Correspondent photo / Sean Barron
Longtime skydiver Ben Kellogg lands in Quaker Steak & Lube’s parking lot at the start of Thursday’s 17th annual Patriots Day program at the Austintown restaurant.

AUSTINTOWN — For Linda Jones, serving her country is not only a sacred duty, it’s also a family affair.

“I’m the only female in my entire family who joined the military and made it,” said Jones, 55, of Austintown.

Several years after entering the U.S. Air Force soon after having graduated in 1987 from Austintown Fitch High School and completing boot camp training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, she served in the Ohio National Guard with the Zanesville-based 220th Engineering Installation Squadron. Also serving in that same unit were four of her five brothers: Tony, Carl, Angelo and Mark Walden.

“That was what helped us pay for college, with the GI Bill and a large family,” said Jones, one of seven siblings.

Suffice it to say Jones also was part of a rather large extended family, because she was among the 13 veterans who were honored and awarded during the 17th annual Patriots Day program and celebration at Quaker Steak & Lube, 5800 Patriot Blvd.

Since its inception, 244 veterans have been honored for their service, Ken Jakubec, a U.S. Marine Corp. veteran and event organizer, noted. Between 350 and 400 fellow veterans, first responders and others attended the event, he said.

Jones and brother Mark Walden worked largely on wiring and installing phone lines, and she helped repair damaged infrastructure. In addition, she served four years as a telephone switcher, then transferred into administration and personnel to provide support for the unit.

Jones, who served from 1987-95, received additional training at Tinker and Keesler Air Force bases before being honorably discharged.

After that, she attended Youngstown State University, then finished her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership at Malone College in Canton.

The other 12 veterans who were honored Thursday were:

1st Lt. Arnold W. Bokesch, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. He received a Bronze Star with Valor, along with three Purple Hearts for his service, which included having liberated a Nazi concentration camp, as well as serving in the Battle of the Bulge. He died in 1973 at age 57.

Sgt. William Wagonjack, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952, received combat training at Camp Pendleton, California, and attended airman school in Jacksonville, Florida. Wagonjack also worked on aircraft hydraulics and, before being discharged in June 1955, served in Marine Aircraft Repair Squadron 27.

Cpl. William E. Veauthier, who was sent to Vietnam on Jan. 1, 1968, after having attended Army basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 94th Artillery Bravo Company as a wireman before his discharge Sept. 5, 1969. Veauthier received the Purple Heart, a Presidential Unit Citation and four medals.

Sgt. Richard M. Watson, who was drafted in August 1968 into the Army and finished training as a field artillery crewman at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In December 1969, Watson received orders to report to the 90th Replacement Battalion in Long Binh, Vietnam. He received several medals and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Sgt. Jim Carmany, who was drafted in December 1969 into the Army, then, in early 1971, began a tour of duty in South Vietnam, where he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division near Fui Bai. After retiring Carmany became a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels and a member of Disabled American Veterans.

Cpl. Philip Gonzalez, who joined the Marines in February 1967 and received escape and evasion training before being sent to Vietnam. He was wounded during the 1968 Tet Offensive, then was discharged March 6, 1970. Gonzalez also is the recipient of numerous medals and a Purple Heart.

Army Spc. William Caban, who left YSU to volunteer for the service. Caban served with the 1st Aviation, B Troop, 3rd of the 17th Air Cavalry and was a door gunner on a UH-1 Huey helicopter before receiving several medals and an Aircraft Crewman’s Badge.

Cpl. Ivan Vincenzini, who joined the Marines in October 1966 and was sent to Vietnam two years later, where he was an avionics technician and helicopter door gunner for seven months before being the recipient of several medals.

Maj. Michael J. Briceland, whose first Army contract was signed in March 1969, before he graduated from Chaney High School. Briceland served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, 1st Infantry Division, 24th Infantry Division, and served in Iraq.

Army Staff Sgt. Eddie R. Williams served with M Company, 3rd of the 11th ACR Bad in Germany. He took part in several training and gunnery missions as a tank loader, driver and gunner. In September 1995, Williams completed drill sergeant school at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, then was medically discharged Dec. 12, 1999.

Army Spc. Donald L. White, who enlisted in March 1972, received training as an armor crewman and was assigned to the 194th Armor Brigade at Fort Knox.

Pfc. Richard H. Eisenbraun, who joined the Marines in 1966 and was assigned to the 5th Forest Reconnaissance unit and was trained in multiple fields. Eisenbraun was transferred to Okinawa to work as a carburetor and ignition specialist, then was assigned to haul ammunition while being stationed at Quangtree, Vietnam.

Thursday’s program also included longtime skydiver Ben Kellogg, who landed in the restaurant’s parking lot after having left Skydive Ricks in Petersburg. Kellogg took the place of Jim Drummond, who is competing in an event in the Czech Republic.

The Austintown Fitch High Concert Choir performed several musical selections, including the popular Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the USA,” as they shook hands with the honorees.

Delivering the invocation was Chaplain John Chittock of American Legion Post 737, who asked attendees to remember those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as well as military personnel serving worldwide.