New Banners Up To Honor Servicemen
May 28, 2021 at 10:13 p.m.
New Banners Up To Honor Servicemen
By Jackie Gorski-
“Well, the draft was breathing down his neck and so he enlisted about two weeks before he was drafted,” said Michael’s mother, Lila O’Connell. She said she believed Michael was 18 when he enlisted in the Army, going on 19. Michael served in Ethiopia “for quite a while.”
During that time, Michael got onto a basketball team. Lila said the team was so good they went into semi-finals. Lila said Michael received “all kinds of medals from all that.”
“In due time, he came back and was slated, well, had to leave. Was it six months? We saw him off at the airport in Fort Wayne to go to Seattle and then on to Vietnam. And that was in ’69,” Lila said.
Michael died Oct. 27, 1969. Lila said Michael was in Vietnam for three weeks when he died. She didn’t even have an address yet for him. She had started a letter for him, though.
Lila said Michael and others were unloading K-rations. The area had been gone over for mines for tanks. However, one of the men Michael was with dropped a box of K-rations and detonated a mine and the explosion “got Mike and several others.” Michael died on the field.
Michael received several medals including a Purple Heart, “among a lot of the regular ones he gets.” Months later, Lila said, “We received two medals from the Vietnamese government.” Lila couldn’t say what the medals were for, but they were in a box with Michael’s medals and a flag.
When asked how she would describe Michael, Lila said “tall, handsome, blonde. Loved us. I’ll tell you, where ever he was located, he wrote us letters and sent pictures.”
Michael’s banner, and the other 19, were hung along Market Street by the Warsaw Street Department.
The banners are part of the Warsaw Salutes You banner recognition program, which was started in 2020 as a Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy project by Warsaw Community High School senior Elizabeth Stone.
Stone said the initial intent with the project didn’t have her to continue with the project, but since the first banners were placed in October for Veterans Day, she has gotten a positive response about the banners. Stone said from the looks of it, the plan is to continue putting up the banners twice a year in sixth-month increments - on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Stone said she had several people ask about the program after the first banners were placed. She said people have been e-mailing about the program and she has been sending out the applications for the banners. The banners now on Market Street are new people that didn’t have banners last year.
Lila said she thought Stone’s project took initiative, especially of someone of Stone’s age.
When asked what she thought of how Michael’s banner turned out, Lila said, “Oh, beautiful. I’m really pleased with it. Even better than I thought it would be. It looked really, really good. The others looked so nice, I wondered how this one would do, but they did miracles with the picture (for the banner).”
Stone said one of her inspirations to start the project was her brother, Nate Stone, who is serving as a lieutenant in the Navy. Stone said her brother was a recipient of the Michael O’Connell award that is given out every year at Sacred Heart School to a good citizen.
At the time of Michael’s death, Lila said they were members of Sacred Heart Church and Michael’s father was pretty active. Michael’s father and one of his brothers decided to start an award for good citizens at the school. The award was started in 1970. It was initially given to one boy every year and it evolved into awarding one boy and one girl every year.
When asked if she is currently working on the banners to be put up for Veterans Day, Stone said she has started to get requests and applications, but she plans to wait until closer to Veterans Day to put everything together.
Stone said she hopes her banner program will bring attention to those people who have served in the military. She said there’s more people in the community that have served than people realized. She said she doesn’t expect to run out of people to make banners for.
Lila said she hopes “patriotism will become more so than it has of late. Surely, there’s innate patriotic feelings amongst most of us. But, I hope it encourages more patriotism.”
“Well, the draft was breathing down his neck and so he enlisted about two weeks before he was drafted,” said Michael’s mother, Lila O’Connell. She said she believed Michael was 18 when he enlisted in the Army, going on 19. Michael served in Ethiopia “for quite a while.”
During that time, Michael got onto a basketball team. Lila said the team was so good they went into semi-finals. Lila said Michael received “all kinds of medals from all that.”
“In due time, he came back and was slated, well, had to leave. Was it six months? We saw him off at the airport in Fort Wayne to go to Seattle and then on to Vietnam. And that was in ’69,” Lila said.
Michael died Oct. 27, 1969. Lila said Michael was in Vietnam for three weeks when he died. She didn’t even have an address yet for him. She had started a letter for him, though.
Lila said Michael and others were unloading K-rations. The area had been gone over for mines for tanks. However, one of the men Michael was with dropped a box of K-rations and detonated a mine and the explosion “got Mike and several others.” Michael died on the field.
Michael received several medals including a Purple Heart, “among a lot of the regular ones he gets.” Months later, Lila said, “We received two medals from the Vietnamese government.” Lila couldn’t say what the medals were for, but they were in a box with Michael’s medals and a flag.
When asked how she would describe Michael, Lila said “tall, handsome, blonde. Loved us. I’ll tell you, where ever he was located, he wrote us letters and sent pictures.”
Michael’s banner, and the other 19, were hung along Market Street by the Warsaw Street Department.
The banners are part of the Warsaw Salutes You banner recognition program, which was started in 2020 as a Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy project by Warsaw Community High School senior Elizabeth Stone.
Stone said the initial intent with the project didn’t have her to continue with the project, but since the first banners were placed in October for Veterans Day, she has gotten a positive response about the banners. Stone said from the looks of it, the plan is to continue putting up the banners twice a year in sixth-month increments - on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Stone said she had several people ask about the program after the first banners were placed. She said people have been e-mailing about the program and she has been sending out the applications for the banners. The banners now on Market Street are new people that didn’t have banners last year.
Lila said she thought Stone’s project took initiative, especially of someone of Stone’s age.
When asked what she thought of how Michael’s banner turned out, Lila said, “Oh, beautiful. I’m really pleased with it. Even better than I thought it would be. It looked really, really good. The others looked so nice, I wondered how this one would do, but they did miracles with the picture (for the banner).”
Stone said one of her inspirations to start the project was her brother, Nate Stone, who is serving as a lieutenant in the Navy. Stone said her brother was a recipient of the Michael O’Connell award that is given out every year at Sacred Heart School to a good citizen.
At the time of Michael’s death, Lila said they were members of Sacred Heart Church and Michael’s father was pretty active. Michael’s father and one of his brothers decided to start an award for good citizens at the school. The award was started in 1970. It was initially given to one boy every year and it evolved into awarding one boy and one girl every year.
When asked if she is currently working on the banners to be put up for Veterans Day, Stone said she has started to get requests and applications, but she plans to wait until closer to Veterans Day to put everything together.
Stone said she hopes her banner program will bring attention to those people who have served in the military. She said there’s more people in the community that have served than people realized. She said she doesn’t expect to run out of people to make banners for.
Lila said she hopes “patriotism will become more so than it has of late. Surely, there’s innate patriotic feelings amongst most of us. But, I hope it encourages more patriotism.”
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