A memorial honoring families who have lost a relative in military service was unveiled last week on the banks of the Maumee River. It is the first of its kind in northwest Ohio.
The ceremony was attended by a crowd of more than 150 area citizens, community leaders, veterans and Gold Star family members. It began with the posting of the colors by American Legion Post 28.
Gold Star wife Veronica Mora told the families, “Our promise to you and every member of your family is remembrance. We will never forget your loved one’s sacrifice.”
Her husband U.S. Army Sergeant Arthur Mora Jr., died in 2005 while serving active duty in Iraq.
Mrs. Mora and Brody Walters, served as co-chairs of the committee that established the monument.
Gold Star daughter Celina Mora led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Perrysburg High School student Molly Boros sang the National Anthem.
State Representative Haraz Ghanbari, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Navy reserve who served on the committee, said, “It’s an honor to stand with all of you today.”
He believes the monument provides an opportunity for area residents to educate children “what service and sacrifice means” and “that freedom is not free.”
Rep. Ghanbari shared a story about U.S. Marine Corps veteran Gaven Smith, an enthusiastic committee member, who also served fellow veterans through the Honor Flight organization.
Mr. Smith took his own life in November 2021, but Mr. Ghanbari noted that “one of the last conversations we had, he was making sure this memorial would be complete. I know he is here today in spirit.”
Other members of the committee are Sanford Bennett, Richard Baranowski, Rob Ross, Lloyd Swanson, Nancy Kelley, Joe Stockner and Sheila Bulls. At left, the committee members pull the draping off the monument.
Chad Graham, president of the Woody Williams Foundation, which helps to establish Gold Star monuments around the nation, thanked local residents for supporting the new memorial.
“Ohio leads the country in the number of Gold Star memorials,” he noted.
Mr. Graham named Mrs. Mora an honorary board member of the national foundation, and recognized her for being so “gracefully tenacious” in her work.
“It’s our prayer that this spot is a blessing to each Gold Star family and a blessing to the community,” he said.
Mr. Walters thanked the following organizations for their assistance with the monument: Kuhlman Concrete, Lathrop Co., Bailey Granite, Henry Gertzwiler Co., Bowers Asphalt and Paving, Marathon Petroleum Co., Carter Engraving, and Munger Munger + Associates Architects Inc.
He noted that a recent addition was made to the memorial by friends and classmates of U.S. Army soldier Jerry Bockbrader, who was killed in the Vietnam War.
A memorial stone on the river side of the monument includes a short biography of Mr. Bockbrader.
In the coming weeks, sidewalks, pavers, benches and signage also will be installed around the monument.
Below are, from left: U.S. Marine Corps Captain Sanford Bennett, Mrs. Mora, Mr. Walters and El Carter, the artist who is engraving the bricks in the walkway at the memorial.