Veterans War Memorial, Loveland, CO, USA - Non-Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

A simple and beautiful memorial dedicated to those Loveland, Colorado citizens who lost their lives in time of war in service to their country. At the top of the memorial is a fallen soldiers helmet, rifle and boots. Around the marble pedestal base are the names of those who fell during World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and the Gulf War. The inscription on the memorial is a poem by Major Michael Davis O'Donnell written in January 1970 in Dak To, Vietnam. Major O'Donnell, a Helicopter pilot, was shot down on March 24, 1970 while extracting a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) team which was in contact with the enemy about fourteen miles inside Cambodia in Ratanokiri Province. Twelve men were aboard UH-1H 68-15262 when it went down:

* Aircrew, 170th AHC:
o MAJ Michael D. O'Donnell, Springfield, IL (02/07/1978)
o CWO John C. Hosken, Chagrin Falls, OH (08/28/1978)
o SSG Rudy M. Becerra, Richmond, TX (11/13/1978)
o SSG Berman Ganoe, Belleview, FL (01/16/1974)

* RT Pennsylvania:
o CPT Jerry L. Pool, Freeport, IL (11/13/1978)
o SFC John A. Boronski, Ware, MA (11/27/1978)
o SFC Gary A. Harned, Springboro, PA (11/13/1978)
o Five indigenous troops

The seven Americans were carried as missing in action until the Secretary of the Army approved Presumptive Findings of Death on the dates noted above - and so matters stood for two decades.

The remains of the men lost in this crash were repatriated on 12 Apr 1995. DNA tests confirmed individual identification for four Americans - MAJ Michael O'Donnell, CWO John Hosken, SSGT Rudy Becerra, and SSGT Berman Ganoe, Jr. The three other Americans - CPT Jerry Poole, SFC John Boronski, and SFC Gary Harned - could not be individually identified; their presence aboard the helicopter and among the unidentifiable remains was based on circumstantial evidence. The recovery and identification of the remains was made pubic on 20 June 2001.

Type of Memorial: Multi-War Memorial Wars mentioned (Multi-war only): World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War Gulf War In Honor Of: Loveland, Colorado citizens who lost their lives in war. Marker Text: "If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind." Major Michael Davis O'Donnell, Dak To, Vietnam, January, 1970. Date of dedication: 2005 Who Put it Here?: Associated Veterans of Loveland. Description of Memorial: Bronze sculpture on marble pedestal. Around the pedestal are familiar scenes from wars recognized on the memorial.

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Date Logged Log   06/23/2014 Memfis Mafia visited it 09/12/2012 kaiwarrior visited it 02/02/2010 Outspoken1 visited it 09/14/2009 WalkingDuo visited it

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