WWII Memorial honors 'heroes walking among us'
ASHLAND To mark the 81st anniversary of the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare, hundreds of attendees gathered to witness the unveiling of a monument honoring the thousands of Boyd Countians who served in WWII.
Though the skies above were overcast, the rain held off for Friday's ceremony, painting a symbolic nod to D-Day's Operation Overlord where Allied forces began the eventual liberation of Western Europe upon the beaches of France, despite the loss of more than 4,000 allied soldiers.
The anniversary of the Normandy invasion is often recognized as the 'beginning of the end,' of the atrocities committed overseas during WWII and invoke remembrance of those brave fathers, brothers and sons at least once a year.
However, with the instillation of eight panels depicting the thousands of local names who witnessed the cost of the conflict firsthand, local organizers have ensured their sacrifices will be remembered in Boyd County beyond a calendar date.
Members of Ashland Paul G. Blazer High School's JROTC marked the beginning of the ceremony by raising the flags of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard.
JROTC member Rilee Layman Bohanon was among them, raising a flag mere steps away from the panel that would reveal the name of his great grandfather.
'This stands not only as a tribute, but also as what a community can do together,' Stephen Harris, president elect of Ashland Rotary Club, said.
Harris said when he attended a Rotary meeting welcoming its newest members 10 years ago, project spearhead Cheryl Spriggs was organizing the eventual construction of the memorial wall, even before securing a location, design or financial support.
As Spriggs's plans continued throughout her term as Ashland City Commissioner, former Ashland Mayor Matt Perkins said the piece of property at the intersection of 17th Street and Carter Avenue was eventually secured.
'This piece of property represents grit and determination,' Perkins said, explaining a list of WWII veterans used to be displayed at the local post office but was eventually removed, sparking Spriggs and community members' commitment to restore a tribute to the greatest generation.
Current Ashland Mayor Chuck Charles said the wall ensures recognition of 'the human cost of conflict ... serv(ing) as a tangible way to see the impact of war.'
Charles said the wall allows the community to remember, reflect and respect.
For Spriggs's determination, Charles presented the former commissioner with a key to the city.
Spriggs said it has been 10 years since she brought the idea to her fellow Rotarians and she has spent the last 7 years working alongside numerous community members and organizations to gather every name deployed from Ashland or Boyd County for their spot on the wall, secure financial donations and collaborated with Kim Jenkins, Highlands Museum & Discovery Center director, and VisitAKY's Brandy Clark on the overall design of the panels and site layout.
Spriggs said Clark was the brain child behind fitting more than 6,000 names on the four panels, both sides depicting iconic WWII imagery from a distance.
'Virtually everybody in this town was touched by WWII,' Spriggs said, sharing the story of Griffith Street — roughly the size of two blocks — from where 30 men were drafted.
Spriggs also recognized the Henderson family, who sent all four sons overseas and would go years without knowing their location or if they were still alive.
Spriggs said though D-Day was not the end of the war, eventually thousands of servicemen would return from the Pacific, Europe, Africa and beyond, back home to Boyd County.
'There were heroes walking among us everywhere,' Spriggs said, recognizing that some families were not so lucky, as hundreds of local men were killed in action, taken prisoner or are described only as missing in action, each of them now bare a golden star alongside their name on the wall.
As the population of WWII Veterans continues to dwindle, community members on Friday hope the monument in the heart of Ashland will serve as a reminder of those that sacrificed for a future they would never see.
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