Military Honor Roll, Mercer County, Ohio

To commemorate Memorial Day this year I am participating in the Honor Roll Project, started by Heather Wilkinson Rojo in 2010. Her project is an effort to compile photographs and transcriptions of military honor rolls from across the country. The transcriptions will make the names available on Internet search engines for family, researchers, and others. Heather will post a compilation of the participating bloggers on Memorial Day and will make those posts permanently available on her Honor Roll Project.

Mercer County, Ohio, erected a Veterans Memorial in 1997 at the corner of Main and Logan Streets in Celina. It consisted of a large dark granite memorial flanked by a wall with five Roll of Honor plaques and a dedication plaque.

Mercer County Veterans Memorial, 1997. (2014 photo by Karen)

Mercer County Veterans Memorial, 1997. (2014 photo by Karen)

A few years later the memorial was taken down when the streets were widened. The granite portion of the memorial is now located at Lake Shore Park and the Roll of Honor plaques are housed at Celina’s VFW Post 5713, 1118 West Logan Street.

War Memorial, Lake Shore Park, Celina, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Veterans Memorial, Lake Shore Park, Celina, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

The granite memorial reads: IN HONOR OF THE FALLEN HEROES OF MERCER COUNTY, Who at the call of their country entered the service to fight for the highest of American Principles. Dedicated May 26, 1997.

War Memorial, Lake Shore Park, Celina, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Veterans Memorial, Lake Shore Park, Celina, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

The plaques contain the names of Mercer County soldiers who were killed in action during various wars. The brass name plaques were furnished by Celina’s VFW but the WWI Roll of Honor plaque is older and was once located in the courthouse.

Dedication plaque.

Dedication plaque. (2014 photo by Karen)

Dedicated to those men and women from our community who honorably served and continue to serve in the armed forces of the United States during peace time. They served and continue to protect what our war veterans fought and died to defend, our American way of life.

WWI Roll of Honor Plaque, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

WWI Roll of Honor Plaque, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Honor Roll
1917-1919
In honor of the fallen heroes of Mercer County, who at the call of their country entered the service to fight for the highest American principles.

Charles C Adams
William Adams
Clem A Beckman
Robert Birkmeyer
Hubert H Bretz
William F Breymaier
Joseph A Buschur
Clifton Coats
Enis E Cole
Clotaire S Desch
J Coter Dugan
Glen D Echart
Eli Eichar
Harry M Eichar
Charles B Fishbaugh
August A Fleck
Elzie M Florence
Earl Frank
August Froning
George Fullenkamp
Charles E Gebele
Leo J Gast
Ira Goodwin
Herbert F Gottes
Edward Hay
Charles W Hitchens
Arland Kennedy
Leo Knapschaffer
Leo Kothman
W A Leiser
Emmet Mannix
Eldon M McAfee
Emmet J Meeker
Charles W Meyer
Richard W Moeller
Lewis U Moorman
Cecil Nolan
Jerome Obringer
Fred Overman
Albert Pierstorff
Howard Pifer
Grover C Powell
Fred G Rammel
Henry J Rammel
Albert W Rhodes
Harry Rindler
Charles F Schaadt
Gilbert Schoap
William E Searight
Ernest Shock
Leo J H Silk
Dole M Smith
Charles V Snyder
George W Spohn
Jacob Weaver
Roland D Wiley
Aloys J Will
Thomas U Wolfe
Harry H. Reinders
“The right is more precious than peace.
We shall fight for the things we have
Always carried nearest to our hearts,
To such a task we dedicate our lives.” Woodrow Wilson

WWII Roll of Honor, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

WWII Roll of Honor, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

World War II 1941-1946
Arthur D Alt
James R Anderson
Floyd Andrews
Thomas Anthony
Robert Bailey
Herman Baker
James A Bernard
William Bettinger
Albert Beyke
Ernest Bohman
Kenneth Boise
Joseph Bollenbacher
Paul A Buschur
James Collins
Robert J Collins
Virgil W Colson
Albert R Custer
Albert DeCurtins
Walter Diller
Glen Enyart
Doyt W Faurot
Donald Fell
Carl R Felver
Glen C Gilmore
Lowell Golder
Richard W Gray
Harold Hainline
Howard Hammer
Robert E Harrod
Jerome Harting
Sylvester C Heckman
Herbert Heitkamp
Gale Hileman
Louis Imwalle
Vincent M Jolly
Clyde Kaffenberger
Marcus T King
Charles K Kingsley
Owen P Klentz
Othmar Klosterman
Wilson W. Lehman
Eugene Limes
Elmer Long
Clarence W Martin
Paul F Maryz
Muryl K McCristy
Clifford McGee
Norbert Mescher
Joseph Meyer
Lee Meyer
Donald L Moore
Jack A Murlin
John E Muter
Leo Nerderman
James F Nevergall
John Niblick Jr
Glenn A Piper
Carl E Pond
Harvey Protsman
Neal Putman
Russell R Reed
Robert V Reno
Herbert Sanning
Donald Schmitz
E F Schumm
Edward J Schuster
Robert F Shaffer
Albert Shiverdecker
Luke Shockman
William Shockman
Richard Smalley
Frank Sommers
Corger L Squires
Walter Staugler
Francis Stelzer
Maurice Sullivan
Raymond J Thien
Robert D Vanderhorst
Robert Vantilburg
Cyril F Wehrkamp
Lester V Wurster
Cletus G Bice

