photo by: Joselyn King

Retired Ohio County Schools teacher Erin Bowers, left, a military veteran, looks for her name on the engraved military monument unveiled at Wheeling Park High School Tuesday. Also searching the names is Shaunna Reed, whose son Cameron Riley is currently on active duty serving in Kuwait.

WHEELING — Former Ohio County Board of Education President Erik Schramm quoted George Washington as a newly engraved veterans monument was unveiled during a ceremony Tuesday outside Wheeling Park High School — home of “the Patriots.”

“George Washington said in a speech as he left office that after the (American Revolution) we were all Americans, but some were something more. They were patriots,” Schramm said.

“In 1976, when Warwood, Wheeling and Triadelphia high schools were consolidated, all Ohio County public school students became ‘Patriots.’ But those we recognize today with this monument are something more. They are Wheeling Park Patriots deserving of distinction because of their service to our country.”

“The Eagle” statue was erected 12 years ago when Schramm served as board of education president and George Krelis was superintendent. But it wasn’t until recent days that the names of 193 WPHS alumni serving in the military were engraved on its sides to finish the work and achieve its purchase.

Receiving special recognition on the monument are the names of two alumni killed while serving in the military — Sgt. Matthew Hunter and Capt. David VanCamp.

School officials stress more names will be added in the future as more graduates go on to military service, and the names of past veterans missed are engraved. There is presently room for 400 names, and there are plans to expand the monument when needed, according to Karin Butyn, public relations and alumni director for Ohio County Schools.

It was Butyn and current Superintendent Kim Miller who took on the project of completing the veterans monument. Butyn set about locating veterans and finding the funding for engraving.

“I’m proud of our service, and of all the people whose names are on here,” said Erin Bowers, a retired Ohio County Schools teacher, 1987 WPHS graduate and military veteran whose name is on the monument. “I hope we add more names.”

Shaunna Reed, who once student taught under Bowers, was next to her kneeling at the base of the monument. She searched for the name of her son, Cameron Riley, who is on active duty in Kuwait.

Reed said seeing her son’s name on the monument does give her a sense of pride.

“Especially after having him so young,” she continued. “We overcame such odds.”

Among those speaking Tuesday was West Virginia Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, who serves as chairman of the Senate Veterans Committee.

Weld helped the school district obtain a $17,500 state Local Economic Development Assistance (LEDA) Grant that was needed to begin the project, Butyn explained.

The $17,500 in LEDA money was added to the $8,000 initially donated by Ohio County Schools, as well as other donations raised from businesses in the community such as Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal, she said.

Weld is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, and he cited the many emails he received from Butyn as an indication of her passion for the project.

“Our challenge is to honor our veterans every day,” Weld said. “What I would like to see are monuments like this one at high schools up and down the panhandle. You are setting an example for others.”

Current Ohio County Board of Education President David Croft thanked Schramm for bringing the unfinished monument to the board’s attention during his temporary return to the board last year.

“Not only did he make us aware … but he went out and shook the trees to find the money so this could happen, along with Sen. Weld, ” Croft said.

“This monument stands as a perpetual reminder of the courage and sacrifice by our service members who attended Wheeling Park High School. It is a simple show of our respect and gratitude.”

Staff Sgt. Andrea Gump, local U.S. Army recruiter and 2015 WPHS graduate also spoke. She was deployed to both Iraq and Kuwait during her service.

“I feel deeply connected to the community and to the service members whose names are etched — and whose soon will be etched — into this monument,” she said.

Gump noted each name represented a person who made a conscious decision to serve their country.

“As a recruiter, I have had the distinct honor of meeting many of these individuals before they even enlisted,” she continued. “I watched as they made the decision to join the military, and I saw first-hand the courage for them to choose a path that would not only shape their own future, but the future of our nation.

“Among the names etched into this monument are 15 individuals who I personally recruited into the U.S. Army National Guard. These young men and women are not just soldiers. They are neighbors, classmates, friends and family members who made the commitment to serve and defend our way of life.”

Butyn said her father, stepfather and two brothers “were the most important veterans in her life” and she was anxious to take on the project. She first thought about the logistics of making it happen, then realized all the things that could go wrong.

“But I also thought about the hundreds of men and women, many of whom I would call kids, who made the most adult decision anyone can make — to offer themselves for the safety of others,” Butyn said.