The Penalty Box: A Matter Of Honor
February 16, 2022 at 2:32 a.m.
The Penalty Box: A Matter Of Honor
By Roger Grossman-
The school board has been approached with the concept of naming the football stadium at Wawasee after Harry J. Michael.
Not everyone believes this is a good idea.
Full disclosure: I have been following this story long before it hit the news. While I am not at all involved in the effort to name the field, those who are made me aware of their plans last fall. They thought it was a story worth telling.
Let me lay out a few more of the ground rules for today’s column.
The attaching of a person’s name to a place or structure is a very serious thing, and not in any way something that the stewards of that space should take lightly. It’s permanent, and it’s forever, and it should be treated that way.
The approval process should be arduous, the person diligently vetted and there should be no such thing as a fast-track to make it happen. I appreciate the school board letting this sit for a little while before acting.
Also, I completely respect everyone who is proposing this, and I appreciate the concepts offered and the way they were presented by those in opposition. Nothing you read here should leave you feeling otherwise.
Now, who is Harry Michael?
Michael was a three-sport athlete at Milford High School. He played basketball, baseball and track and he lettered in all of them.
In World War II, he was a platoon leader and 2nd Lieutenant of an infantry regiment in the army. He is credited with single-handedly taking control of two German machine gun nests, killing two Germans, wounding four and captured 13 others.
He went on to lead his platoon on a full-on assault of enemy pillboxes where they killed 10 and captured 30 of Hitler’s best soldiers.
The very next day—the day after his 23rd birthday in March of 1945—he was mortally wounded while scouring the woods in search of an enemy sniper that was attacking their camp.
In 1946, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
A group led by Rich Rhodes and Dave Baumgartner is asking Wawasee Schools to honor this war hero with the exclusive honor of naming Wawasee’s football facility after him.
I’ll use Becky Tusing’s comments to capture the essence of those who don’t want this.
She addressed the board, and said that she has family members who served in the military, and it’s not fair to them to have one man’s service honored and not all those who served receive the same attention.
She also claims “It would dishonor all if we would serve to elevate one veteran above another.”
I totally understand where she is coming from and I respect her point of view, but I disagree with it, too.
Harry Michael received the Medal of Honor. Since 1863, only 3,511 individuals have received this award. Only 473 of those fought in World War II. That’s less than 500 out of 16 million who served in that war.
To argue that Harry Michael shouldn’t be honored above others is futile. He already has been—just not here by the people in his home community.
So, I am offering a solution that I think could make everyone happy, and would also honor veterans—all of them—in a way all of Wawasee could be proud of.
First, rename the field Warrior Field at Harry J. Michael Stadium. OK, it’s long—I admit to that. But it keeps “Warrior Field” in the name while adding Michael’s name to it.
Second, it was suggested that a “Warrior Wall” for all veterans be a more fitting tribute. I love that idea!
At that beautiful new entrance to the seating area on the northeast corner of the facility, construct a large, permanent, granite (or whatever stone you like) wall. Etch into it the name of every former student of the communities that make up what is now known as Wawasee who served in the military. If you want, you could put qualifiers on it—like that they had to play a sport since the memorial would be at an athletic facility, or that they had to be honorably discharged (going back to the concept that you want this to be a wall of honorable people). Or put them all on it!
Name, highest rank achieved, branch served and years of service should all be carved into history for all to see and pay their respects to.
And if you’re worried about the money, I am guessing the community as a whole would rise up and support such a noble cause. Rhodes already has said the name change would be paid for privately. If that’s true, raising money for a “Warrior Wall” shouldn’t be that tough.
Again, I’m not here to call anyone out. I am encouraging all involved to create something really outstanding. Go all-in on this! Make it happen!
And tell me when it’s unveiled, because I definitely want to be there.
The school board has been approached with the concept of naming the football stadium at Wawasee after Harry J. Michael.
Not everyone believes this is a good idea.
Full disclosure: I have been following this story long before it hit the news. While I am not at all involved in the effort to name the field, those who are made me aware of their plans last fall. They thought it was a story worth telling.
Let me lay out a few more of the ground rules for today’s column.
The attaching of a person’s name to a place or structure is a very serious thing, and not in any way something that the stewards of that space should take lightly. It’s permanent, and it’s forever, and it should be treated that way.
The approval process should be arduous, the person diligently vetted and there should be no such thing as a fast-track to make it happen. I appreciate the school board letting this sit for a little while before acting.
Also, I completely respect everyone who is proposing this, and I appreciate the concepts offered and the way they were presented by those in opposition. Nothing you read here should leave you feeling otherwise.
Now, who is Harry Michael?
Michael was a three-sport athlete at Milford High School. He played basketball, baseball and track and he lettered in all of them.
In World War II, he was a platoon leader and 2nd Lieutenant of an infantry regiment in the army. He is credited with single-handedly taking control of two German machine gun nests, killing two Germans, wounding four and captured 13 others.
He went on to lead his platoon on a full-on assault of enemy pillboxes where they killed 10 and captured 30 of Hitler’s best soldiers.
The very next day—the day after his 23rd birthday in March of 1945—he was mortally wounded while scouring the woods in search of an enemy sniper that was attacking their camp.
In 1946, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
A group led by Rich Rhodes and Dave Baumgartner is asking Wawasee Schools to honor this war hero with the exclusive honor of naming Wawasee’s football facility after him.
I’ll use Becky Tusing’s comments to capture the essence of those who don’t want this.
She addressed the board, and said that she has family members who served in the military, and it’s not fair to them to have one man’s service honored and not all those who served receive the same attention.
She also claims “It would dishonor all if we would serve to elevate one veteran above another.”
I totally understand where she is coming from and I respect her point of view, but I disagree with it, too.
Harry Michael received the Medal of Honor. Since 1863, only 3,511 individuals have received this award. Only 473 of those fought in World War II. That’s less than 500 out of 16 million who served in that war.
To argue that Harry Michael shouldn’t be honored above others is futile. He already has been—just not here by the people in his home community.
So, I am offering a solution that I think could make everyone happy, and would also honor veterans—all of them—in a way all of Wawasee could be proud of.
First, rename the field Warrior Field at Harry J. Michael Stadium. OK, it’s long—I admit to that. But it keeps “Warrior Field” in the name while adding Michael’s name to it.
Second, it was suggested that a “Warrior Wall” for all veterans be a more fitting tribute. I love that idea!
At that beautiful new entrance to the seating area on the northeast corner of the facility, construct a large, permanent, granite (or whatever stone you like) wall. Etch into it the name of every former student of the communities that make up what is now known as Wawasee who served in the military. If you want, you could put qualifiers on it—like that they had to play a sport since the memorial would be at an athletic facility, or that they had to be honorably discharged (going back to the concept that you want this to be a wall of honorable people). Or put them all on it!
Name, highest rank achieved, branch served and years of service should all be carved into history for all to see and pay their respects to.
And if you’re worried about the money, I am guessing the community as a whole would rise up and support such a noble cause. Rhodes already has said the name change would be paid for privately. If that’s true, raising money for a “Warrior Wall” shouldn’t be that tough.
Again, I’m not here to call anyone out. I am encouraging all involved to create something really outstanding. Go all-in on this! Make it happen!
And tell me when it’s unveiled, because I definitely want to be there.
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