Korean Roll of Honor, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Korean Roll of Honor, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Korea 1950-1955
Harold E Birt
Paul B Borgert
Cletus F Brunswick
Ermal M Dorsten
Alvah M Huerkamp
William A Kelly
Charles W. Lemunyon
Donald E Lowry
Charles C McDevitt
Paul M Miesse
George L Miller
Richland A Noll
William A Raudabaugh
Ralph E Siefring
Jerry D Wolfe

Vietnam Roll of Honor, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Vietnam Roll of Honor, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Vietnam 1961-1975
Sammy A Barga
Danny Cheadle
David K Deeter
Cary Fosnaugh
Nicholas Franzer
Lawrence D Jackson
Wayne A Painter
Benny J Sapp
John W. Smith

Lebanon-Grenada, Panama, Persian Gulf, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

Lebanon-Grenada, Panama, Persian Gulf, Mercer County, Ohio. (2014 photo by Karen)

LEBANON-GRENADA   1982-1984
PANAMA                       1989-1990
PERSIAN GULF             1990
No Mercer County lives lost.

I remember Cary Fosnaugh and Benny Sapp, who were killed in Vietnam. They also graduated from Parkway.

They plan to eventually place the Roll of Honor name plaques, that are now at the VFW, with the granite memorial at Lake Shore Park, making the memorial complete once again.

 

Celina's American Legion Roll of Honor, WWI & WWII. (2014 photo by Karen)

Celina American Legion Post 210 Roll of Honor, WWI & WWII. (2014 photo by Karen)

Celina’s American Legion Post 210 has a war memorial in front of their post, located at 2510 State Route 703, Celina. Their memorial shows the names of Mercer County’s WWI and WWII soldiers killed in action.

I have also created a permanent page on Karen’s Chatt for Mercer County’s Honor Roll. It is in the header section of the home page, under Military.

 

 

 

7 comments

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    • Miriam Fetters on May 23, 2014 at 9:30 am
    • Reply

    Paul Martz from the World War II listing helped my uncle and dad on the farm. I’m not sure I remember, but he lived with us before he went into service. There are several other names on the list that I recognize from church or family connections.

    1. The Martz connection to you family is interesting. The plaque has the name inscribed as “Maryz” and there are other interesting spelling variations [mistakes?] on the WWI plaque as well. Maybe some day I will get better photos of the plaques. There was an overhead light glaring on them, as you can see. Hopefully they will someday be displayed again for everyone to see.

    • Mary Goodwin Haddad on May 23, 2014 at 10:50 am
    • Reply

    Although I grew up in Van Wert County (Willshire) we had relatives in Mercer County and I am still touched by all these memorials. Thank you, Karen, for all your hard and time consuming work on this project. You are appreciated. Yes, I remember Cary Fosnaugh as he was in the Willshire school system before Parkway was started.

    • Phyllis Goodwin Brockmyer on May 30, 2014 at 1:23 pm
    • Reply

    Thanks for your articles, Karen. Ira Goodwin was a first cousin of my father Glenn Goodwin. They lived on adjacent farms near Elgin and the Van Wert County line in Mercer County. Ira was drafted as a member of the Ohio National Guard from Spencerville, Ohio, and my father said all 3 counties claimed him. The Guard group was sent to Long Island, New York, joined with other National Guard units from all over the country, and became the first Rainbow Division, headed led by a young George Patton. They were sent to France where Ira was killed. His body was returned later and is buried in the Honor Circle in the Spencerville Cemetery. My late aunt, Jennie Goodwin Clouser, remembered his funeral saying the entire community closed down and attended.

    Since there is such a large number of Mercer County deceased from WW I, it is possible others were connected to the Spencerville Ohio National Guard units. The Van Wert Times-Bulletin wrote an article on Ira last year on Memorial Day.

    1. What an interesting story about Ira. Thanks for sharing it.

    • Linda on October 31, 2014 at 9:32 am
    • Reply

    Carey Fosnaughs widow, Carol Miller Blackwell, gave a speech at the Willshire Memorial Day held at the cemetary. A stature has been erected honoring Carey, Benny,and another young man whom I didn’t know. Carol spoke eloquently about the Vietnam era and remembering three young men. Carol lived just down the road from me on Wabash. We were good friends and I was in their wedding. About 45years ago but it also seems like yesterday. I always stop at Careys grave when Jerry & I are in Willshire tending his parents graves.

    1. I, too, have seen the nice statue in their honor at the Willshire Cemetery. We must always remember. Thanks for writing, Linda.

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