Dayhoff Westminster Soundtrack: People Barnes CC State's Attorney Jerry

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Thursday, December 04, 2014

Obituary for the The Honorable Jerry Francis Barnes, 66 of Westminster

Obituary for Jerry Francis Barnes

The Honorable Jerry Francis Barnes, 66, of Hampstead, Maryland died Saturday, November 29, 2014 at Carroll Hospital Center.

http://www.prittsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=367013#/obituaryInfo

http://www.prittsfuneralhome.com/

Labels: Military Vietnam, People Barnes CC State's Attorney Jerry, People Tributes, Tributes

See also: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/11/we-mourn-passing-of-late-carroll-county.html

See also: We mourn the passing of the late Carroll County Md. State’s Attorney Jerry Barnes

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/11/we-mourn-passing-of-late-carroll-county.html

Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry Barnes - Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-eagle-archives-1207-20141202-story.html

Born October 9, 1948, he was the son of the late Charles A. and Mary R. Byers Barnes. He was the devoted husband of Florence J. Barnes and loving step father of Jenna B. Wilmot and husband, Chris, of Cockeysville. He is also survived by his Aunt, Sandra Cook, cousins, Gregory Hutsell, Jeffrey Hutsell and Jennifer Freeman, all of Westminster.

Mr. Barnes graduated from Westminster High School in 1966, and after working a short period at Bendix Field Engineering, he was drafted into the US Army in 1968. In 1969, he qualified as a Green Beret, after which he served in Vietnam as a member of the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). After receiving two Bronze Stars (one for “Heroism in Ground Combat”), the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), and being Honorably discharged in 1971, he attended and graduated from the University of Baltimore Law School.

He was thereafter a career prosecutor serving both with Frederick County State's Attorney's Office and Carroll County State's Attorney's Office. He was distinguished as Chief Narcotic's Prosecutor for Frederick County from 1991 through 1994. From 1995 until present, Mr. Barnes served as the elected State's Attorney for Carroll County, Maryland.

Since becoming a prosecutor in 1978, Mr. Barnes personally prosecuted thousands of criminal cases. He also oversaw a busy office comprised of 54 staff members - all responsible for successfully prosecuting criminal, juvenile and traffic cases in Carroll County's three courts. Mr. Barnes devoted his entire working career to helping his community.

Over the decades, he helped others both professionally and personally, many times when they did not even know it. Among some of his initiatives, he spearheaded and implemented the Heroin Action Coalition and established a position specifically designated to prosecute Domestic Violence cases.

Mr. Barnes was a specialist in drug enforcement serving as Chief Narcotics Prosecutor and actively prosecuting numerous drug distribution and other serious drug felony and misdemeanor charges. He attended and graduated from the Drug Enforcement Administration Agent's Course and the Maryland State Police Undercover Drug Course. He was sworn in as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland to prosecute drug cases.

Throughout his legal career, he received a multitude of awards for his hard work, leadership and dedication to the citizens of Carroll County and the State of Maryland. Highlights of the numerous awards and accolades he received include but are not limited to the following:

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Certificate of Recognition- In recognition of “Exemplary Performance, Initiative and Commitment in Fostering and Preserving Public Safety Within the District of Maryland” (1999);
Named Chief Narcotics Prosecutor;
U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration Certificate of Appreciation, 1994;
Maryland Troopers Association Lodge #20 Endorsement;
Carroll County, Maryland Marine Cadet Corps Commander Award;
Maryland State Fire Marshall, Certificate of Appreciation for “Outstanding Leadership and Commitment to Protecting the Citizens of Carroll County”;
U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Certification of Recognition for the Reality Program;
Maryland State Police - Certificate of Appreciation;
Attorney General's Family Violence Council, Domestic Violence Unit, Certificate of Merit;
The Westminster Lions Club- Outstanding Leadership Award;
Carroll County Health Department Recognition Award;
Governor's Certificate of Merit- Crime Prevention;
United States' Senators Award of Excellence- Service to Seniors;
The United States Committee for Celebration of the United States Nations International Year of Older Persons;
Maryland House of Delegates, House Resolution Award- Cell Phones for Seniors;
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), for Outstanding Service;
US Attorney's Office, for Outstanding Service;
United Nations, for Outstanding Service (Senior “911” Cell Phones);
US Senate, for Outstanding Service (Drug Awareness Programs);
Governor's Office, for Outstanding Service (Victim Witness Services);
Maryland State Police, Superintendent's Recognition for Specific Prosecution’s/Efforts;
Maryland State Police, Superintendent's Recognition for Superior Drug Enforcement Accomplishments;
Victim/Witness Associations, for Superior Victim/Witness Efforts;
Frederick County Narcotics Task Force, for Superior Service in Drug Enforcement;
Maryland State Fire Marshal, for Superior Successful Arson Prosecutions;
Maryland State Trooper's Association, for Working on Cpl. Ted Wolf's Homicide Case;
Reality Program, for Maryland's Most Productive Reality Program; and
National History Honor Society (Phi Alpha Theta)

The family will receive friends on Thursday from 2-8 pm at Pritts Funeral Home and Chapel, 412 Washington Rd., Westminster.

