipyard employee, and wasplaced in commission on June 21,1943, under the command of CDRJames C. Dempsey, USN. Dempseyhad already won fame by sinking thefirst Japanese destroyer lost in thewar while in command of a tiny,WorldWar I-era submarine.It was on Cod’s third patrol,

Dempsey’s last in command, that Codfought her biggest battle. Tracking amassive Japanese convoy heading forSubic Bay in the Philippines on thenight of May 10, 1944, Cod maneu-vered into firing position just aftersunrise. Cod fired three of her fourstern tubes at the Japanese destroyerKarukaya before unloading all six ofher bow tubes at two columns of cargoships and troop transports. Dempseywatched as the first torpedo explodedunder the destroyer’s bridge after ashort, 26 second run. Both smokestacks collapsed and dozens of enemy

sailors (watching for submarines)were tossed high into the air. Theenemy ship started to sag in the mid-dle, with both bow and stern rising,just as the second torpedo hit near themain mast causing the whole rearhalf of the Karukaya to disintegrate.A minute later, all six of Cod’s bow

shots hit targets among the columnsof enemy ships. Cod submerged to her300-foot test depth and ran at her topunderwater speed of 8.5 knots for 10minutes to clear the firing point,which was clearly marked by thewhite wakes of Cod’s steam-poweredtorpedoes. The high-speed run had tobe kept to 10 minutes to preserve asmuch of the submarine’s electric bat-tery as possible for later evasive ma-neuvers. The firing point was quicklysaturated with aircraft bombs anddepth charges dropped by enemy es-cort ships. Between the explosions ofenemy depth charges, Cod’s sonar op-erators could hear the sounds of sev-eral Japanese ships breaking up andthe distinct firecracker sound of anammunition ship’s cargo exploding.Cod’s own firecracker show soon fol-lowed: a barrage of more than 70Japanese depth charges shook Cod inless than 15 minutes. After 12 hourssubmerged Cod surfaced 25 milesaway from the attack area in themidst of a heavy night thunderstorm.It was on Cod’s seventh and final

war patrol that she would carve aunique niche for herself, not for de-stroying enemy ships, but for per-forming the only internationalsubmarine-to-submarine rescue inhistory. On the morning of July 8,1945 Cod arrived at Ladd Reef in theSouth China Sea to aid the DutchSubmarine O-19 which had groundedon the coral outcropping. After twodays of attempts at pulling O-19 free,the captains of both vessels agreedthat there was no hope of freeing the

Dutch sub from the grip of the reef.After removing the 56 Dutch sailors tosafety, Cod destroyed the O-19 withtwo scuttling charges, two torpedoes,and 16 rounds from Cod’s five-inchdeck gun. The Cod was home to 153men for the two and a half-day run tothe recently liberated Subic Bay navalbase.After delivering the O-19 crew, Cod

returned to her patrol area off thecoast of Vietnam where she resumed

See Cod page 14

USS Cod played major role in World War II;now open to visitors near Cleveland

THE SUBMARINE USS Cod isshown tied up at the pier inLake Erie near Cleveland. It is

now open to visitors.

Photo Provided


UNITED STATESNAVY

Robert L.SupingerVeteran of Korea1953 - 1957

2310

161B

UNITED STATESNAVY

Cletus A.Link

Veteran World War II1944 - 1946

2310

161C

UNITED STATESARMY

Daniel JosephBarhorst

SergeantVeteran of Iraq

5/1/02 - 3/13/09 2310

161F

UNITED STATESARMY

Robert C.Sargeant

SergeantVeteran of World War II

1943-1946

2310

161D

UNITED STATESNAVY

OB Lindsey3rd Class Gunnersmate

USS MobileVeteran of World War II

1942-1947

2310

161E

boarding and sinking Junks carrying enemy supplies.During one of these “pirate-like” operations, a five-man boarding party was stranded on a junk afterCod was strafed by a Japanese plane and forced tocrash dive. It was several hours before Cod could sur-face to retrieve her boarding party.When she did, thehorizon was littered with Junks.After a two-day search involving several U.S. sub-

marines, the lost crewmen were recovered by thesubmarine Blenny. Highlights of the patrol, includ-ing the O-19 rescue and return of the lost boardingparty, were recorded in color movies made by Nor-man Jensen, a Navy photographer,who was assignedto film Cod’s war patrol.The films were discovered inthe National Archives in 1992.Cod returned to her Perth, Australia base on Au-

gust 13, 1945, and was met at the dock by the men ofthe O-19 who invited their rescuers to a thank-youparty. It was during the party that word of the Japan-ese surrender was received. Today, Cod’s battleflagand conning tower both carry a cocktail glass abovethe name “O-19” to commemorate the rescue and theparty.Mothballed in 1946, Cod was recommissioned in

1951 to participate in NATO anti-submarine train-ing exercises. Her Cold War voyages took Cod to St.John’s Newfoundland, as well as ports in Cuba andSouth America. During LANTFLEX’ 52 fleet exer-cise, Cod was credited with “sinking” a U.S. aircraftcarrier.Cod was decommissioned in 1954 and placed in re-

serve. In 1959 she was towed through the newlyopened St. Lawrence Seaway to serve as a naval re-serve training vessel in Cleveland,Ohio.The veteransubmarine was an instant hit with school childrenwho visited her on field trips. In 1971, no longer use-ful as a training ship, Cod was stricken from the reg-ister of Navy ships.A handful of Clevelanders formed the Cleveland

Coordinating Committee to Save Cod, Inc., to pre-

serve her as a memorial on the city’s lakefront. InJanuary, 1976, the Navy gave guardianship of thesubmarine to the group. Cod began her career as afloating memorial in May of 1976 when she openedfor public tours and quickly established herself as apopular tourist attraction. In 1986, the U.S. Depart-ment of the Interior designated Cod a National His-toric Landmark.

Today,Cod is one of the finest restored submarineson display and is the only U.S. submarine that hasnot had stairways and doors cut into her pressurehull for public access. Visitors to this proud ship usethe same vertical ladders and hatches that were usedby her crew. Cleveland can claim partial credit asCod’s birthplace, since the submarine’s five massivediesel engines were built by General Motors’ Cleve-land Diesel plant on Cleveland’s west side.Cod is credited with sinking more than 12 enemy

vessels totalling more than 37,000 tons, and damag-ing another 36,000 tons of enemy shipping.All sevenof her war patrols were considered successful andCod was awarded seven battle stars. Patrols 1, 2, and3 were under the command of CDR James C.Dempsey, USN; patrols 4, 5, and 6 were under thecommand of CDR James “Caddy” Adkins, USN; andpatrol 7 was under the command of LCDREdwinM.Westbrook, Jr., USN.When recommissioned in 1951,Cod was under the command of CAPT. Francis E.Rich, USN, and was placed out of commission byCAPT. Joseph Adelman, USN.During WW II, U.S. submarines sank more than

55 percent of the Japanese ships lost, includingmorethan 70% of her merchant fleet and more than 220warships. They also conducted secret intelligencegathering missions and rescued more than 550 avia-tors who were forced to ditch at sea in enemywaters,including former President George Bush. The U.S.Navy lost 52 submarines with a loss of more than3,500 men, or 22 percent of the submarine force.Cod is now docked in Lake Erie at Cleveland and

is maintained and operated as a memorial to themore than 3,900 submariners who lost their livesduring the 100 year history of the U.S. Navy Subma-rine Force.The public is invited to visit the boat dailybetween May 1 and Sept. 30 each year. School fieldtrips are encouraged and can be arranged by tele-phone at 216-566-8770, or via e-mail at [email protected] .

Cod continued from page 13

USS Cod hours of operationThe USS COD Submarine is open for visitors

every day — without exception — from May 1through September 30. Our daily hours are10am - 5pm Eastern time. (1000 - 1700). Pleasenote: In order to allow even minimal time to visitthe submarine our entrance gate will be closedat 4:30pm (1630).School field trips to COD have been very pop-

ular and are encouraged as an educational andentertaining experience for area youngsters.Free parking and substantial discounts from thealready nominal admission fees are provided.Please call (216-566-8770), or use the e-mailaddress below to make arrangements for fieldtrips. During our off-season our telephone is notanswered, so please use e-mail to contact us.We are located on Lake Erie in downtown

Cleveland, Ohio at the western edge of BurkeLakefront Airport and about one block east of theRock and Roll Hall of Fame. Our Latitude/Longi-tude is: N 41° 30.6’/W 81° 41.5’Admission charges are: Adults $7; Seniors

and college students $6; Students (K thru 12)and active military with ID, $4; Children under 6years, and military in uniform and wives and fam-ily of active duty submariners are admitted free;Inactive/Retired military $6. COD has limited freeparking for our guests for the time of their visit tothe submarine.


UNITED STATESARMY

Arthur W.MaurerTech Sergeant

9/9/1942 - 9/9/1945

2310

162B

UNITED STATESARMY

Kristopher J.ShortSpecialist

Veteran Iraqi Freedom2004 - 2006 23

1016

2C


James A.Short

Staff SergeantVeteran of Korea1950 - 1954 23

1016

2D


William CarpenterCorporal - Combat Engineer

RescueVeteran of Vietnam

1960-1964

2310

162E


DennisHansey

A2C 45th Tac ReconVeteran of Vietnam

1960-1964 2310

162F

Helped get food to soldiers

Willard Stombaugh served in the U. S.Army from 1942-1945. He drove food trucksto front line soldiers in the Philippines.Stombaugh's daughter is Brenda Riddle ofSidney and his son is Brent Stombaugh ofAnna. After Stombaugh was discharged fromthe service, he drove for Shell, covering theShelby County area. Stombaugh was born in1915 and died in 2002.

Shelby County is also home to other organiza-tions that help veterans and their families.The Disabled American Veterans have more

than 1.2 million members focused on building bet-ter lives for disabled veterans and their families.Sidney’s DAV chapter meets the fourthWednesdayof each month at 7:30 p.m. at American Legion Post217 in Sidney. Billy J. Knasel is the commander ofDAV Chapter 48.Since its founding in 1920, the DAV has been

dedicated to a single purpose: building better livesfor America’s disabled veterans and their families.Fidelity to that mission has required DAV to re-spond creatively and flexibly to changing and some-times unpredictable challenges faced by itsconstituency. Whether disabled veterans haveneeded a voice on Capitol Hill, a nationwide serviceprogram, a transportation network or unique reha-bilitation opportunities, DAV has focused its atten-tion and resources to meet those needs. The DAV istotally funded by dues and contributions, receivingno federal funding.The Catholic War Veterans of Russia Post 661 is

located at 2444 Kelch Road in Shelby County.Richard Sherman is the post’s commander.The pri-mary objective of CatholicWar Veterans is to makethe nation aware of the struggle and needs of manyveterans and their widows.The mailing address forthe organization is Catholic War Veterans, Post Of-fice Box 52, Russia, OH 45363.As survivors, members believe they have an ob-

ligation to their fallen brothers and sisters to in-form the nation many veterans and their familiesneed assistance, and their sacrifices for their coun-try deserve to be treated with proper respect and

support. However, they must constantly rememberthat, as Catholics, they are bound to serve God.Sidney AMVETS Post 1986 is also located on

Fourth Avenue. Terry Cupp is AMVETS com-mander. Founded more than 60 years ago, the or-ganization endeavors to provide fellow veterans thetype of support they deserve.The effort takes manyforms from the professional advice service officersoffer on earned veterans benefits, to legislative ef-forts inWashington, D.C., to the work done by theirhospital volunteers.Other AMVETS members involve themselves in

a range of initiatives aimed at contributing to thequality of life in their local communities. The localpost participates in Veterans Day and other eventswith its honor guard. The post can be reached at497-1986.

