Funds still sought for Purple Heart monument here

A fund-raising drive for the construction of a new monument in Holton’s Linscott Park to honor Jackson County’s Purple Heart Medal recipients is now three-fourths of the way to its goal.

But more donations are being sought as soon as possible so that construction of the monument can begin in time for a planned unveiling on Memorial Day.

Mike McManigal, director of American Legion Riders Post 44 in Holton, said that as of Monday, $18,800 has been raised toward the goal of $25,000 for construction of the monument.

“We are still shooting for Memorial Day to have the monument in place,” McManigal said. “If we can receive at least $22,000 by Friday, April 1, we can set the process in motion now.”

The Legion Riders, in conjunction with Holton American Legion Post 44, the Sons of the American Legion and Holton VFW Post 1367, announced the fund-raising drive in early November, prior to the annual Veterans Day Parade.

The group’s plan is to build a monument that lists and honors Jackson County veterans who have received the Purple Heart Medal, which is given to military personnel who are wounded or killed in the line of active military duty. 

Both Holton and Jackson County received Purple Heart Community designations in 2014. It was reported that many who come into Holton after seeing the Purple Heart Community sign want to know where they can go to learn more, but no such memorial exists here at the present time.

The local veterans’ organizations got together to see what they could do and came up with a plan to build a Purple Heart monument in Linscott Park facing north toward Fourth Street, near the World War II monument in that area, McManigal said.

The plan for the monument includes a replica of the Purple Heart medal on the front, along with the names of Purple Heart recipients from Holton and Jackson County on the back. McManigal said the monument will be ADA accessible, and its planned dimensions are six feet high by seven feet long by two feet wide.

McManigal said the list of Purple Heart recipients to be placed on the monument is growing, but anyone wanting to have a friend or family member who is not on the list and who is from Jackson County is encouraged to contact him by Friday, April 1. Other missing information about Purple Heart recipients continues to be sought, he added.

So far, the list of Purple Heart recipients from Jackson County includes the following names offered or confirmed to be listed on the Purple Heart monument. Their names are listed below by conflict:

• Afghanistan killed in action (KIA):

Pfc. Cody G. Baker.

Sfc. Bernard L. Deghand.

Cpt. Jason T. McMahon. 

• Iraq wounded in action:

Lt. Col. Erich Campbell.

Lance Cpl. Justin Martinez.

• Somalia wounded in action:

Maj. Thomas E. Bryant.

• Vietnam KIA:

Pfc. Dennis A. Denton.

Lance Cpl. Victor Hale.

1st Lt. Kerry E. Hess.

Pfc. Martin Jim Jr.

1st Lt. Dale Melbrant.

Sgt. Floyd C. Nevins.

Spc. Danny J. Peterson.

Cpl. James C. Strube.

• Vietnam wounded in action:

Darell Edwards.

Russell Estes.

SSgt. Merle W. Houlabaugh.

Spc. Merle Houlabugh.

1st Lt. William Hoppes.

Sgt. Norman Jepson.

Joseph Jessepe.

SSgt. Walt Niemeyer.

Sgt. Gary Nott.

Sgt. Arnold Robertson.

Csm. Brad Stauffer.

Philipp Tatum.

• Korea KIA:

Pfc. Lee R. Barnes.

Pfc. Harland D. Jenkins.

Major Robert T. Latta.

Pfc. Robert J. Lewelling.

2nd Lt. Burt A. Robson.

Pvt. Donald E. Wilson.

• Korea wounded in action:

Cpl. Carl E. Bohnenkemper.

George Lundin.

Sgt. Joe R. McClintock.

Marvin Mzhickteno.

Eldon L. Shafer.

• World War II KIA:

SSgt. Earl E. Bengtson.

1st Lt. Godfrey H. Bernhardt.

Pfc. Leonard Boyd.

Pvt. Neal A. Bunton.

Pfc. Wayne B. Cole.

TEC 5 Merle G. Couch.

Pfc. John V. Cunningham.

Sgt. Buford N. Edwards.

Sgt. Frederick H. Eulert.

TEC 5 Harmon J. Fernkopf.

2nd Lt. Charles R. Fletcher.

Cecil Frost.

TSgt. James O. Gatewood.

SSgt. Phillip H. Gatewood.

Sgt. Theodore I. Glotzbach.

1st Lt. Hollis D. Harold.

1st Lt. Charles E. Harris.

Pvt. William Lasley.

Pvt. Warren Moore.

2nd Lt. John A. Newton.

SFC Francis W. Ohlsen.

SSgt. Claud W. Osborne.

1st Lt. Ivan Salts.

Cpl. Lehland Stauffer.

Lyman Tapsee.

LaVern Thomas.

TEC 4 Lowell E. Venneberg.

Chaplain Eunace A. Wallace.

SSgt. Paul G. Wamego.

• World War II wounded in action:

Tech Sgt. Leroy E. Blocker.

Pfc. Lloyd L. Conger.

Sgt. Raymond Gardiner.

Joseph P. Hale.

RT1 Harold Hewitt.

Harold G. Ireland.

SOM3 Russell L. Ireland.

Pvt. Clarence F. Kranz.

Pfc. Milton LaClair.

Andrew Martell.

Cpl. Ted A. McClintock Jr.

Pvt. Raymond McKee.

Pfc. Paul Moudoek.

Leroy Mzhickteno.

Pfc. F. William “Bill” Ohlsen.

Pfc. Alvin Pelton.

Nelson Potts.

Cpl. Claude Rieschick.

Tech. Sgt. Stewart C. Robb.

Cpl. Marlin W. Wilson.

• World War I KIA:

Francis Shoptese.

• World War I wounded in action:

Sgt. Spencer Chrisman.

MECH Elmer “Joe” Hartman.

Sgt. Richard P. James.

• World War I died, non-battle (DNB):

Pvt. Frank Cadue.

• Other KIA:

Vernon Mzhickteno.

• Other wounded in action:

SPC 4 Larry Mitchell.

Everett Noble.

Tom Ramirez.

Elwin Shopteese.

Jack Shopteese.

Individuals, businesses and organizations who make contributions toward the construction of the monument will have the opportunity to be recognized through the purchase of donor bricks, it was reported. Those involved with construction of the memorial are offering a four-inch-by-eight-inch brick with two lines of personalized text for a donation of $100 or more, or an eight-inch square brick with four lines of text for a donation of $500 or more.

Donations are tax-deductible and may be sent to the American Legion, P.O. Box 184, Holton, KS 66436. For more information or an order form, contact McManigal at 364-3131.

The Holton Recorder also appreciates the continued submission of stories of Purple Heart recipients from Jackson County for publication. For information on contributing a veteran’s story, call 364-3141 or e-mail holtonrecorder@embarqmail.com