HELP WANTED TO LOCATE WWII VETS - Grantsville Senior Center Has "Last Man's Club"

(11/23/2004)
A big effort is being made to locate all living World War II veterans.<> "We are asking family members and friends to help us," said Mike Ritchie, Director of the Calhoun County Committee on Aging.

Grantsville's Senior Center has been doing a wall dedicated to the "Last Man of WWII" from Calhoun.

Currently there are 22 qualified vets on the wall.

Calhoun County had more soldiers in World War than most jurisdictions. (See Norma Knott's Shaffer's Home Page www.calhounwv.com

Just how many are in question.

Ritchie expressed appreciation to Norma Knotts Shaffer for her body of work recognizing Calhoun soldiers, including the loaning of a number of scrapbooks to the veteran's day program last week.

"Last Man" photos of the group are being placed on a special wall at the center.

"As they pass away, we will remove them from the Last Man wall and put them back with the other veterans, until there is one man left on the wall," said Ritchie.

The center needs military photos of all Last Man members.

"They can get their photo in a variety of ways, bring it in for us to scan or e-mail it to us at cccoa@frontiernet.net," he said.

There is a $5 charge if the photo has to be copied, which includes the price of the frame. There is a $3 charge for the frame only.

Following is a list of surviving vets registered for the "Last Man" wall: Albert E. Ball, David (Jack) Bush, Clenton L. Cottrell, Charles Duskey, John W. Elliott, Denver Garretson, Jim Garretson, Ernest Hartshorn, Roy Helmick, Ernest Hosey, LeRoy Jones, Donald B. Kelley, Leonard Marshall, Cleston Nicholas, William Pell, Dale Ritchie, James O. Stalnaker, Bernard (Tom) Sturm, Victor Whytsell, Woodrow Whytsell, Ivy Von Yoak, Sheldon C. Stevens.

For more information call 304-354/7017.