|
|
 |
|
Edison
State Honors Student, Riley Poland tries on the official jacket and
hat of Korean War veteran, Weldon Oakley.
|
|
Korean War
Veterans to be Honored
Korean War Era veterans of the Miami Valley will be honored on
Thursday, November 10, beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Robinson Theater
at Edison State Community College. The public is invited to pay tribute
to these heroes, and admission is free.
The Piqua VFW Post 4874 will provide lunch for all guests beginning at
11:30 a.m., while Thienn Snipps, led by former Edison State Professor
and Vietnam veteran Larry Dragosavac, performs patriotic songs.
A week prior to the program, Edison State honor student and Sidney
native Riley Pollard, accompanied by Korean War veteran Weldon Oakley,
will make presentations to 150 Upper Valley Career Center government
students who will be special guests at the event. Pollard will be
acquainting the students with the history of the Korean War, the novel
“MASH” written by Korean War surgeon Dr. Richard Hornberger, and the
oral history of Piqua attorney Ben Hiser, who served as a medic in that
war.
Oakley of Sidney is one of three Korean War veterans who will be
sharing their war experiences with the audience on Nov. 10. Piqua
Korean War veterans, Fred Shively and Don Motter, will join him. These
veterans along with veteran Dale Snyder and Joe Boetz will have
displays of their war artifacts for audience members to examine.
To bring the audience up to date on the history of the U.S. involvement
with Korea, Urbana University Professor Ryan Enlow will deliver a
mini-lecture on today’s threat from North Korea.
The Piqua American Legion Elite Color Guard will post the colors; the
Ohio Patriot Guard will form a flag tunnel; and the Piqua Ohio National
Guard Transportation Company will perform an American flag retirement
at the conclusion of the program.
The Patriotic Pin-Ups will present roses to the spouses and widows of
Korean War Era veterans, and photographer James Smith will take
portraits of Korean War Era veterans beginning in Room 057 at 11 a.m.,
courtesy of the Piqua Community Foundation.
Through the efforts of Piqua City Manager and Army veteran Gary Huff,
Kazy Hinds, Mayor of Piqua, will read a proclamation honoring Korean
War Era veterans.
Dr. Vivian Blevins, Edison State professor and producer of the program
says, “We honored World War II and Vietnam Era veterans during 2015,
and I am expecting tremendous community support for this initiative.
Many of these veterans feel that their war is the forgotten war, and we
want to recognize their important service to our country.”
For more information or to reserve a portrait time slot, contact Dr.
Vivian Blevins at vblevins@edisonohio.edu or call (937) 778-3815.
|
|
|
|
