Honoring fallen heroes

For the students of Park Place Middle School teachers Dottie Simoni and Tonia Boyle, the World War II memorial project was more than just a history lesson. It was study in pride, duty and honor.

The goal of the project was simple: Boyle and Simoni wanted to honor the 18 Monroe soldiers who died in WWII by adding their names to Monroe's WWII monument in Memorial Field. They tasked their eighth-grade humanities students with the research aspect of the project.

Students used resources including the Monroe Historical Society and the library. They pored through old yearbooks, scoured the Internet, made phone calls and reviewed decades-old issues of the Monroe Monitor.-á -á -á

The project culminated last week as the students presented what they learned during the Monroe Historical Society's quarterly membership meeting. Entitled "Gone But Not Forgotten,GÇ¥ the ceremony took place on Wednesday, June 3, at Park Place Middle School. The event was attended by veterans, families, members of the community, Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas and Monroe City Councilmembers Jim Kamp and Kurt Goering.-á

"The reason we're here tonight is to talk about a long-forgotten veterans monument and the long-forgotten Monroe soldiers who are finally being recognized after 64 years,GÇ¥ said Monroe Historical Society President Tami Kinney.-á

Kinney helped facilitate the ceremony, along with Simoni and Boyle. After the student presentations, local veterans Russ Dean, Tom Parry and Merv Boyes were introduced and given the opportunity to answer questions.-á

Dean, 1st Vice Commander of American Legion Arthur Kincaid Post No. 58, served during the Vietnam War. It was members of the American Legion Arthur Kincaid Post No. 58 that installed the cement perch in 1951. Located near the intersection of Kelsey and Hill streets, the WWII monument is a forgotten piece of history.-á

Legion members intended to add the names of the soldiers later, but for whatever reason, the project was never completed.-á

Monroe Historical Society volunteer Tom Parry served during the Korean War. Initially, when Simoni and Boyle conceptualized the project, a complete list of Monroe soldiers who died in WWII did not yet exist. Parry conducted extensive research to compile the names of the 18 Monroe soldiers. Parry also worked with the students as they began conducting their own research.-á

Merv Boyes, also a Monroe Historical Society volunteer, served during WWII. Boyes was acquainted with several of the young men who lost their lives.-á

The 18 soldiers from Monroe who lost their lives were: William Henry Bowker, Lester Crockett, Robert Greenside, Tom Haji, Clifford Halstead, Raymond Handley, Henry Hooper, William Middleton, Theodore Renk, Jack Reimland, Herman Schmidt, John Streeter, William Streissguth, Robert Vailar, Leroy Reynolds, Ernest Peters, Robert Olson and George McKenzie Jr.

"I went to school with at least four of them GÇô played ball with them,GÇ¥ Boyes said.-á

Boyes graduated from Monroe High School in 1945.-á

"One thing about our graduation class GÇô I wasn't there. I was in the service when my class graduated,GÇ¥ Boyes said. "I understand that there was only one boy at the ceremony.GÇ¥

Parry has accomplished extensive research on Tom Haji, Monroe's Japanese-American veteran. Haji was a popular student who attended Monroe High School with his sister Hiroko. Monroe's only Japanese-American family, the Hajis were forced into an internment camp in 1942, along with roughly 120,000 other Japanese-Americans.-á

"There was a lot of prejudice against Japanese-Americans just as today there is against Muslims,GÇ¥ Parry said. "It's very possible that the same situation will arise again that arose in 1942.GÇ¥

Despite the internment, Haji enlisted in the military, serving in an all-Japanese-American military unit called the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. He died on April 9, 1945, while working to drive the Nazis out of Italy.-á

Parry quoted Haji's sister Hiroko, who once said, ""In Monroe, I cannot remember prejudice or racial slurs as such. We were in a one-of-a-kind community, for which I am very thankful.'

"That's quite a statement,GÇ¥ Parry said. "When I saw an article in the Monitor about a 19-year-old painting graffiti on buildings in town, I thought about Tom Haji, who was killed at age 19 GÇô the difference between the two.GÇ¥

Dean broadened the discussion by addressing the psychological trauma that many combat veterans face after their return from service.-á

"What we don't sometimes realize is that many of them don't die there, but they come home and they die a slow death,GÇ¥ Dean said.-á

Psychological trauma is common among combat veterans, and the transition to civilian life after a deployment can be difficult. Seemingly mundane tasks like driving down the street can be overwhelming and incredibly stressful to a soldier who has just returned from deployment. -á

"When I go to the VA and I see the guys down there, I take a little time and I talk,GÇ¥ Dean said. "I know they're not going to tell me a lot, but at least I can listen and support where they're at today and wish them well because they are going through a very difficult time.GÇ¥

The diagnosis officially became known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in 1980, but Parry explained that in World War I, combat stress reaction was generally referred to as "shell shock.GÇ¥ The National Institute of Health confirms that "psychiatric casualtiesGÇ¥ during WWI occurred with unanticipated frequency.-á

"A psychiatric study done in 1919 predicted that in 1945 would be the peak suicide year of veterans from WWI GÇô they would average 46 years old,GÇ¥ Parry said. "So that phenomenon has gone on for a long, long time. It's nothing new, and it's only recently that we've recognized that.GÇ¥

According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, an average of 22 veterans take their own lives every day. That equates to one veteran suicide every 65 minutes. And due to inconsistencies in the way deaths are reported from state to state, there are some researchers who believe the number could actually be much higher.-á

In February, President Obama signed a veteran suicide prevention bill into law in hopes of working preemptively to curb the trend.-á

The Gone But Not Forgotten ceremony didn't just honor the 18 veterans who lost their lives during WWII but also the wives and mothers left at home as their husbands and sons went off to serve. Boyes explained that his mom had three sons who went into the service, along with one son-in-law.

"In those days, they had stars in the window according to how many people were serving. My mother had three stars,GÇ¥ Boyes said. "They didn't know, most of the time, what was happening or when they were going to get the bad news GÇô or any news. So the homefront, they were always waiting for good news.GÇ¥

The Blue Star Service Banners were hung in the windows of homes where family members were serving in the military. A worn WWII Blue Star Service Banner hung on the podium throughout the ceremony, serving as vivid reminder of days past.-á

In addition to adding the names of the soldiers, the Monroe Historical Society, along with Simoni, Boyle and the American Legion, hope to refurbish and relocate the monument to a more prominent location in the city. The Historical Society is collaborating with the American Legion and the City of Monroe to identify its new home. They are also fundraising to help with the project.-á

Kinney thanked Simoni and Boyle for their dedication to the project.-á

"One of our goals at the Monroe Historical society is to make history come alive and make it relevant for the younger generation,GÇ¥ Kinney said. "I cannot thank Dottie and Tonia enough for doing that.GÇ¥-á

To make a donation to the WWII Memorial Fund, visit www.monroehistoricalsociety.org/. Donations should indicate that they are meant to support the WWII Memorial Fund.-á