Other veteran organizationsexist in Shelby county

SHERMAN CUPP

WILLARD STOMBAUGH


UNITED STATESARMY

JeffKlipstine

Sergeant 1 Bn 23 Inf.1969-1970

UNITED STATESARMY

Chance D.Fultz

E-5, MP Sergeant3 years of service

1986-1989

2310

163B

UNITED STATESARMY

Larry D. FultzE-5, 3 years of service,

Veteran of Vietnam1963-1966

2310

163C

UNITED STATESNAVY

James L.Bornhorst

BT3 (E-4)Veteran of Vietnam

1962-1966 2310

163D

UNITED STATESNAVY

Robert G.Fridley

BT2 USS Little RockUSS Wasp

1966-1970 2310

163E

UNITED STATESARMY

JeffKlipstine

Sergeant 1 Bn 23 Inf.1969-1970

2310

163F

What can the American public do to support its military veterans?Your turn... BY LUKE GRONNEBERG

GARYSOLLMANN

13977 Amsterdam Rd., Anna

Vietnam Veteran, served from 1968-70,Army Artillery.

Works at Sollmann Electric. “Supportfrom their community.”

JAMESBRYANT

225West South St., Sidney

Retired, WWII Veteran, Infantry,1944-1946.

“A new president. Militaryfinances should be built up, not cut down.”

RICKPHILLIPS

4971 Hardin-WapakonetaRd., Sidney

Army, 1981-1986, AMVETS trustee,“Respect all veterans not just the ones youwalk and talk with but the ones that are in

the graveyards especially.”

RUSSBAKER

658 Fair Rd., Sidney

Served 1970-1991, Marine Corps.,“Americans can help sponsor legislation toassist veterans with jobs and educationalopportunities to make it so that theirmilitary specialty training transfers to

civilian experiences.”

TIMFALKE

1457 Garfield Ave., Sidney

Served 1963-1965, U.S. Coast Guard,served in Vietnam.

“Help them find jobs when they comehome. That would be the main thing.”

TOMSTAHL

6210 NorthWashington Rd.,Piqua

AMVETS Post 1986 member.“We have many groups that supply differentkinds of support to our veterans in active duty,from packing boxes for our troops on the frontlines to folks that halp our wounded warriors.”

JIMKREITNER

1539 Cedarbrook Pl, Sidney

Served from 1972-1974, served in Vietnam,AMVETS Post 1986 financial officer.

“We can’t help them unless they let us helpthem.We would like them to come to theAMVETS club and give us someideas about what they’d like.”

BRIAN E.RICHARDSON3236West Russell Rd.,

Sidney

Served 1978-1983,In the Army 101st Airborn.

“Respect them more. On Veterans Dayand Memorial Day show that they

appreciate our service. Freedom isn’t free.”


UNITED STATESARMY

JerryBrowningE2, 25th InfantryVeteran of Vietnam5 years of Service

2310

165C

UNITED STATESARMY

EdwardKupper

Battery A324th Artillery

Veteran of World War I 2310

165D


DonaldKupper

St. Sgt.Wright Patterson Air Base

Veteran of Korea 2310

165E


RobertKupper

Airman 2nd ClassKimpo

Veteran of Korea 2310

165F

UNITED STATESARMY

Thomas L.FinkenbinePrivate First Class2 years of serviceVeteran of Korea 23

1016

5B

One of Sidney’s native sons was among threeOhio National Guardsmen killed in Afghanistanearlier this year.Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey J. Rieck, 46, was a resident

of Upper Arlington, a suburb of Columbus, and afull-time employee of the Guard. He graduatedfrom Sidney High School in 1984. He had served inthe U.S.Army and was in Iraq for more than a yearbefore heading to Afghanistan with the Guard’s37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He hadworked full time in the Guard’s Family Readinessunit. Rieck’s parents were the late Jim and JayneRieck. Jim was a municipal court judge in Sidney inthe 1960s and 1970s.The attack, by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle,

killed at least 13 people at a park in a relativelypeaceful area of northern Afghanistan. It was part

of an increase in violenceat the start of the springfighting season. The Tal-iban has claimed respon-sibility. The bomber’starget was unclear. In ad-dition to the threeGuardsmen killed in theattack, four others wereinjured.“It is truly tough to re-

flect upon so many bravemen and women thathave given their lives forthis nation and the free-doms we cherish, but theloss of one of our own has unfortunately finally de-

livered this war to our door step,” said Ed Ball, of-ficer of the Shelby County Veterans Services Com-mission.Rieck was on the track team at Sidney High

