Sun staff
A new memorial is being raised at East Fork State Park to honor Clermont County servicemen who gave their lives.
A dedication ceremony for the memorial will be held Nov. 10 at the Matt Maupin Welcome Pavilion at the park.
The Fallen Heroes Memorial will include the names of servicemen who have lost their lives in conflicts that have occured since Desert Storm.
Bob Derr, a member of the committee to raise funds for the memorial, said they don’t have a specific memorial in Clermont County to honor men who have died in recent conflicts.
“We just want a place to honor these men,” Derr said. “It is someplace for the Gold Star families to go and make peace, and a place to help them get through their times of sorrow.”
Derr said they began planning for the memorial more than a year ago.
“We have been working on the fund-raising,” Derr said. “We are getting near the end.”
Derr said all the funds for the memorial were raised by the committee. He said individuals and businesses in the community donated nearly $40,000 for the memorial.
The men whose names who are on the memorial include James Lumpkins, of New Richmond; Todd Rose of Union Township; Keith Maupin, of Batavia; Charles Kiser, of Cleveland, Wis.; Nicholas Erdy, of Williamsburg, Tyler Swisher, of Cincinnati; Bryan Taylor, of Milford; William Spencer, of Paris, Tenn.; Phillip McNeill, of Sunrise, Fla., Mark Wojciechowski, of Cincinnati; Gregory Missman, of Batavia; David Mitchell, of Loveland; Jacob Dohrenwend, of Milford; and Joseph Bauer, of Cincinnati.
The men were involved in conflicts including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and other conflicts and incidents.
A dedication ceremony for the memorial will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 10.
The memorial is locate beside the Matt Maupin Welcome Pavilion at East Fork State Park near the beach area.
For more information about the memorial call (513) 732-7245.