Judge O’Neill Honors Veterans During Dedication Ceremony
Nearly 50 residents, an Ohio Supreme Court judge and Newbury High School’s band braved cold wind and rain Nov. 11 to dedicate Newbury Veterans Park.
As raindrops blew through the five-sided gazebo, one cornerstone of the fledgling park, veterans, local politicians and those contributing to the project gathered to appreciate the memorial.
“There is nothing more fitting than dedicating this park to veterans on Veterans Day,” said Ken Hunter, commander of American Legion Post 663 in Newbury Township, adding a lot of people laid down their weapons after serving in the military and picked up their tools to work in Geauga County.
“A lot of businesses in Newbury were founded by vets returning from World War II,” he said.
Newbury will be celebrating its bicentennial next year and there are graves of soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War in some of the township’s cemeteries, Hunter said.
Retired Lt. Col. William O’Neill of the U.S. Army, now sitting on the Ohio Supreme Court, addressed the crowd at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month.
“This is a day to celebrate and honor all who have served in the defense of the greatest nation on Earth,” O’Neill said, adding the tradition commemorates the end of World War I.
The U.S. has depending upon the “citizen” soldier since the start of the Revolutionary War, “the ordinary citizen being asked to do the extraordinary task in defense of liberty,” he said.
He recalled his own father, Howard, who served as a first lieutenant in the bombing of the oil fields of Ploesti, Romania, destroying 40 percent of the Nazi’s fuel supply during the Army Air Corps’ famous 773rd Airlift Squadron. Of the 163 bombers to fly that day, only 89 made it back to Benghazi.
“Casualties for the 1,726-man force that had flown into hell were heart-rending. Nearly a third of the crews failed to return with more than 300 known dead and 140 captured,” O’Neill said.
In Vietnam, William O’Neill led a unit escorting news crews to sites on the battlefield, attached to the 101st Airborne Division, he said, adding “Life” magazine’s Larry Borrows and five other reporters died when they were being escorted to the last major invasion into Laos.
Thanks to the G.I. Bill, O’Neill was able to go to college and law school, then work with the attorney general’s office and become a judge on the state supreme court. He also has a son in the military.
Township Trustee Glen Quigley, who has spearheaded the development of the southwest corner of the intersection of Auburn Road and state Route 87 into a park honoring veterans, credited the community with donating money, materials, time and energy over the last three years to make the dream happen.
“This is truly a community project. I remember the day the children of the (Newbury United Community) Church gave us $33 in change. That started it,” he said, adding he had tried to recognize every business and organization that donated to the cause.
The list of 46 was on the program for the dedication, and Quigley said he hoped he included everyone.
“We’ve gotten this far – we’re going to finish it,” he said. “So many people have done so much, I can’t say thank you enough.”
Newbury Schools’ band, standing in the rain, played “The Star-Spangled Banner” to kick off the celebration and “America the Beautiful” at the end.
After the event, Quigley said the rest of the park will include a low-maintenance playground, a sitting area made from the old silo that had to be demolished, walking trails, a small parking lot, landscaping and, right on the corner, a military tank.
About $11,600 in a grant from the Ohio Division of Natural Resources will help pay for the work on the playground and more grants are possible.
Much of the work will have to wait on better weather, but with the funds available, Quigley said the project should move along more quickly.
“In the spring, we’re going to hit the ground running,” he said.
