By FRANK LEWIS

PDT Staff Writer

Portsmouth

Memorial Day in Scioto County got an early start at Tracy Park in Portsmouth, where the largest crowd in recent history attended a ceremony in front of the granite wall bearing the names of Scioto County residents who died in combat.

“It’s a remembrance of all of those killed in action, that is basically the way it started,” said KIA-MIA Chairman Eugene Davis. “But after that, then we decided to add all of those who wanted their names here who have served.”

While the names on the wall are those of service personnel who died in war, the monument is surrounded by bricks with the names of other former members of the armed forces.

Rep. Todd Book, D-McDermott (89th District) was in attendance to ride in the parade and to be the main speaker at Greenlawn Cemetery.

“This is something that I’m just honored to be a part of,” Book said. “It’s our opportunity to remember the service of those who have fallen while serving our country.”

Area high school bands, local and statewide dignitaries then paraded south on Chillicothe Street to Gallia Street — east on Gallia to Offnere Street — then north on Offnere to Greenlawn, where Book spoke to a large crowd.

“No matter how the advertisers try Memorial Day is not a day for shopping,” Book told the crowd. “It is a day set aside to remember those who have died in service to our country.”

Book said he came to address two points — Why do we have Memorial Day? — and why is the United States worth fighting and dying for?

“In the United States it’s true that — all people are created equal. — We do have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. — We do have representative democracy, the best government system devised. — We do have the freedom of speech, religion, and the right to petition our government for redress of grievances,” Book said.

June Meade led a floral tribute with some 30 women at Soldier’s Circle, and a short service was also held at the World War I graves.

Sea Services

As a boat pulled away from the Court Street Landing in Portsmouth, Sam McKibben, a retired member of several branches of the U.S. Military, talked from the recently-created Sea Services Memorial about the sacrifices paid by those who died while serving in what is referred to as the “sea services.”

“This is what we do every year at the Sea Services Memorial, which is fairly new,” McKibben said. “We did this about three years ago.”

McKibben credited former Portsmouth Service Director Bill Rush with putting the memorial together with the help of the Scioto County Memorial Day Association.

“It’s just a tribute to the Sea Services Veterans,” McKibben said. “Unfortunately, we always lose lots of what I call, ‘the greatest generation,’ World War II, and now it’s going to be Korea and Vietnam.”

McKibben spoke of the significance of the ceremony just prior to the placing of a wreath from the boat into the Ohio River.

“The Sea Services means the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and also the Merchant Marines,” McKibben said. “Those that have served in the last 10, 20, 30 years, even going back to World War II.”

McKibben singled out one group he said has not received the recognition he felt it deserved.

“The Merchant Marine, in particular, has never received the tribute and respect they deserve. There were tens of thousands of them who never came back from basically running these Merchant Marine ships across the Atlantic and across the Pacific,” McKibben said.

Emmett Gregory, an ex-Marine who is Post Commander at James Dickey Post 23 of the American Legion, and Donna Meadows, president of the Post 23 Auxiliary, placed the wreath on the waters of the Ohio River at the same time June Meade, publicity chairman of the Scioto County Memorial Day Association, placed a wreath on the memorial itself.

A 21-gun salute followed McKibben’s remarks.

Thunder threatened to disrupt the event, but the rain held off until the ceremony was over.

Minford

People gathered along the parade route along Ohio 335 Monday morning to watch the annual Minford Memorial Day Parade that wound its way to Bennett Cemetery in Minford.

As scores of people then converged on the cemetery, guest speaker, former Scioto County Prosecutor Lynn Grimshaw, spoke of two people.

The first was Steven Hutchinson, of Scottsdale, Ariz., a highly-decorated veteran of Vietnam, who, after his wife died of cancer in 2006, re-enlisted in the U.S. Army after 911.

Grimshaw quoted an Army spokesman who was speaking about Hutchinson.

“In volunteering it’s not a difficult choice. It’s something we choose to do,” the spokesman said. “It’s because we love our country, and we love the Army, and we love the soldiers who are in it.”

Grimshaw then completed the story.

“Major Steven Hutchinson would have been 61 years of age June 5,” Grimshaw said. “He didn’t make it. Eight days ago he died in Iraq. He was in a vehicle when an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) exploded near it and took his life. According to Defense officials, he was the oldest soldier killed so far in the Iraq-Afghanistan conflicts. That’s who Steven Hutchinson was.”

Grimshaw continued his remarks as he talked about the friendships he had deployed when he deployed several years ago.

Then he mentioned another name.

“Maybe the name Roxana Saberi is a name you will recognize,” Grimshaw told the crowd. “That’s a name that has been in the news lately. She was a freelance Iranian-American reporter.

Grimshaw talked about Saberi being arrested, tried and convicted in Iran as a spy. Saberi was subsequently released after 32 days.

“I saw with interest what she said when arriving back home at the airport after serving 32 days in an Iranian jail,” Grimshaw said. “Getting back home at the airport she said, and I quote — ‘One thing that kept me going was singing the National Anthem to myself. — And it may sound corny, but I’m happy to be back in the land of the free.’ You understand what she meant when she said that. And it’s not corny to us.”

The Minford High School Band also performed for the ceremony.

Firefighters

Acknowledging that three retired Portsmouth firefighters had died in the past year, Portsmouth Fire Chief Bill Raison talked about the significance of the memorial observation at the Portsmouth Central Fire Station.

“It’s our annual memorial service where we take a few minutes to just pause and remember the service of those who had gone before us. Specifically the sacrifices made by those who have died in the line of duty,” Raison said.

“Portsmouth has seen four members die in the line of duty and so we always want to honor that sacrifice, and remember that sacrifice.”

Raison said the service is important because people sometimes forget those who died in the line of duty.

Raison said he did not know when the department began holding the ceremony of Memorial Day, but he said it was in place when he came into the department 18 years ago.

The featured speaker for the event was President of Portsmouth City Council David Malone.

Malone talked first about the men and women who died in the military services, then spoke about the sacrifices of the members of the fire and police departments while Raison, Portsmouth Major James Kalb and Portsmouth Police Chief Charles Horner listened.

A bell was rung as the name of each member of the Portsmouth Fire Department was read.

The department displayed two new trucks, including the new 100 foot ladder truck, and a tanker that holds firefighting foam and 750 gallons of water.

Frank Lewis may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.