Lucas County medal list inaccurate, veteran says

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Claims plaque has too many names

 

BY ERICA BLAKE, BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

The unassuming plaque hanging in the second-floor hallway of the Lucas County Courthouse was erected eight years ago as a tribute to local servicemen who had earned the military’s highest award — the Medal of Honor.

Nick Haupricht says it’s wrong. The Vietnam veteran and activist on veterans matters said he first noticed the plaque when in the courthouse researching names for the war memorial in the Civic Center Mall. He said that at first glance, it seemed to contain too many names.

So, a quick visit to the library and a bit of research showed him that of the 16 men listed, only five were born in Toledo. He then set about trying to learn who the others were and why they were listed.

He concluded that most of the others either lived or died in Lucas County. But two, he said, have been left off the plaque, and three names should be removed because there is no record they lived in Lucas County.

“History should be taught right,” he said. “History should be history; otherwise it’s a fairy tale.”

According to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, the medal is the “highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.” The South Carolina-based society noted that 3,458 recipients have been awarded the honor.

In Lucas County, the memorial plaque was erected in 2003 at the request of the Ohio Bicentennial Commission to coincide with the state’s 200th anniversary, said Bridgette Kabat, county chief of staff.

The commission supplied the list of names now on the plaque, she said.

Because the Bicentennial Commission has since disbanded, tracking down information about how the names were chosen has been difficult, Ms. Kabat said.

She said that although the plaque appears to have some inaccuracies — including leaving off two recipients’ names — commissioners have yet to decide how to proceed.

However, taking names off the plaque appears to be off the table.

“That’s the concern that the commissioners have. We believe we were given these names for a reason and information about that time is sketchy to say the least,” she said. “If there is a name on the plaque and he’s a true recipient, the commissioners are not interested in taking him off.”

Commissioner Carol Contrada acknowledged that with at least one name on the plaque, no direct connection to Lucas County has been found. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one,” she said.

Ms. Contrada said county staff spent numerous hours researching names on the plaque and commissioners would like to see updates, including more information about each recipient and the heroic actions that led to the award. She added she fully supports updating the plaque and fixing any errors.

Taking a name off, however, would be a dishonor commissioners would not support, she said.

“It’s somewhat dishonorable to talk about removing a name from a plaque who earned that medal,” Ms. Contrada said. “Until we have a valid reason to remove him, we won’t.”

Ms. Kabat said she hopes to have recommendations to the commissioners soon on possible changes.

Mr. Haupricht said he believes the plaque criteria should be “born, lived, or died in Lucas County.” Those who simply enlisted in the county should not be a part of the memorial, he said.

He also pointed to errors he said exist with ranks and dates.

To show what he believes the memorial should look like, Mr. Haupricht created a mock-up that he said was “100 percent accurate.” In addition to the addition and removal of names, the sample had a brief statement about each recipient.

Mr. Hauspricht said he plans to build a new memorial without using taxpayer money. And although he would like to see the new plaque on display at the Civic Center Mall downtown, he said he’d be willing to place it in any Lucas County community that would appreciate the honor.

“This is pure history, using what I researched with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society,” he said.

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