Veterans memorial adding names of eight Whitley County soldiers

Local veteran’s groups will soon be adding more names to the Whitley County Veteran’s Memorial in front of the Whitley County Courthouse in time for Old Fashioned Trading Days.
Sgt. Major Don Gross, one of the project organizers, told members of the VFW Post 3167 and others gathered at the monument for a memorial service Monday morning that the names of eight additional soldiers, whose names weren’t placed on the monument when it was first erected, would be added.
The names being added to the monument include: Herbert Lee Adkins, Gorman W. Siler, George Willard Croley, Jack Faulkner, Homer Meadors, Joe C. Paul, Andy Myers, and Rich Partin.
Over half a dozen members of Post 3167 in addition to several members of the Whitley County JROTC gathered at the Whitley County Courthouse for the annual ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday.
The ceremony featured the presentation of the colors by the JROTC Honor Guard, a 21-gun salute, and the playing of taps.
Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison and Post Commander Bill Chamness placed a wreath in front of the monument to close the ceremony.
Gross said the monument is to honor those from Whitley County that died in action in any branch of military service. Anyone having the name of an additional soldier, whose name isn’t already on there, should contact Ina Bell Campbell at 549-4102, or the VFW Post 3167 at 549-5670.
“The cutoff to add additional names will be June 20,” Gross said. “We have to have the information to the monument company by the first week of July, and they will have them up there for us by the middle of August.”
Campbell said she was contacted about four years ago by Hoyt Meadors, who wanted to get his brother, Homer Meadors, listed on the monument. Homer Meadors died in action during WWII.
“There are others. There are other ladies, who come to Old Fashioned Trading Days wanting to know why their brother’s name isn’t on there,” Campbell said. “I am working real hard to get those names. If anyone knows of anybody that was killed during WWII, the big war, or the Korean War, or Vietnam, or of anybody, who is missing over there, they should call me. We have to have some kind of proof they were over there.”
Campbell said she doesn’t need the kind of detailed information that the government might need in order to determine someone had died over there, and that just about any kind of documentation would do, including: newspaper clippings, obituaries, or government documents or notices.
“Hopefully, we can find every soldier, sailor, and marine that was ever over there. Hopefully, I can get a list of all that are missing over there so we can put them on the monument, and show our respect,” Campbell said.