St. Marys veterans program to honor local military heroes

The Friends of the St. Marys Theater and Grand Opera House and the Memorial High School Alumni Foundation will present “Veterans Rider Talk” on Saturday, November 7.

The free public event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will honor St. Marys-area heroes who served their country.

The program will feature the stories of several veterans from different periods of American history. Those scheduled to be recognized include:

• Specialist Luke Turpin, a U.S. Army military police veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle.
• Specialist John Kosterman, who served with the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
• Lieutenant Jay Eylshoff, a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War who served aboard the USS Murray and USS O’Brien.
• Private Charles Kruse, a Civil War soldier with the 50th Ohio Volunteer Infantry whose story will be presented by Todd Spiceles.
• Technician Fifth Grade and Sergeant Dick Uhlenhake, a World War II veteran who served with the 253rd Field Artillery Battalion during the Battle of the Bulge. His story will be presented by Dan Uhlenhake.

The first 200 guests will receive a free copy of “Who is Richard Bushong?”