School and a member of the art club. He graduatedfrom Sinclair Community College in 1994. He wassurvived by his sister, Jennifer, his ex-wife, Cather-ine, and a 15-year-old son.The Ohio infantry brigade has six battalions,

with four based in Ohio and two in Michigan. Itsent 3,600 soldiers to Afghanistan last summer forwhat was scheduled to be a yearlong deployment.It was the largest mobilization for the 37th sincethe Korean War, according to the Ohio NationalGuard.The soldiers were sent to help with counter-insurgency operations and work with Afghan secu-rity forces.

Sidney High grad makes ultimate sacrificeJeff Rieck among three soldiers killed earlier this year

RIECK

DAYTON -TwoDayton organizationsare partnering to offer the last session in2012 of several free two-day VeteransEmployment & Training Seminars.MiamiValleyHumanResourceAssocia-tion and CareSource are partnering toprovide veterans assistance in their jobsearches. The next session will be heldNov. 14-15.Comments from evaluations com-

pleted by participants in earlier sessionsthis year include:•The seminar really fills a void in the

marketplace.

• The mock interviews and the feed-back from employers [was] very helpfuland informative.• Extremely helpful, helped me [to]

find out the so called ‘secrets’ of the in-terviewprocess. Itwas a bonus to be ableto talk to the employers.Veterans will learn:•What makes you competitive?• How to Find and Create Job Leads• How to ImproveYour Resume• How to Get More Interviews• How to Interview with ConfidenceTo get themost benefit from thework-

shop participants need to attend the en-tire two-day session.Participating employers will conduct

mock interviews with attendees. Atten-dees are encouraged to bring severalcopies of their resumes. Seminars willstart at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m.Lunch will be provided by the Beaver-creekVFWPost 8312.The seminarswillbe held at 1 Elizabeth Place (east side),627EdwinC.MosesBlvd., 6thFloorAu-ditorium. Parking is available in theWelch’s Packaging lot on the corner ofEdwin C Moses Blvd. and Albany St.,

across from 1 Elizabeth Place.To register, call Robin Brun at 937-

229-5358 or email [email protected] Information:

MiamiValleyHumanResourceAsso-ciation is the Dayton affiliate chapter ofSHRM (Society for Human ResourceManagement). MVHRA’s mission is toprovide resources and professional de-velopment in HR best practices to itsmembership and regional businesses.SHRM is the world’s largest associationdevoted to human resource manage-ment. (www.MVHRA.org)

Free veterans employment and training seminars


UNITED STATESNAVY

DarrellApplegateE4 PO 3rd ClassVeteran of Korea

1948-1952 2310

167B

UNITED STATESARMY

Charles E.Thompson

Private First Class, servedwith Gen Patton’s 3rd ArmyVeteran of World War II 23

1016

7C

UNITED STATESARMY

James W.ClaytonSergeant E-5

Bravo Battery 1, 134th FAVeteran of Afghanistan,Iraq,

Kuwait - 1998-Present 2310

167D

UNITED STATESARMY

Ernest DavisPrivate 1st Class

Veteran of World War II1943-1945

2310

167E

UNITED STATESARMY

HowardHigginbothamStaff Sergeant - Paratrooper

101st AirborneVeteran of World War II 23

1016

7F

BY PATRICIA ANN SPEELMAN

The Dayton National Cemetery is the finalresting place of U.S. service people who hadserved in one or more of all of America’s conflictsbeginning with the Revolutionary War. FiveMedal of Honor recipients are buried there. So isthe father of Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.Boxer Kayo Mars and Edmund “Stubby” BurkeMagner, who played baseball for the New YorkYankees, are also at rest in the cemetery.Although the cemetery was not commissioned

until 1867, and its first interment was Sept. 11 ofthat year, area veterans of the War of 1812 andthe Mexican War, who died after 1867, wereburied at the site. And in 1990, according toBernie Blizzard, cemetery director, the remains ofa soldier who had served in the RevolutionaryWar were disinterred elsewhere and reinterred inDayton.“So there are veterans buried here from every

