Tuesday, June 01, 1999

Tristate gives thanks to vets

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Ceremonies honor those who sacrificed

BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Korean war veterans march near the beginning of the Blue Ash Memorial Day Parade. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        One of the region's largest Memorial Day celebrations unfolded Monday in Blue Ash as if penned by a playwright.

        The scene: Neighbors crowded suburban streets, totaling about 10,000.

        The script: “America will only remain the land of the free as long as we are the home of the brave,” said the featured speaker, U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park.

        The cast: Pig-tailed girls, dimple-kneed boys. Local politicians gripping and grinning, and women in lawn chairs alternately knitting and waving. And then there was Katherine B. Trost. A main character whose right arm automatically formed a salute when the first notes of “Taps” blew through the bugle. Standing near a brick in the Blue Ash Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park that commemorated Mrs. Trost's Navy service, she filled four or five Kleenex with tears.

        “I feel it's so desperately important to be aware of all this,” the Kenwood woman said. “To remember.”

Veteran Harold Cook and his wife Esther visit the Veteran's Memorial in New Richmond. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        All day Monday, in parades and speeches and cemetery services, people throughout the Tristate, from Cheviot to Newport to Hamilton to Bellevue, paused to remember those who served their country selflessly.

        For Mrs. Trost, Memorial Day is a flashback to the helplessness she felt when news of World War II trickled back to the United States. She remembers the friends she lost then and the brother, a Navy pilot, who died in 1953 when a military plane crashed.

        From 1943 to 1946, Mrs. Trost served as a member of Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES), helping with payroll disbursement. She vividly recalls former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt visiting WAVES and reviewing the group's work. Her husband, Frank, served in the military, as did all of Mrs. Trost's younger brothers.

        Patriotism runs in the family; and Mrs. Trost's daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Brad Hodgdon of Blue Ash, have made attending the Memorial Day parade a tradition for their children, ages 10 and 8.

Veterans unveil the Newport Veterans Monument. (Patrick Reddy photo) | ZOOM |

        In Newport, Nellie Johnson laid a wreath at the base of a new monument dedicated to local veterans. The 77-year-old woman briefly stood in silent tribute, then accepted hugs and handshakes from the crowd.

        “I think (Memorial Day) means more to the ones who have lost somebody,” said Ms. Johnson, whose brother, Benton Hanlon, was among the casualties in World War II's Battle of the Bulge. “I was happy for every boy that came home, but I still miss my brother.”

        John Mander, the Kentucky commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said he hopes events such as the dedication of Newport's Veterans Monument serve as a reminder of the holiday's true meaning.

        “Unfortunately, it's slowly being forgotten,” said Mr. Mander, 65, who served in Korea and Vietnam. “It wasn't like this when I was a kid. The children and all the adults used to get up and salute the flag.”

        The day has a new fan in 10-year- old Joey Fay of Springfield Township. Instead of the usual prodding, pushing and cajoling to wake up in the mornings, Joey was up at 7 a.m. He bathed and dressed without a single word from his father, Jack.

        Wearing his brown uniform from Royal Rangers, a Christian-based scouting club, Joey marched in his first parade, joining more than 100 other groups in a 47-year Blue Ash tradition.

        Jack Fay took the opportunity to sit down with Joey and explain the message behind the pomp of the parade.

        “I told him people gave the ultimate sacrifice so we could live the life we have now.”

Cindy Schroeder contributed to this report.

       

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