2018 marks 100 years since the end of WWI
WWI - era uniforms on display (photo courtesy of Euclid Historical Society)
2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended World War I, which at the time was hoped to be “The War to End all War.”
This year’s annual Veterans Day Memorial Service will be hosted by the City of Euclid and sponsored by American Legion Post 343, the Euclid Joint Veterans Council and the Euclid Historical Society. The service, followed by refreshments, will take place at City Hall (585 East 222nd Street) at 11 a.m. on Sunday, November 11th. Note that this is the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the same day and time the armistice was signed in 1918.
Euclid Historical Society will have some of its memorabilia from local Veterans on display at the event. To see more of the collection, stop by the museum any Tuesday from 1 - 4 p.m. Feel free to contact the museum if you have items you would like to donate that belonged to local Vets and you think might be of historical value. The museum, located at 21129 North Street, is presently seeking to add artifacts from the Vietnam era. The phone number for the museum is (216) 289 - 8577.
All Veterans who served in a conflict are encouraged to join the local post of the American Legion, including Veterans of the Gulf War and the War on Terror. For more information, contact Andy Kiral at akiral3@aol.com and be sure to put “American Legion Euclid Post 343” in the heading. You can visit the post’s web site at http://www.al343.org/ or call (216) 531 - 5344. The local post also has an active Sons of the American Legion and Auxiliary, if you are a relative of a Vet and would like to get involved in support. The author, herself, has recently begun the process of joining the Auxiliary after being informed that she was eligible because her late grandfather had served in Korea.
Mr. Kiral (Vietnam) also serves as the Secretary and Acting Chairman of the Joint Council. They conduct a ceremony for Memorial Day as well. As he explains, “The Memorial Day service is to honor the fallen, the Veterans Day service is to support the living.” Jerry Sustarsic (Vietnam Veteran and former Euclid Council President), who serves as First Vice Commander in charge of membership at our local post, recalls being taught by his father that the heroes were the ones who never made it home. The rest are survivors. Jerry’s father is the late Tony Sustarsic, a WWII Vet and former Mayor of Euclid. Euclid Police Sergeant, Mike Walsh (Desert Watch), encourages all Veterans to join the American Legion because, in his words, “it’s the best voice Vets have.”
The Cuyahoga County Veterans Service Commission has National and State Accredited Service Officers at the Prospect Avenue office and at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Centers (Parma and Wade Park). These Service Officers can assist the Veteran, their dependents or survivors in filing for VA benefits including service-connected compensation, non-service connected disability pension, survivor’s pension, death and burial benefits, VA healthcare enrollment, education, home loan guaranty certificates, vocational rehabilitation, upgrading or correcting DD214s. They also file for death benefits in association with the Memorial Affairs Division. For more information visit http://cuyahogavets.org/services/#Officers or call (216) 698 - 2600.
On Saturday, November 17th, Dr. Roy Larick will lead a tour of Euclid Cemetery (weather permitting). The tour will begin at 3 p.m. at the south entrance to the cemetery, located on Concordia Street, which is off of Grand. Graves and memorials exist in Euclid Cemetery for Vets who served as far back as the American Revolution. Dr. Larick has three relatives interred in Euclid Cemetery who served in World War II, including Elizabeth Larick who served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC).