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Museums honor veterans
Because of the importance of their part in history and the liberties that the United States enjoys due to their efforts, museums make every attempt to honor veterans. They tell their stories by preserving uniforms and other military artifacts. If you have any of these things, and are wondering what to do with them, your local museum could probably share them.
Exhibits in the Bushwhacker Museum in Nevada are devoted to the Vernon County Military history and include artifacts on the Spanish-American War, the Mexican border wars, world wars I and II, and the Korean and Vietnam wars. Two large areas are devoted to veterans with everything from uniforms of those that fought in the War Between the States where brothers fought against brothers, to the present time. There are many things on display that were brought back by returning soldiers whose life had been forever changed.
At the Wayside Museum in El Dorado Springs, the front room is devoted to veterans. Among the artifacts are a World War I campaign hat and tunic worn by Dr. Robert Magee's father, the uniform of Clarence H. Sunderwirth, who served in the Ambulance Corps in France in about 1918 (Sunderwirth was a practicing physician in El Dorado Springs for 40 years); the uniform of Staff Sgt. Terry D. Carver, U.S. Air Force from 1987-1997; and another that belonged to Raymond Shaw, great-great-grandson of Cedar County Pioneer John Jackson. Shaw is the son of Genieve Stone Shaw. Scrapbooks, many of which were kept by the soldier's mothers, piece together the stories of the local soldiers and help us remember their bravery.
The Veteran's Memorial Museum at Branson is a powerful emotional experience.
One of the first statues is of a World War I soldier. There is a photo on display of Frank and John Tooley of Central City, Neb., from their mother, Mary, who feared they would be killed in World War I. Both survived the war. Frank moved to Columbus, became a pharmacist, and years after his death, his photo served as the model for the World War I sculpture.
One impressive wall is entirely covered with more than 62,000 faces: one face for every two Americans killed in World War I.
The display of 50 Soldiers Storming a Beach is stunning and realistic. Fred Hoppe Jr. sculpted each of the 50 soldiers portrayed with the face of an actual World War II combat infantry man, one from each state in the United States. Leading the charge up the beach is Fred's father, the late Fred Hoppe Sr., a highly decorated war hero.
The photo of Capt. Bill McFadden, Commander, F Company, 141st Inf. Division was used to represent the soldier from Missouri.
The walls around the 50-Soldier sculpture are covered with the names of more than 400,000 American servicemen who gave their lives in the service of their county in World War II. This is the only place in the world where all of these names are displayed.
Saving Lt. McMorrow, May 28, 1944, near Rome, Italy, is a painting by wartime artist Jim Dietz. The picture shows Fred's father, Fred Hoppe, Sr., saving the life of Lt. Ralph McMorrow. Forced to retreat by German forces, three American platoons of the 36th Division were mistaken for advancing German forces and shelled by their own artillery. In the six hours of battle and chaos that followed, 67 of F Co's 143 men were killed. Hoppe, on discovering that the wounded Lt. McMorrow had been left behind, returned more than 400 yards through a barrage of enemy fire and tremendous artillery barrage to find Lt. McMorrow near death and within 20 yards of the enemy. A German soldier, impressed with this feat of heroism, commanded his fellows cease firing and allowed Hoppe to carry McMorrow back to the American lines. McMorrow survived, but six hours later, Hoppe would save him a second time as depicted in the photo.
Closer to home, the northeast corner of the courthouse lawn in Nevada is the site of a veterans' memorial with names of many of those who made the supreme sacrifice.
The names on the memorial follow.
World War I
Wilmer C. Andes, Chleo Capps, Albert H. Chalker, David A. Coon, Tom J. Curry, John G. Daugherty, Gomer W. Dempsey, Andy J. Durossette, Fred W. Fastabend, Clinton S. Ferry, Earl A. Finch, Jacob D. Foland, Floyd Gray, Margaret Hamilton, Bryon A. Hickerson, Albert A. Hopkins, Donald S. Hughes, Rankin L. Keeney, James A. Kessler, Clyde R. King, Frank Koeger, Hobart F. Limbaugh, Edgar Ralph Lipe, Eddie Lowry, Elgie T. Martin, Roland G. Mastin, Rex McCormick, Ernest H. Mendel, Worth B. Milligan, Robert J. Newland, Clarence R. Oberlin, Leon M. Ogier, Loyd Phelps, Joe B. Philapy, Thomas A. Price, Roy Snell, Clarence Spillman, Luther L. Stacey, Harry W. Starkey, Aubrey T. Steele, Otis Tyree, Ezra F. Wagner and Charles Wolfe.
World War II
Ray Albers, Eugene Amick, Ira Armstrong, Liston Berry, Merle Bice, Max Biggerstaff, Buford E. Bloodworth, William Robert Bond, Abner Bonebrake, Glenn Boyd, Robert D. Boyd, Jimmy Brock, Jesse Bruce, Melvin A. Buford, Harold F. Burnett, Charles L. Burris, Douglas W. Bush, Jack Busier, Silas Carpenter, Frank A. Clark, Fred A. Collins, Marshall Collins, Richard Colaw, Gerald Cox, Lester Cox, Franklin D. Crawford, Ivan Crouse, Jr., George A. Current, Troy E. Dahmer, Neal Dresler, L. J. Dryden, Alvin D. Ellis, J. W. B. Endly, Kennedy Englert, Donal Ewing, James P. Ewing, Leon Foster, Cecil Gardner, Mark Garrett, Jr., William A. Gordon, William S. Grimsley, Charles Hamby, James O. Hamilton, Marvin W. Harper, Elmer L. Harris, Russell Harris, Dale Heryford, Robert L. Herider, Jr., R. P. Hixon, Forrest E. Holland, Robert C. Horn, Grove Hough, William J. Howard, Derryl Humphrey, Gerald Hurley, Vernon Hurley, Don Innis, Claude J. Johnston, Jack L. Kabrick, Don R. Kinney, Gordon M. Klontz, Francis Linn, Charles Lowe, Max McNiel, Lawrence McSpadden, Everett Malcom, Kenneth Malcom, Boyd Martin, Kermit Masters, Walter Mundy, Jene T. Myers, Kenneth New, Robert Osborne, Bobby Overstreet, Elton Oyer, Jim R. Pace, Donald Dean Peckman, Robert A. Phillips, Clyde Pickrel, Earl H. Reid, Jr., Lawrence E. Reinecke, Orlando F. Roberts, Ernest Roof, Roy Saathoff, Eugene C. Sanderson, Howard Schnatterly, Sam Shade, Earl Shankles, Roy W. Sharp, Charles D. Shutters, Charles F. Soverns, Arthur Spawn, Gordon Springstein, Warren H. Stolz, W. B. Story, Jr., Lyle Stout, Serl E. Stutesman, John Taylor, Lewis Thomas, Jack Thompson, Marvin Thompson, Lyle Tilford, George Urner, Richard Waite, John W. Werst, Robert E. Webster, Lee Weiss, Raymond Wells, William Wells, Glenn Whitaker, Billie Bob White, Guy F. White, Jack Wilson, Frank Young, Jr., Gerald Young and Eddie Zillox.
Korean War
Kenneth Chrisenbery, Stephen A. Meyers, Charles L. Robb, Jim Thompson, Everett L. Williams, Jack Woody.
Vietnam
Dennis F. Fisher, John W. Fritter, Larry L. Hackleman, Dennis R. Ijams, Walter Moran, Arthur Null, Jr., Arthur A. Stephens, Albert Ward and William Everett Woody.