Patriotic Tribute for the Ultimate Sacrifice

Boardman program salutes veterans.

By SEAN BARRON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BOARDMAN — When it comes to attending Memorial Day events, Joe Sepesy always finds he has mixed emotions, often causing him to decide at the last minute whether to go.

Such occasions are bittersweet yet necessary, he says, to remember and respect close friends who died serving their country.

“I want to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and my presence here underscores that,” said Sepesy, of Poland, referring to why he attended Monday’s 105th Boardman Community Memorial Day program.

Sepesy was draped in numerous pins and medals he had earned, as well as one for having put in 2,200 combat hours with the 1st Cavalry Division Air Mobile. His Army career also included three tours of duty in Vietnam. In 2003, Sepesy was inducted in the Ohio Military Hall of Fame.

The two-hour program at the Maag Outdoor Arts Theater in Boardman Township Park was coordinated by the Boardman Kiwanis Club. It honored veterans for their service to the nation.

Preceding the ceremony was a parade that went from Boardman Center Middle School on Market Street to the park, as well as a breakfast program that featured remarks by the Rev. Ash Welch, pastor of Boardman United Methodist Church.

The keynote speaker and parade’s grand marshal was retired Air Force Lt. Col. Bill Moss, who shared several aspects of his military career with his audience of a few hundred.

Moss, of Poland, recalled his love of flying dating to his childhood and how he began pilot training at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. That didn’t go as planned, Moss said, so he took another two days’ worth of tests to become a navigator, which led to 11 additional months of training in Texas.

In time, he got qualified to fly in a B-52 bomber, an experience that also made him privy to various pieces of classified information.

After about four years of duty aboard a B-52, Moss came in 1967 to the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, where he retired in June 1990. His 29-year military career, among other things, took him to 25 countries, Moss said.

“The American public should never forget the service rendered by all of our veterans,” he concluded.

Attendees got to see for the first time several display cases showing a chronology of front-page articles from several newspapers during World War II that covered events such as: the Dec. 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor; the 1944 invasion of Normandy, France; and the Japanese surrender in August 1945.

The items were brought to the event by John Grantonic of Poland, who found them in his mother’s home after she died. Grantonic said he has 11 family members who have served in all branches of the military, including a brother he lost March 2, 1945, in Colmar, France.

“I wanted to bring this out for all veterans,” he said.

After his presentation, Moss placed a wreath next to a memorial. Adding a wreath to honor current military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere was Angela Martin, president of Boardman High School’s National Honor Society.

Kiwanis members praised fellow member George T. Grim for helping to organize the event. Grim was unable to attend because of illness.

The program also featured a rifle salute, playing of taps and performances by the Boardman Spartan Marching Band and wind ensemble. It wrapped up with several Boy Scouts meeting the veterans and thanking them for their service.