war and conflict the U.S. has ever been involvedin,” Blizzard said.All honorably discharged or currently serving

members of any branch of the U.S. armed forcesare eligible for free burial in one of the country’s141 national cemeteries. So are their spouses andtheir children who are under 21. Eligibility is de-termined at the time of need by the director of thecemetery in which interment is requested.As of Sept. 30, there were 47,900 bodies, in-

cluding cremations, at the Dayton site. There are44,206 graves.According to Blizzard, when the last of the

cemetery’s 98 acres is developed into gravesites,a process which is in the planning stages now, the

facility will meet the final needs of veterans andtheir spouses for the next 14 years.“The difference between civilian cemetaries

and the national cemeteries is that we specificallyhonor the service of our nation’s veterans by giv-ing them a final resting place and a memorial,”Blizzard said.A 26-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he was

first hired at the site as a laborer in 2002. In 2004,he took a one-year course to become a director andhis initial assignment was at the cemetery at FortSmith, Ark. He has been the director in Daytonfor four years. All of his 12-member staff are mil-itary veterans.While the major Dayton-area Veterans Day

program annually takes place at the VA MedicalCenter in Dayton, the Memorial Day celebrationscover four days each year at the cemetery. Veter-ans service organizations begin Friday of the hol-iday weekend by erecting 400 donated, burialflags to line the streets of the cemetery. There is aprogram Friday night dedicated to Native Amer-ican veterans.On Saturday morning, 2,500 Boy and Girl

Scouts make sure every grave is decorated.“It takes only about an hour, because the kids

are always so excited about it,” Blizzard said.The program on Memorial Day runs from 11

a.m. to noon and includes a U.S.Air Force fly-over,guest speakers, honor guards, wreath layings, arifle salute and the playing of taps.The Dayton National Cemetery is consecrated

ground, a place of distinction filled with sacrifice,with history. Should its keepers ever decide toplant them, poppies would do well there.

47,900 buried in DaytonNational Cemetery

To the editor:Victims of Agent Orange (AO) who are infected,

Vietnam veterans, children of Vietnam veterans;then there are spouses and mothers or fathers whoare victims by association. By banding together andpressing forward to be heard is the only way we vic-tims can win.We know how to help others, we have been

there/are there. Our bodies are proof, our minds arenot in denial, our lives are not equal to those with-out AO.We are strong and build our own quality oflife, the hard way. Only we know what it is like tostruggle with AO. Each day we live, is a gift.Yes, we suffer as do our loving families who care

about we who struggle with AO. Let us not forget,we have friends who care. Our consolation is know-ing they love us and care about us. Our worse painis the burden upon our loved ones. It is the mostdifficult of all pain to endure.We know the frustrations of not being able to do

the things we have in the past.We know the frus-trations our family have in having to take up theslack, for us at one time we were able to do for our-selves I know only too well how this feels to me andhow it must feel for my family.For these reasons we victims of Agent Orange

Dioxins poisoning, our Congress and Senate mustunderstand our needs.There are Bills in legislationthat can make our lives less frustrating. Those billsare House Bill HR3612 and Senate Bill S1629.Please urge your members of Congress and Senateto pass the Bills.

John J. BuryU.S. Vietnam Veteran (Retired)

508 South Middletown RoadMedia, PA

Support bills to benefit victimsof Agent Orange

LETTER TO THE EDITOR


UNITED STATESARMY

Francis U.Puthoff

CaptainVeteran of World War IINov. 1, 1942 - July 7,1946 23

1016

8D

UNITED STATESNAVY

BradUnderwood

MM2-SSVeteran of Desert Storm

1985 - 1995

2310

168B

UNITED STATESARMY

Samuel YagleCorporal

328th Trans. Co. - HelServed 1953 - 1955

2310

168C

Headquartered in the city of Delaware, theAmerican Legion is the largest veterans organiza-tion in Ohio with more than 140,000 members and605 posts. Worldwide, the organization numbersnearly 3 million men and women in some 15,000posts.The American Legion was chartered by Congress

