5 Ohio Hall of Fame veterans honored in Campbell

CAMPBELL – If you praise Sgt. Robert E. Pluchinsky for his military service and bravery during his time in the Vietnam War as part of the U.S. Army, he likely will tell you that such accolades should be spread far beyond himself.

“It’s very humbling to see the community come out to support me. Everybody who serves should be remembered all year. Veterans Day should be 365 days a year,” Pluchinsky, 76, of Poland, said.

Suffice it to say that a significant part of the “everybody” is Pluchinsky’s family, for whom a deep desire to serve the country is embedded in their DNA. Specifically, his mother was an Army nurse during World War II, Pluchinsky’s father as well as his brother and sister-in-law were in the U.S. Marines, and his daughter served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming a police officer in Tucson, Arizona.

“I come from a long list of military involvement,” Pluchinsky added.

For his service and valor, Pluchinsky was one of five Campbell veterans inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame. The men also were honored during a Veterans Day program Wednesday morning at the community center in Roosevelt Park.

Serving as master of ceremonies was city Councilwoman Mary Janek, D-3rd Ward, who also organized the patriotic gathering.

The other four veterans were Ensign Stanley Martauz, Warrant Officer Robert L. Baird, Lance Cpl. Anthony S. Tisler and Cpl. Robert E. Bush Jr.

In addition to those who fought in combat, others who often are overlooked, such as cooks and secretaries, also should be honored, Pluchinsky noted.

“He always has been my hero,” Pluchinsky’s wife, Jewel Pluchinsky said. “I met him when he first came home (from Vietnam). He was very troubled and bruised by the war, but he fought over there with all he had and saved his men.”

The two of them met in 1970, when Robert Pluchinsky was struggling mentally and emotionally from the effects of the war. Nevertheless, he sought to place others first, and has developed into a loving father, friend and person willing to help anyone, she added.

In addition, Pluchinsky has a pronounced sense of humor and enjoys exposing others to his “Bob-isms,” his wife said.

The program’s keynote speaker was Ted Mosure, the Ohio Military Hall of Fame’s president, who said that inductees join “a fairly exclusive club.”

The OMHOF was established in 2000 and organized by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, Mosure told an audience of about 150 veterans, elected officials, high school students and others.

The organization typically receives between 100 and 120 applications per year, he said, adding that the OMHOF seeks the public’s input regarding who it feels should be considered for the honor.

“We have five (inductees) from the city, that’s quite an honor,” Mayor Bill Valentino said in his remarks.

Veterans Day should be a time to pause, reflect and show gratitude to those who have made sacrifices to defend the freedoms Americans enjoy, as well as those who have served during war and peacetime, Valentino added.

In addition, it’s imperative that people honor the men and women who have served the nation with unwavering commitment and as “guardians of the American experience,” Janek said.

Every generation has produced those who are willing to answer the call of duty, sacrifice for something greater than themselves and carry the torch, Janek said, adding that Campbell is or has been home to “heroes who embody the best of the American spirit.”

Even though Pluchinsky, Bush, Tisler, Martauz and Baird had diverse military experiences, all five of them are united in their commitment to honorably serve the country, she continued.

“Heroism exists within our city and among our neighbors,” Janek said.

She also thanked veterans who have served the 250-year-old nation while saying their families also deserved to be recognized.

Echoing similar sentiments was city Law Director Lamprini G. Mathews, who said that service to the nation is more than merely wearing a uniform. More importantly, it represents something borne of one’s heart. Veterans’ service and courage must not be forgotten, Mathews added.

Musical selections were from the Campbell Memorial High School Band Ensemble, under the direction of Melinda Fitzhenry.

The Presentation of Colors was courtesy of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 2 Color Guard.

Five Campbell veterans in the Ohio Military Hall of Fame who were honored Wednesday:

* Ensign Stanley Martauz, who was inducted in 2005 after having served in the U.S. Navy and received a Silver Star. Martauz was an assistant diving officer who conducted successful attacks that resulted in his vessel evading enemy countermeasures and sinking enemy ships.

* Warrant Officer Robert L. Baird, who was inducted in 2012 and had served in the U.S. Army before being the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. On Jan. 30, 1968, during the Tet Offensive, as an aircraft commander of an ambulance helicopter on a rescue mission in Kontum City, Vietnam, Baird volunteered for the operation via landing in a compound that was under heavy enemy fire. Despite the inherent danger he faced, Baird remained until his helicopter was loaded to capacity, then took off and flew the patients to safety. He returned twice more that day to perform similar rescues.

* Lance Cpl. Anthony S. Tisler, a 2012 OMHOF inductee who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and earned the Navy Commendation Medal with “V” Device for his actions as a fire team leader with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. During a search-and-destroy mission April 7, 1968, his company was assigned to secure a hill near a combat base in Ky Son, Vietnam, when they came under heavy mortar and automatic-weapons fire from an entrenched North Vietnamese Army force, which resulted in numerous casualties. Nevertheless, Tisler left his covered position to cross fire-swept terrain to aid then treat the injured soldiers, including one he safely moved to a helicopter landing zone.

* Cpl. Robert E. Bush Jr., a 2014 inductee and Navy veteran who earned the Navy Commendation with “V” Device as an aerial gunner with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 362. On Sept. 7, 1967, during operations against insurgent communist Viet Cong forces in the Republic of Vietnam, Bush’s aircraft led two helicopters that had been assigned to an emergency medical evacuation mission three miles from Con Thien, Vietnam. After landing in a zone, he rescued three seriously injured Marines as his aircraft came under heavy enemy automatic-weapons fire and he was struck in the thigh.

* Sgt. Robert E. Pluchinsky, who was inducted into the OMHOF in 2016 after serving in the Army and earning the Silver Star. Pluchinsky was serving as a squad leader on a counter-insurgency operation in enemy territory when, on Nov. 23, 1969, his unit was subjected to automatic-weapons and rocket-propelled grenade fire from several enemy positions. Consequently, Pluchinsky deployed his men into strategic areas, then directed their suppressive fire on the insurgents. Despite danger to himself, Pluchinsky maneuvered through hostile fire before seeing an injured comrade, who he carried to a medical evacuation helicopter, saving the man’s life.