Ohio National Guard memorial unveiled

ST. MARYS-St. Marys unveiled a brand new Ohio National Guard memorial and held a dedication ceremony on Veterans Day.

"It will serve not only as a reminder to us but to our children and for generations to come," Public Safety and Service Director Gregory Foxhoven said.

Retired Sgt. First Class Joseph "Woody" Woodrum, the president of the 27th Infantry Division Veterans Association, addressed the crowd.

"Those citizen soldiers were the very beginning of democracy here," Woodrum said. He noted how the Ohio Army National Guard had a presence in St. Marys since 1877, while Company K hails back to 1908.

"Those soldiers met in the Opera House on Spring Street," Woodrum said, referring to the St. Marys Theater. "They drilled on the second floor. That was a wood floor, can you imagine the sound?"

In 1916, soldiers were activated in the pursuit of Pancho Villa until March 1917. It wasn't long after they returned home before soldiers were redeployed in World War I in July.

Retired Lt. Col. William R. Stratton, president of the 148th Infantry Regiment Veterans Association discussed local national guard operations during World War II.

Former St. Marys mayor Howard Shultz was a lieutenant when Company K was federalized in 1940, and he commanded the company from 1941 to 1942, ending his career as commander of the Third Battalion.

Units from Company K were deployed in the South Pacific Theater. Troops spent 592 days in combat and suffered more than 10,000 casualties. The Munda Point airfield campaign in New Georgia saw especially heavy fighting.

On July 11, 1943, Sgt. Herbert Linville volunteered to lead a patrol to eliminate a Japanese machine gun position. After seeing more soldiers than anticipated, he advanced on his own rather than jeopardize the entire patrol. Linville was killed by enemy fire and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.

The same day, Staff Sgt. Charles Kettler was mortally wounded while counterattacking a Japanese machine gun position. Kettler on his own destroyed the position with grenades but sacrificed his life to do so, succumbing to wounds. He too earned the Silver Star.

Krista Prater addressed the crowd on behalf of Kettler's family, reading a resolution from St. Marys City Council celebrating and memorializing the Ohio National Guard, as the memorial was unveiled.

On Feb. 11, 1945, 1st Sgt. Roy McMurray was supervising the removal of wounded, helping them to safety in some cases through enemy machine gun fire.

"He is credited with saving the lives of at least eight Company K soldiers, injured from heavy mortar fire," Stratton said. McMurray was also awarded the Silver Star.

Sgt. Harold Vogel was a member of Company K who joined the Ohio National Guard, during World War II and was quickly deployed. His daughter Patrica Quinter, a Coldwater native who now lives in Celina, recalled conversations with her father and recognized the memorial's significance.

"It's fantastic, we need to recognize those guys," Quinter said. She recalled her father telling her about 2nd Lt. Robert Viale diving on a dropped grenade while in combat to protect his fellow men.

"At least I was with him when he died," Vogel had told Quinter. Vogel was awarded three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.

Lt. Colonel David K. Swisher commander of the 5th Battalion noted the impact of community support. He is a former company commander from St. Marys. Swisher served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait during multiple operations over 25 years.

"I've never known a city to embrace military service like St. Marys," Swisher said. He recalled a warm welcome home from St. Marys in between company deployments. He said before 9/11 soldiers said it would take World War III to mobilize the National Guard for a conflict. On the contrary, in 2003 they were deployed to fight global terror.

After 9/11, Swisher went to accelerated officer candidate school in preparation for deployment putting civilian law school aspirations on hold. Swisher explained how he and comrades cleared IEDs and weapons caches in Kuwait and Afghanistan. In addition, they established good relationships with the civilian population, even donating items to a local girls' school.

Assistant Adjutant General, Col. Matthew S. Woodruff also addressed the crowd, telling them his motto is people first which includes the community. He assured them the Ohio National Guard would not lose its connection to St. Marys.

"I am committed to keeping National Guard presence in this community," Woodruff said. "We may not have an armory, but we will be here when needed."