A funeral service will be held on Friday at 1pm at St. John Catholic Church, 43 Monroe St., Westminster , with Chaplain Pat Geyer, officiating. Internment will be private.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his name to Misfits Animal Sanctuary, P.O. Box 75, Finksburg, MD 21048-0075.

Online condolences may be offered at www.prittsfuneralhome.com.

To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Jerry Francis Barnes please visit our Tribute Store. http://www.prittsfuneralhome.com/

http://www.prittsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=367013#/obituaryInfo
*****

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Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry Barnes - Baltimore Sun

Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry Barnes - Baltimore Sun:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-eagle-archives-1207-20141202-story.html

Labels: Military Vietnam, People Barnes CC State's Attorney Jerry, People Tributes, Tributes

See also: We mourn the passing of the late Carroll County Md. State’s Attorney Jerry Barnes

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/11/we-mourn-passing-of-late-carroll-county.html

Baltimore Sun: Honoring Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry Barnes' legacy of service to our community and and country. -- by Kevin E. Dayhoff

It was an eerie juxtaposition in Westminster on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Participants were making their final preparations for marching in the annual Westminster Christmas parade — "Miracle on Main Street."

But word spread quickly through the tight-knit community of law enforcement, public officials and old main-line Carroll County families that Carroll County State's Attorney Jerry Barnes had died.

See also: State's attorney Jerry Barnes dead from apparent suicide Jacob deNobel, Times Staff Writer

Later, as the parade began, Capt. Richard L. Hart Jr., of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, released a statement: "at approximately 10:30 a.m., Carroll County Sheriff's Deputies responded to … a report of an attempted suicide.

Upon the Deputy's arrival, EMS personnel were providing aid to a male who was suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was transported to the Carroll Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead."

The man was identified as Jerry Francis Barnes, the Carroll County State's Attorney, a Vietnam veteran, "

'via Blog this'

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/carroll/westminster/ph-ce-eagle-archives-1207-20141202-story.html

*****

Sunday, November 30, 2014

We mourn the passing of the late Carroll County Md. State’s Attorney Jerry Barnes

We mourn the tragic loss of our good friend, Vietnam veteran, and life-long public servant, the late Carroll County State’s Attorney Jerry Barnes.

Word spread quickly early Saturday afternoon, November 29, 2014 through the tight-knit Carroll County community of law enforcement, public officials and old main-line Carroll County families that Mr. Barnes had passed away.

By Kevin E. Dayhoff November 29, 2014

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/11/we-mourn-passing-of-late-carroll-county.html

Labels: Military Vietnam, People Barnes CC State's Attorney Jerry, People Tributes, Tributes

Late at night – Westminster, Md. - - Over the years I have written several stories about my friend Mr. Barnes. I had the chance to talk with him at length on November 2, 2007 for several articles I wrote for Veterans Day. It was one of the first occasions he and I took to talk about Vietnam in all these years.

Jerry Barnes served as a Sergeant in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces from September 16, 1969 to September 16, 1970. In Vietnam, one of his assignments was working as a Special Forces advisor with twelve Montagnard fighters of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) at a radio relay site, in Kon Tum Province, on the Ho Chi Minh trail ‘near’ Laos.

Soon after arriving at Cam Ranh Bay in September 1969, he was assigned to the first of three “A-Camps” in Kon Tum Province which is located in the Central Tay Nguyen Highlands and is bordered on the north by Quang Nam; on the south by Gia Lai; on the east by Quang Ngai and on the west by Laos. The “A-Camp” counterinsurgency concept is still being used to this day and was used extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In Kon Tum province he served at A-241 Polei Kleng; A-244 Ben Het; A-245 Dak Seang – about 20 miles from the Laotian border as one of approximately 10 American “advisors” serving with several hundred Montagnard tribesmen in the “Civilian Irregular Defense Group” counterinsurgency program. The Montagnards had aligned themselves with the South Vietnamese and the Americans to patrol the Ho Chi Minh trail.

