Story Archive

Death Before Dishonor

Korean War veteran Herman “Jr.” Strausbaugh led an effort to install a Korean War memorial in Chillicothe, Ohio. But pictures on the memorial included decidedly non-Korean items, like a Gulf War-era tank, a Vietnam-era machine gun, and F-16 fighters that weren’t produced until the early 1970s. Secondly, the memorial only listed the 18 names on the Department of Defense’s official list of men who died in Korea, which left off people like Pvt. John Kutschbach, who was injured by a grenade in Korea, but died in Japan after he was flown there to be treated. The memorial committee had been informed of the errors, but the memorial had already been shipped from India. When asked about the issue, Strausbaugh said only the 18 official names should be included, and as far as the weaponry, he didn’t “see what the big deal is.” Tecstone Granite, the company that made the memorial, saw things differently. They are shipping the memorial to their Columbus, Ohio, plant where it will be resurfaced and engraved with correct information. “There’s nothing wrong with making a mistake. The problem is when you make a mistake and refuse to correct it. And that’s what we’re going to do — correct it,” said Neil Miller, vice president of the veterans’ council. “We feel it’s the right thing to do,” Tecstone’s general manager, Jay Kown, told the council. (MS/Chillicothe Gazette) ...Respected vet doesn’t care; major corporation does. What’s next, cats and dogs living together?