Correspondent photos / Sean Barron Members of Austintown Fitch High School’s Junior ROTC program prepare for a dedication ceremony Friday to welcome a new Veterans Plaza near the football field.

AUSTINTOWN — After having served his country, Kenneth J. David is heart-warmed to see a new addition that promises to serve others in a variety of ways.

“Austintown Fitch (High School) is a highly motivated place for veterans,” said David, of Girard.

A significant part of that motivation was the driving force behind a new Veterans Plaza on the north end of the school, which was celebrated during a special dedication ceremony and program Friday evening there.

David, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1969 to 1971, including a year in the Vietnam War, said he also was pleased with the plaza’s location next to the football field, which promises to give it greater visibility. Those attending Fitch Falcons home games will pass it en route to the stadium, said David, who served as his lieutenant’s radio man. David also is distinguished for having received the Medal of Honor — the nation’s highest award for valor — from former President Joe Biden in January.

In addition, David’s service included not only country, but county and community. He and fellow veteran Bob Marino, who enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, were instrumental in getting an estimated 35 Trumbull County bridges, roads and highways named in honor of veterans, he said.

One of those was the Women Veterans Bridge in Warren, which, until 2016, had been the West Market Street Bridge. The name change was the first of its kind in Ohio, David added.

The Veterans Plaza is the latest installment at the school to celebrate and honor those who served their country. Another is its Purple Heart Room, which helps to meet the needs of military-connected students and families.

Also this year, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce announced that Austintown Fitch High was one of 367 schools across the state to have received Purple Heart designations as members of the Purple Star Class of 2025.

Such schools “show a significant commitment to serving students and families connected to our nation’s Armed Forces,” according to the Ohio Department of Education’s website.

The main speaker for Friday’s ceremony was Randy Kibler, commander of Austintown-based Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4237, who praised all veterans for their selflessness and sacrifice, and said the new Veterans Plaza can serve as a site of reflection for veterans and others.

Most of those who opted to serve the nation, in essence, traded in comfort and security for sacrifice and a strong sense of duty and purpose, as well as entering an arena filled with unknowns, Kibler said. Also, many of those who fought for the country returned in altered states and were never the same, he explained.

“Veterans, this is for you,” Kibler said, pointing at the plaza while fighting back tears.

“This dedication is not only for our country, but for our Austintown community, as we memorialize the strength, determination and bravery of those who call this place home,” Austintown Schools Superintendent Timothy Kelty said in his remarks.

Kelty, an Army veteran who served one year in Operation Desert Storm, added that his school district “is unmatched in our gratitude towards veterans. It’s our promise that your courage will never be forgotten.”

The plaza, to which more benches will be added, also was the result of nearly a year of planning, Kelty said.

In addition, the dedication ceremony preceded the Fitch Falcons’ home game against the Massillon-Jackson Polar Bears in Week 2 of the young high school football season.