Two weeks until the military vehicle rally and chicken dinner! Purchase tickets from any board member or e-mail us. Cost is $8.00 per meal and must be purchased in advance by October 12th. The dinner is from 4:30 to 7:00 pm.
As noted earlier in the year, we now have on display an official Air Force portrait of Jay County's own MSGT Olen McLaughlin who is the only service member still listed as Missing In Action from Jay County. The portrait is on loan from his former sister-in-law Cora McLaughlin.
We would like to take a moment to thank all who have donated to the roof fund. We are still in need of more money to get the roof replaced, but we are getting there. THANK YOU!
We here at the MOS hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and took time to pause to remember those brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation!
We are starting our 2009 fund drive to raise money for a new roof. Currently, there are so many leaks that we are only able to use about half of our display area. This means that many veteran's stories are unable to be shown. Whenever it rains outside, it is raining inside, but Ohio and Indiana Roofing Company of St. Henry, Ohio has made us a great offer to replace the roof at a cost of $64,000.00. We know that in these economic conditions money is tight, but we ask anyone and everyone who is able to donate, please do so. Donations can be mailed to us at: Museum of the Soldier PO BOX 518 Portland, IN 47371. We are a federally recognized 501-c-(3) non-for profit organization. Please help us in our mission to preserve the histories of those who have served in our country's armed forces!
We would like to take a moment to remember two of our former guest speakers who have recently passed.
Walter Palmer, one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen, the famous fighter pilots of WW2, passed away this spring. He flew 158 combat missions and later wrote a book about his experiences. Walter was one of our first annual meeting speakers. http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/Hoosier_member_of_Tuskegee_Airmen_dies_20090330
We also have learned that Jim Smith, author of The Last Mission has passed away. Jim spoke here last year about being aboard a B29 bomber on the last mission over Japan in 1945 which had motives far above damaging the Japanese.
We are honored to have known both of these veterans.
Matt Simmons of the MOS and Candace Lokey of the National League of POW/MIA Families have been researching a Portland native who deserves special remembrance. Olen McLaughlin was born in Jay County in 1927 and he and his four brothers all lived in this area. Most of them served in the military, and Olen joined the navy in 1945 as a radioman. In 1947, he transferred to the air force and was a missile systems operator. Later in his career, he became a tail gunner on a B52 bomber. On July 7th, 1967, his crew and others flew from Guam on a mission to bomb North Vietnam. While still 20 miles off the coast, a mid-air collision occurred between Olen's plane and another B52. Of the thirteen crewmen on both planes, six perished. MSGT Olen McLaughlin's body was never recovered and he is still listed as unaccounted for. We will be adding new information about this Jay County hero in the near future.
The United States Marine Corps sent a detachment of Marines to Portland to present the parents of LCPL Andrew Whitacre with the Bronze Star award that he earned in combat. The ceremony was held at the community center, and afterwards the group of Marines visited the museum. We are honored to have had them here.
The museum is set to re-open for the year this weekend! We will be open Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5pm. Unfortunately, this winter has been hard on our roof. Snow which settled on the roof eventually seeped into the cracks resulting in more leaks than ever before. We are desperately trying to raise the necessary funds to get the roof repaired. Consequently, some of our display areas are wet and items that were previously on display had to be removed and put into storage to prevent damage. Also, the Annual Meeting is set for April 25th, 2009 at Bearcreek Farms. Our guest speaker will be CPT Guy Gruters, USAF, a pilot and POW during the Vietnam War. Please contact us if you are a member have not received your invitation.
Thank you to all our supporters who came out on a beautiful October 18th to support the museum. A special thanks goes to Fisher Meats for the excellent food, Miller Aviation for sponsoring the tickets, and Portland Wal-Mart and Taco Bell for donating the condiments. Also thank you to Bollenbacher & Associates LLC for their generous support in making this year's annual chicken dinner a success. Thank You All!!!
The tickets for the annual BBQ chicken dinner are now on sale! Please see any board member, or buy them directly at Fishers Meats, or at the museum on open weekends.
The MOS regrets to announce the death of a past speaker and supporter. On July 28th, Margaret Ringenberg, a WW2 WASP pilot and female aviation pioneer passed away in her sleep at age 87. She had been a guest speaker here in the past, and she will be missed.
The Museum of the Soldier and the residents of Jay County mourn the loss of a local hero who died in Afghanistan. Lance Corporal Andrew Whitacre of Bryant, Indiana, was killed in action on June 19th. We had the chance to meet this fine young man last September when the MOS drove him and a fellow Marine in the annual Loblolly Days parade in Bryant. He will be missed by those who knew him, but his sacrifice will not be forgotten.
Local news articles on L/CPL Whitacre:
http://www.thecr.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=14902
Two of our members of the Board of Directors have recently been mentioned in the local newspaper, The Commercial Review. Art Hall was recognized for his volunteerism:
Doctor Gillum recounted his story about the last mission of WW2:
New photos were added to the exhibits page showing part of the WW1 display. Other exhibits are still on display including the uniforms of local veterans, Made in Indiana items, and the USS Pritchett display. We have also replaced all the telephones in the building, so we should be back in full service.
The MOS mourns the loss of one of our most devoted supporters, Dr. Ralph Schenck, who passed away on April 26th. Dr. Schenck was born in Canada and enlisted in the RCAF in 1943. He was flying Westland Lysanders at RAF Catfoss when he was offered a direct commission into the British Royal Air Force. He eagerly accepted, and began training to fly the Supermarine Spitfire at RAF Dyce in Scotland. He flew numerous reconnaissance missions over northern Europe in an unarmed PRU Spitfire before the war ended. He became an orthopedic surgeon after the war, and after becoming an American citizen in 1957, he practiced medicine in Portland for many years. He will be remembered always by those who were fortunate enough to have known him as a generous and friendly veteran, doctor, pilot, husband, and father. He was interred today at Green Park cemetery with full military honors.
The MOS is now open for the season on the first and third weekends of the month from Noon to 5 PM. We are still having phone problems, for which we apologize. Please use e-mail to contact us until we can get the water out of the phone system! See the 'Contact Us' page for e-mail addresses.