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CANFIELD -- Mark Yoder pulled two tours of duty in Germany during the 1970s, and he continues serving as a member of American Legion Post 177 in Canfield and as a member of the local funeral Honor Guard.
Yoder was born at Salem Hospital and his family later moved to Canfield where he attended kindergarten through his sophomore year of high school. His family then moved to Arizona, where he graduated from Sahuaro High School in Tucson in 1974. Before graduation, he began his military career.
"I joined the Army in February of 1974 under a delayed enlistment program," Yoder said. "I was still in high school but was able to commit to the Army as soon as I graduated."
In June of 1974, he went into the Army and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for basic training. He continued to train at military police school in Fort Gordon, Georgia, graduating in November 1974.
After graduation at Fort Gordon, Yoder was assigned to the Army's 230th Military Police Company and was sent to Kaiserslautern, Germany. Yoder said it was one of the larger military communities in Germany, with combined military bases referred to as "concerns." The area was located next to Ramstein Air Force Base.
Yoder went to Germany as a private first class and quickly rose to the rank of Specialist 4. He served in Kaiserslautern in a police-like atmosphere.
"We called it 'White Hat Duty' where we wore a dress uniform," he said. "We handled the concerns and town similar to what police do here. We handled crash investigations, drunk driving, fights and ensured the safety of military personnel and facilities."
He said the work was also known as garrison duty. The MPs either worked in that or in field duty, where they were on the road with military vehicles. He added MPs would serve as tower guards to secure the perimeter of an ammunition depot. Those on garrison duty served as a reserve force to back up the tower guards.
Part of Yoder's training for Germany was the knowledge of "Smell-ems" or formerly known as Soviet Military Liaison Vehicles. Yoder said these vehicles were like any other, but contained a specific type of license plate that identified them.
"We were not to talk to or interfere with them," he said. "We just had to report where they were."
Yoder served in Kaiserslautern from Late 1974 through 1977. He returned to the states and decided to re-enlist at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
"I thought I would do three years and get out with a good job in Arizona," Yoder said. "The Army had other ideas."
He was sent back to school to learn the German language and was sent to Stuttgart and the headquarters of the 7th Army. He was stationed at Patch Barracks.
"It was where every general and admiral of all the armed forces was located," Yoder said. "They had their fingers on the pulse of what was happening in the world."
He was stationed there for around 15 months and achieved the rank of E5 Sergeant. At the end of his second enlistment, he was honorably discharged in 1980.
He returned home in April 1980 and stayed in Arizona for a few years. In 1987, he came back to Ohio to help his brother open a car shop at Market Street and Western Reserve Road in Boardman. It was during this time he met his future wife, Robin.
He returned to Arizona in October 1987 and kept in touch with Robin, who moved to Arizona in 1988 to be near Yoder. The couple later married.
With so many friends and family back in Ohio, the couple decided to move back to the area in 1997. Yoder got a job managing three auto parts stores and handling outside sales. He stayed with it until retirement in 2019.
In 2009, Yoder joined the American Legion on a national level. He said he supported what the legion represented and what they did for veterans. At the time, he never joined a post.
After holding a membership for a while, Yoder decided to join the Columbiana American Legion Post, but a friend at Post 177 in Canfield encouraged him to transfer his membership. He did so and after a short time, in early 2022, he became second vice commander. In November of the same year, he took over as Post 177 commander and held that position until this year.
"I stepped down as commander so my wife and I could do some traveling," he said.
Yoder also serves as a member of the funeral Honor Guard. He said this unit performs at funerals, providing a rifle salute, taps and presentation of the American flag to loved ones.
"I am honored to be a part of this program," he said.
Mark Yoder
AGE: 70
RESIDENCE: Canfield
SERVICE BRANCH: U.S. Army 230th Military Police Company
RANK: E5 sergeant
MILITARY HONORS: Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Ribbon
OCCUPATION: Auto Parts store manager and outside sales
FAMILY: wife, Robin; children, Jennifer (Arizona), Ryan (Missouri) and Rayann (Aurora); 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren