Names to be added to Ohio memorial

CLINTON, Ohio -- The names of Ohioans killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the first Persian Gulf War are to be added by late this summer to the Ohio Veterans' Memorial Park wall in Clinton.

Officials also are discussing the possibility of adding the names of Ohioans killed in the Korean War.

The park about 12 miles southwest of Akron includes a wall inscribed with the names of the 3,095 Ohioans who were killed in Vietnam.

To be added are the names of 16 Ohioans killed in the first Gulf War and 275 who have died to date in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Ken Noon, a park board trustee and president of Summit Memorials, said the names are to be engraved into the opposite side of the wall on which the Vietnam names are inscribed. "Our goal is to have the money raised by July 4," Mr. Noon said.

The names of those who died in Vietnam are inscribed in alphabetical order, but the new names will be listed in the chronological order of death, Mr. Noon said. He said the engraving will cost about $60 a name.

Along with those plans, Mr. Noon said, officials at the park expect to meet with Korean War veterans in April to talk about putting the names of more than 1,800 who were killed in Korea on the memorial.

Some parents of local service members gave their support to plans to add the names of those who have died in the war on terrorism.

"I think it is a great idea," said Wes Emch, of Brimfield. He is the father of Navy Hospitalman Luke Emch, 21, a Tallmadge High graduate and Navy Corpsman who was killed in Iraq on March 2, 2007.