Wall honors sacrifices of soldiers killed
Monument moves throughout the Mahoning Valley
CHAMPION — The Mahoning Valley Wall of Honor provides an opportunity to showcase the names of military personnel from the tricounty area killed during war.
Six walls, each 4-by-8 feet, have 2,736 names on them from Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties.
The walls have been showcased locally, including at Windsor House in Champion, Shepherd of the Valley in Howland and Washington Square in Warren.
Dan Nagy of Howland, a Vietnam veteran and retired McDonald fire chief, said the first wall was constructed 11 years ago. It was organized by Nagy and David Luther, a veteran and retired pastor.
He said the two are members of American Legion Post 700 in Howland and were tasked with honoring those armed forces personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Nagy said he was working at a shop in Niles called BP Shirt Co. and Luther stopped by, seeking a way to honor military casualties from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. This led to the creation of the first wall using a sheet of finished oak plywood.
“The finished product was widely accepted by veterans organizations and has made many stops over the last 11 years in the Valley,” he said.
Nagy said on the wall under Vietnam casualties is a childhood friend of his, Kenneth J. Nervie of Youngstown, a 1962 Cardinal Mooney High School graduate.
“I have known him since second grade. Ken was in my wedding. He was a good friend. He went on his first patrol in Vietnam after being there for two weeks and stepped on a land mine,” Nagy recalled.
He said the loss of a friend was his motivation for the wall.
“I told Dave (Luther) I had an idea and to come back in a half-hour,” he said — and presented to him the wall idea.
Today, there are six memorial walls that include casualties from World War I and II, and wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nagy said the World War II walls include three sections.
He said considerable research was done to find names and information on local military personnel for the walls. Many late nights were spent researching, typing, double-checking names and fundraising.
“I went to national archive lists of those killed in action by state and picked the people from Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties” Nagy recalled.
He said records from most past wars were not as detailed and available as more recent conflicts.
“After going to different websites, I accomplished what I needed to accomplish. The research for these walls took two-and-a-half years to complete all six walls,” Nagy said.
One wall was done at the shirt shop in Niles with materials donated by Home Depot and other companies.
“It is mind-boggling how many people’s names are on these walls. The one thing many veterans share is that freedom is not free, and freedom comes at a price,” he said.
Space is available on each wall to add names.
Each wall has its own base, which was made by carpentry students at Trumbull Career and Technical Center.
“We went to them with the design and bought the materials and the students made the bases,” Nagy said.
Luther said too often people are so busy in their daily lives or distracted that they forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms enjoyed today.
He said the walls are taken to nursing homes because the veterans there sometimes know some of the people listed on the walls.
“The veterans appreciate the walls so much. They know someone who has died in war,” he said.
Luther said the World War II walls have the longest list with 1,600 names because so many soldiers died in action in that war compared to others
“The list takes three boards for the World War II personnel killed while serving. The lists for some of the other wars are on one wall or part of a wall,” he said.
Luther said regardless of what war they served in, veterans deserve respect for what they have done serving the country.
“These walls are important because they remind everyone to never forget those who lost their lives for the freedoms we all have today,” he said.
He said locally there are some World War II veterans still alive who are in their late 90s and early 100s.
Robin Powell, Windsor House at Champion’s activity director, said she was excited when some of the walls were able to be displayed at the nursing home this summer to honor the veterans who are residents there.
“We have veterans here who enjoyed having the wall here. Many residents looked at the Korean War wall, knowing some of those names,” she said.
Robert Brown, an Army veteran and Windsor House resident, said: “These guys gave their lives for our country. When you see the walls, it reminds you of all the people who have died.”
Nagy said the wall is available for available for display at different locations as well as a program to explain how the wall started.
To have the wall showcased, contact Nagy at 330-856-4846 or email ddannagy@aol.com.