The names of 29 fallen Spring Valley servicemembers from World War I to Afghanistan are etched in stone on a new monument.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Michael C. Nolen was killed in action on June 27, 2011, during a combat operation in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Nolen, who was only weeks away from coming home, called and spoke to his mother the morning of his final mission. He was 22 years old.
U.S. Army Cpl. Steven E. Wasson of the 101st Airborne Division was a gunner on a Chinook helicopter that was shot down by enemy fire on May 5, 1970, during the Vietnam War. There were no survivors. He was 19 years old.
Their honorable sacrifice is forever memorialized among fallen comrades, thanks to American Legion Rickerd-Danielson Post 227.
Sisters of Nolen and Wasson stood tearfully before a new war monument in Spring Valley, Wis., where their brothers’ names are etched in stone along with 29 other servicemembers from the area who paid the highest price in service to their country. The monument was dedicated by Post 227 on Memorial Day to remember the local fallen from World War I to Afghanistan.
“I am so proud of the Legion that they have done this for not only him (Wasson), but all the people who have served from this community,” said Linda Ness, a sister of Wasson, who after 55 years remarked how “the grieving never stops. We just always remember that he did that for us.” And the memorial is a living reminder of that sacrifice. “We are just so thankful. Our family is so thankful. The honor is finally there for this community.”
“This war monument is another visual element to tell people that we’re still here, and we still remember these community members,” said Post 227 Adjutant Scott Gallatin. “It was important that people knew this was for the community, about the community.”
The monument dedication ceremony included the Spring Valley High School band, Boy Scouts, Post 227’s honor guard, Auxiliary Unit 227 handing out poppies, and the support of community members from the small town of 1,200 people. In remembrance of the fallen on Memorial Day, Gallatin read the names of the men on the monument and shared their heroic efforts in war when they paid the full measure. The names include 12 from World War I, 13 from World War II, one from Korea with another to be added, one from Vietnam, and one from the Afghanistan war.
“There’s a lot of both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring stories when we started scratching the surface to who these gentlemen were,” Gallatin said. The stories and photos of the men are on Post 227’s website.
One difficult story he learned in researching the names of the local fallen was that the late Spring Valley residents Adolph and Gertrude Stein lost two sons – Pvt. Robert Carl Stein and Pvt. Albert I. Stein – in World War I from the Spanish Flu, only days apart. Then there’s the namesakes of Post 227 – Pfc. Ralph L. Rickerd, who died in World War I during the Battle of Soissons, and Cpl. Dorance Danielson, who was part of the Bataan Death March and died as a POW.
The heroic stories continue with those who were killed during the Battle of Belleau Wood, the Meuse-Argonne Forest Offensive, the Battle of the Bulge, on B-24 missions, or who survived D-Day but was later killed in action, and more. There are Purple Heart, Silver Star and Bronze Star recipients. It is a memorial of local Spring Valley heroes whose sacrifices are forever etched in remembrance.
For Christina De Hoogh, the monument is a reminder that her brother Nolen lost his life for his country, a sacrifice he was willing to make.
“It’s nice to have it recognized where people can see who have sacrificed and gave us the freedoms that we have,” said De Hoogh, who misses the camaraderie with her brother, along with their adventures together like riding motorcycles, hiking and the cruise to Bermuda they took before he deployed. “The monument is beautifully done.”
The monument has been 10 years in the making after a smaller war memorial was torn down when the nursing home it was near also was demolished. The plan to rebuild a new one started right then.
“We have been saying we are going to have a new memorial. Well, today is it,” said Peter Esanbock, past Post 227 commander of 15 years, to applause from the crowd. “I get choked up. It’s the one thing that I wanted to see, and here it is. I’m happy.”
The groundbreaking for the current monument was a year ago followed by the raising of a new flagpole and laying of cement for the monument to stand on, which was donated.
“It’s been an honor helping to put it all together,” Gallatin said. “I am very proud of it. We came together as a group. We were done waiting; it was time to get it done. Really proud how the post came together and got it done.”
Above the names of the fallen is the inscription “We dedicate this memorial to the memory of those from our community who served and sacrificed all when they answered the country’s call to war,” along with The American Legion emblem and the outline of the state of Wisconsin with a star where Spring Valley is located.
“It’s a reminder to people that we (The American Legion) are here, and we’re here for you,” Gallatin said. “It’s a visual acknowledgement of the respect that we have for these people who stepped up in times of need.”
- Honor & Remembrance