The August Kosciusko County Veteran of the Month, Harold Thomas Stambaugh, served a little over eight years in the U.S. Army.
Currently living in Mentone, he was born Sept. 1, 1954, to James and Helen Stambaugh. He has five brothers and one sister. He graduated from Saint Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kosciusko County Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell said when presenting Stambaugh to the county commissioners Tuesday.
Before entering the military, Harold worked at Kralis Brothers Foods in Mentone.
In 1972, he decided to join the United States Army. Harold did his basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., and his advance military training at Fort Campbell, Ky., to be an infantryman 11B, McDowell stated.
His assignment was the 101st Airborne/Airmobile at Fort Campbell for two years before he was sent to Korea.
“Here’s the interesting pieces, that he started out with the First Infantry Division in Fort Riley, Kan. Now, Fort Riley at the time had just one brigade with a different division headquarters. And then, lo and behold, they said, ‘Hey, you’ve got that big red one patch, we’re going to send you to Germany to the First Infantry Division, so he got to see on both sides of the street,” McDowell said.
Harold was discharged Dec. 27, 1980, with the rank of staff sergeant, E6. His military service awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and others.
He and his wife, Debra, have been married for 50 years. They have two children, Thomas and Cortney; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
After Harold’s discharge, he worked as a dock foreman for two years with Creighton Brothers, Warsaw, followed by USDA Food Inspection Service for over 30 years.
Harold enjoys golfing, wood working and painting. His volunteer community service work includes being a groundskeeper at Mentone United Methodist Church and providing transportation to church members when needed.
After being presented with his framed certificate, Harold said, “I entered the service at a time when it wasn’t very good to be. Vietnam was still going on, people were rioting here and there, protesting. But I really felt my duty to serve. I love my country and it’s just an honor to do it.”
He said they traveled quite a bit - Germany, Korea and other places.
“I graduated high school in Korea. A large graduating class of two, and I had the privilege of a four-star general giving me my diploma,” Harold said.
He thanked Debra for her support as they were apart for many years as he traveled.
“It’s an honor to be here today. Thank you, very much,” he concluded.
To be considered for the Veteran of the Month honor, the person must be a current resident of Kosciusko County and be honorably discharged from active duty, National Guard or Reserves. To nominate a veteran, send a written biography on the veteran to McDowell at [email protected]