Gordon Ellis served nearly a year overseas in Kosovo.

Gordon Ellis served nearly a year overseas in Kosovo.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Austintown Police Chief Gordon Ellis didn't show up wearing his police uniform at the Mahoning County Courthouse rotunda.
Lt. Col. Gordon Ellis, however, was in his Ohio Army National Guard uniform to speak at a ceremony Monday commemorating Armed Forces Week.
Armed Forces Week is a joint effort of members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, as well as area citizens and veterans groups, to increase public understanding of the role of the military in a democratic society as well as honor and acknowledge the people of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Ellis, township police chief since 2000, returned home in March from nearly a year in Kosovo with the National Guard, and he reflected on the heroism of the soldiers under his command while overseas.
Serving overseas
In Kosovo, he was a commander in Task Force Shield, a U.S. peacekeeping force that helped NATO forces in the European province.
He said Ohio soldiers patrolled a section of the administrative boundary between Kosovo and Serbia, looking for smugglers dealing in illegal weapons.
He said his unit seized 77 caches of weapons that included grenades and rocket launchers.
"Our Ohio soldiers carried arms and kept the peace," Ellis said.
He said the unit, which also included infantry and combat engineers from Kentucky and South Carolina, carried out some 8,000 missions with honor and brought "no disrespect to the United States."
He said most residents living in Kosovo and Serbia base their identity on their religion and ethnicity.
"Our young soldiers taught those in Kosovo that you can work as a team despite different ethnicities," Ellis added.
Honoring memories
He also took time to thank older veterans for setting the standard for service to America, saying, "Your service to our country can never be forgotten."
He said the highly skilled, technologically advanced military today was "built on the shoulders of those who served before us."
Ellis then acknowledged those military people who didn't come back home.
He said one way to help families deal with sons and daughters who gave the ultimate sacrifice is to "honor their memories and how they died. We can remember why soldiers serve this nation."
He said in closing that he'll always remember when his unit left Indianapolis headed for Kosovo.
"I was the last man to enter the plane. The last thing I saw was firefighters from Indianapolis standing on their firetruck holding up an American flag," Ellis said.
Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti presented Ellis with a certificate of commendation for his service in the National Guard from 1980 to this year. Ellis also received an American flag from John P. Brown III, national executive committeeman for the AMVETS.
Armed Forces Week activities continue at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the Italian-American War Veterans Post 3, 115 S. Meridian Road, Youngstown. Guest speaker is Col. Timothy Thomson, 910th Airlift Wing Commander at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Vienna.