In particular one of Barnes’ assignments was to work with twelve Montagnard fighters at a radio relay site. While serving with the 5th Special Forces Group a “typical” assignment was to go out on 8 to 10-day operations as (more often than not) the lone American with a contingent of South Vietnamese Special Forces counterparts – or Montagnards, to monitor and patrol the Ho Chi Minh trail. “Our objective was to interdict and disrupt the supply activities of the trail.”

“It was while out on one of these patrols that Barnes’ heroic actions earned him the first of two Bronze Stars for valor,” according to a biographical sketch written a number of years ago by former Carroll County Maryland State Delegate and newspaper reporter Carmen Amedori.

Mr. Barnes explained that he was with 20 Montagnards 18 miles from the Laotian border “manning a radio relay station for a larger operation farther out when we were attacked as dusk by a (contingent) of the North Vietnamese regular Army.” The ensuing firefight lasted throughout the night. “We took some casualties and before it was all over, it took calling in an artillery attack, then Cobra helicopter gunships followed by suppression fire from C-130’s, known as “Puff the Magic Dragons,” and finally two fighter jets to save them.

Before returning home he was awarded a second Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge among a number of recognitions.

Those of us who work with death notifications often never quite know what to say publicly… If I am on a fire, accident or crime scene, I often wait until the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshall or another law enforcement agency puts-out a statement so that I may have an idea to how to approach a death…

When a public official dies, those of us who serve as public information officers are equally careful as to what to say and when. In the case of Mr. Barnes, Captain Richard L. Hart Jr., Commander Investigative Services Division of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office released a statement at 5:03 p.m.:

“On November 29, 2014 at approximately 10:30am, Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a private residence in Westminster for a report of an attempted suicide. Upon the Deputy’s arrival, EMS personnel were providing aid to a male who was suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The man was transported to the Carroll Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead.

“The man has been identified as Jerry Francis Barnes, who is the State’s Attorney for Carroll County.

“Mr. Barnes was a lifelong resident of Carroll County and has served as a criminal prosecutor for a total of 38 years, including the past 20 as Carroll County’s State’s Attorney.

“Mr. Barnes’ body has been transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office. The investigation is continuing….”

This comes a cold wake-up call to always remember the sacrifices made by our nation’s military, law enforcement and public officials to preserve the quality of life and freedoms we hold so dear.

Day after day, they take some brain away…. The demons never go away. They conveniently hide in the shadows of our everyday hectic lives. On Feb. 26, 1995, I wrote, in part…. [We] are a walking sandwich board testimony to our messy, imperfect lives as much as the amused passers-by. It’s what one does with their relationship with the absurdities of life that makes one unique... and one’s repository of discarded sandwich boards... are what counts. As Mr. Shakespeare once said: “Let the end try the man. Or as the Masai say, “Epwo m-baa poking in-gitin got,” - “Everything has an end."

Our only defense is to put on the Whole Armor of God:

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— Ephesians 6: 10-18

#####

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2014/11/we-mourn-passing-of-late-carroll-county.html

Labels: Military Vietnam, People Barnes CC State's Attorney Jerry, People Tributes, Tributes

*****

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

November 11, 2007: the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Reprinted by request

November 11, 2007: the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Reprinted by request on June 26, 2013: Veterans Day:

“The Wall” at 25

November 11, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff (998 words)

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2013/06/november-11-2007-25th-anniversary-of.html

Labels: Annual Veterans Day, Carroll Co States Attorney, Dayhoff Media The Tentacle, Dayhoff writing essays military, Military veterans, Military Vietnam, People Barnes CC State's Attorney Jerry

This year Veterans Day is also the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in Constitution Gardens adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Memorial, well known as “The Wall” was dedicated on November 13, 1982.

“Remembering Vietnam - The Wall at 25,” is the subject of a stunning original Smithsonian Channel Documentary. The program will be simultaneously web-streamed on the Smithsonian Channel Website - www.smithsonianchannel.com with its on-air broadcast to DirecTV subscribers on Channel 267 this evening at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

My colleague at The Westminster Eagle, Heidi Schroeder and I were provided an advance copy of the documentary. We had been contacted for research information by Lynn Kessler-Hiltajczuk last summer.

Ms. Kessler-Hiltajczuk is a writer-producer for Alexandria-based LK Productions and served as an independent producer for the program. She was looking for additional information on Lance Cpl. Muriel Stanley Groomes, a Carroll Countian who was killed in Vietnam on Nov. 2, 1968.

