Student memoralizes local veterans

ST. HENRY - As part of her college capstone course, St. Henry native Lindsey Rose was tasked with completing a project for her community.

Rose, 25, had already started a project with a similar goal in mind but decided to take a hiatus because she didn't have time to do it justice, she said.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Rose decided to finish what she started: completing the difficult task of memorializing the eight St. Henry residents killed during their service in the military.

Rose's art features Nicholas Franzer, who served in the Vietnam War; James Bernard and Clarence Hemmelgarn, World War II; Henry Rammel, World War I; James Pottkotter, Vietnam War; Cletus Brunswick and Ralph Siefring, Korean War; and Donald Heitkamp, Military Police.

Rose said the village in 2012 dedicated and opened the Freedom Amphitheater. The village later added the nearby St. Henry Veterans Garden and street banners to honor community members who have served in the military.

The eight men have special street banners that differentiate them from the rest, Rose said. Rose said she also wanted to find a way to highlight the men who gave their lives in a more noticeable way.

Rose enlisted the help of her dad Mark Schulze, a United States Marine veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm and more recently served as commander of the St. Henry American Legion.

With the help of her dad, Rose said she researched the uniforms, weapons and lives of each man at the time of their passing.

For example, when she was almost done illustrating the weapon Pottkotter would have used during the Vietnam War, a veteran pointed out to her she had drawn the incorrect M16. She said she originally used an M16A2 for reference when it should have been an M16A1. Despite being highly similar, Rose said anyone who served during the Vietnam war would recognize the mistake.

Rose said she used local libraries and spoke with American Legion members, veterans, former classmates, neighbors and others to learn about each individual and find images to use as references for her artist rendering.

Researching was the largest undertaking of the project, Rose said, noting she had to overcome a few obstacles. One of those was finding good-quality images for Rammel, who served during World War I, she said. With the help of a local librarian, Rose said she was able to use three pictures she found on a historical records website.

While she could have chosen to make the project individual illustrations, Rose said she wanted to put all eight servicemen in one illustration, standing together.

"It was my dad's idea, but I really took it to heart," she said. "To think most were really young and to be that young giving up their lives … it's humbling."

The youngest of the eight, Pottkotter, was 20 when he was killed in action in the Pleiku province in South Vietnam, Rose said. The eldest were Nicholas Franzer, who was wounded in the Quang Tri Province in South Vietnam and later died at home, and Clarence Hemmelgarn, who was killed in action in Germany during World War II. Both men died at 30.

"Those are all St. Henry family names, so I know their descendants or family members," Rose said. "It hits a little closer to home."

As part of her project, Rose also made mock-ups of potential uses for her artwork, including an outdoor mural, street banners and social media posts.

Rose said she presented her final project to members of the St. Henry Legion, whom she said enjoyed seeing all eight men together in one illustration.

"It felt really rewarding," she said. "I had to do a lot of research myself, learn about their lives, personalities … the last thing I wanted to do was misrepresent them."

Rose will graduate with a degree in graphic design from the Modern College of Design, Kettering, on June 5. To learn more about the project, visit www.lindseyroseart.com.