in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual assis-tance veterans organization. Postshave been chartered into 55 depart-ments, one each for the 50 states, theDistrict of Columbia, Puerto Rico,France, Mexico and the Philippines.The American Legion Auxiliary is

the largest patriotic service organi-zation in the world with nearly 1million members. The organizationsponsors volunteer programs thatfocus on young people and the com-munity, including Girls State andGirls Nation for young women en-tering their senior year in high school.Sons of the American Legion was created in 1932

as an organization of boys and men of all ageswhose parents or grandparents served in the mili-tary.Shelby and Auglaize counties are within the De-

partment of Ohio Second District, which includesseven counties and approximately 7,000 members.The following posts and auxiliaries are located

in Shelby County and the surrounding area:Sidney

Sidney American Legion Post 217 at 1265 FourthAve. includes a canteen, daily food service, meetingrooms for clubs and a hall for weddings and otherspecial occasions. There are monthly chicken friesand other special meals. Gary Allen, of Sidney, aU.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, 1967-1969,is post commander. Joan Spence is president of

Women’s Auxiliary Unit 217 and James Elsassheads the Sons of the American Legion. The phonenumber is 492-6410.

Fort LoramieFort Loramie American Legion Post 355 is lo-

cated at 31 N. Main St. in the village. It has a can-teen for members and hosts monthly chicken fries

open to the public on the secondSaturday of every month. Otherdinners are sponsored throughoutthe year. Meetings are the secondTuesday of the month. Hilda Siegelis president of Women’s AuxiliaryUnit 355 and Mark Hoying is thehead of the Sons of the AmericanLegion. The commander is JoeSeger. He is a veteran of the OhioArmy National Guard, in which heserved from 1970 to 1976. Thepost’s phone number is 295-2851.

Jackson CenterJackson Center American Legion Post 493 has a

canteen for members and meets the second Thurs-day of each month at 627 E. College St. SteveLawrence is the post commander. He is a verteranof the Air Force and the Air National Guard, wherehe served from 1973 to 1995. Members sponsor achicken dinner the first Saturday of the month.There is a Sons of the American Legion unit headedby Devon Alexander. The post participates in theCoats for Vets program. The phone number is 596-6386.

AnnaHeiland Post 446, located between Anna and

Botkins, serves members of both communities. Thecanteen is located on County Road 25A north ofAnna and is open most Sundays. It is run by theSons of the American Legion, commanded by TexSchmitmeyer. The building is available for rent.

Gary Sollman, of rural Anna, is the post com-mander. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, havingserved as a draftee from 1968 to 1970.Meetings arethe third Thursday of every month. The post sup-ports a Boy Scout and Girl Scout building locatedon the post home’s grounds and a few 4-H clubshave meetings there.

MinsterEdWesterheide is commander of Minster Amer-

ican Legion Post 387, located on 46 S. Cleveland St.He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served asa draftee from 1967 to 1973. Meetings are held thelast Monday each month.The hall can be rented forspecial occasions. It sponsors a fall festival in No-vember and provides volunteers for the annual Ok-toberfest. The phone number is 419-628-4387.

New BremenNew Bremen American Legion Post 241 has a

canteen and large hall along Ohio 66 on the northside of the village.Meetings are the fourth Tuesdayof the month. Nicholas Dicke, of New Bremen, iscommander. He served in the Air National Guardfrom 1970 to 1975. The post sponsors a Boy Scouttroop and sponsors occasional chicken fries. Duringthe Lenten season, it sponsors fish fries. The phonenumber is (419) 629-2357.

New KnoxvilleDonald Schroer, a veteran of the U.S. Army who

saw service from 1966 to 1968, is commander ofNew Knoxville American Legion Post 444, locatedat 204 Mill St. in the village.Meetings are the thirdMonday of every month. The post sponsors chickenfries the third Saturday each month and fish friesare held during months with a fifth Saturday undersponsorship of Sons of the American Legion, headedby Gary Schroerlucke.There is a canteen and a hallthat can be rented for special meetings and occa-sions. The phone number is (419) 753-2714.

Local American Legion posts serve vets

2333

002


Documents

SDN Salute to Veterans