UNION TOWNSHIP, Ohio — At the top of each hour, beginning at 6 a.m. Memorial Day morning, a voice reads out a name at Union Township's Veteran's Memorial Park.
Each name belongs to a person from the Tri-State who made the ultimate sacrifice while in service to the United States.
“This event is very close to my heart,” former chapter president and war photographer Ken Williamson said.
This year is the 32nd annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the park, where members of the Veterans of America Chapter 649 read off the names of local war heroes who died in the line of duty.
Anyone is able to come to the event, and attendees can even be the voice speaking their loved ones' names to keep their legacy alive.
Williamson’s time in Vietnam, he said, is a time that never fades from his mind.
“You had to get in your mind you have to make it out of here some way and hope you do,” he said.
After saying the veteran’s names, members in attendance put a flag on a cross and salute.
For Mike Monahan, the event is an opportunity to honor every sacrifice made in the line of duty — even by those who served without ever picking up a weapon.
"He alerted on a trip wire and I stopped the patrol and two guys went up and it blew up," said Monahan, recounting his time as a scout dog handler leading his beloved partner, Chico.
RELATED | 4,000 military dogs were left behind in Vietnam. Their handlers still love them.
People survived because of Chico's service, Monahan said.
"Chico was a hero, I was just at the other end of the leash," he said.
You can learn more about Monahan's work and find his book about Chico's story here.