Ms. Schroeder writes that in “addition to a history of The Wall's construction and interviews with veterans, the documentary provides a sneak peek into the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Collection, which features over 100,000 items that have been left at The Wall.”

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund founder and president Jan Scruggs calls the program "the best documentary film about the wall I've ever seen." After reviewing it several times, I could not agree more.

In the many years since the dedication of The Wall, the memorial has evolved into a national shrine for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam – an often misunderstood and inaccurately reported conflict.

It has also become a tribute to the American veterans who served our country in that long-ago war thousands of miles away from the comfort of our living room.

Veterans such as the current Carroll County State’s Attorney, Jerry F. Barnes, (and former Frederick County assistant State’s Attorney) who choose to forego what would have been an easily available draft deferment in May 1968 and joined the Army.

It was in that month, that the 1966 Westminster High School graduate received his draft notice. According to a biographical sketch written by former Maryland State Delegate Carmen Amedori, Mr. Barnes joined a number of draftees from Carroll County “on a school bus at the (Westminster) Post Office downtown,” and headed to Fort Holabird in Baltimore – and then promptly to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

There Mr. Barnes opted to eschew being drafted for two years and enlisted for three years. At first he wanted to be a helicopter pilot, but after a series of events, he signed up for Special Forces - the Green Berets.

Mr. Barnes’ Vietnam experience was one of a number of sketches by Ms. Amedori which appears in a new publication from the Historical Society of Carroll County, “Tours of Duty – Carroll County and the Vietnam War,” by Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

In a recent phone interview Mr. Barnes talked about his service in Vietnam from September 16, 1969 to September 16, 1970. Mr. Barnes began his Special Forces – Green Beret training in January 1969.

Soon after arriving at Cam Ranh Bay he assigned to the first of three “A-Camps” in Kon Tum Province which is located in the Central Tay Nguyen Highlands. The “A-Camp” counterinsurgency concept is still being used to this day in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In Vietnam, Sgt. Barnes served with the 5th Special Forces Group and a “typical” assignment was to go out on 8 to 10-day operations as (more often than not) the lone American with a contingent of South Vietnamese Special Forces counterparts – or Montagnards, to monitor and patrol the Ho Chi Minh trail. “Our objective was to interdict and disrupt the supply activities of the trail.”

“It was while out on one of these patrols that Barnes’ heroic actions earned him the first of two Bronze Stars for valor,” according to Ms. Amedori.

The ensuing firefight lasted throughout the night. “We took some casualties and before it was all over, it took calling in an artillery attack, then Cobra helicopter gunships followed by suppression fire from C-130’s, known as “Puff the Magic Dragons,” and finally two fighter jets to save them.

Before returning home he was awarded a second Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge among a number of recognitions. He turned down a number of Army re-enlistment offers and served the remainder of his enlistment stateside with the 10th Special Forces with the famed 10th Mountain Division in New England.

After his honorable discharge in June 1971, he utilized the GI Bill and graduated first from the University of Baltimore and went on to graduate from the University of Baltimore Law School in June 1977.

“I actually started as an intern with the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office in 1976,” said Mr. Barnes. With the exception of four years with the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s office he has been with Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office ever since. He served as an Assistant State’s Attorney until he was first elected to the office of Carroll County State's Attorney in November 1994.

Mr. Barnes has “tried as best I can to attend all the Veterans Day ceremonies... It is important to remember individuals who have dedicated their lives for the establishment and preservation of our freedoms.”

It is important that this Veterans Day, we remember the service of Sgt. Barnes and countless other veterans. God bless them all for their dedication and commitment.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland

USA

E-mail him at: kevindayhoff at gmail.com

####

*****

Monday, May 30, 2011

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County MD and the Vietnam War” By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County MD and the Vietnam War” By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County and the Vietnam War”

By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

The authors present the stories of Carroll County’s unsung heroes who served their country during the Vietnam War. Includes biographical sketches, soldiers’ letters, a roster of servicemen, a bibliography of contemporary newspaper articles about the war. $29

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2011/05/tours-of-duty-carroll-county-md-and_30.html

Labels: Annual Memorial Day, Historical Society of Carroll Co, Journalists Graybeal Jay, Military Memorial Day, Military Vietnam CC Memorial

Order Form http://hscc.carr.org/forms/shop%20order%20form.pdf

http://hscc.carr.org/publications/books.htm#vietnam

Historical Society of Carroll County

210 East Main Street, Westminster MD 21157

(410) 848-6494

http://hscc.carr.org/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/56220705/%E2%80%9CTours-of-Duty-Carroll-County-MD-and-the-Vietnam-War%E2%80%9D-By-Gary-D-Jestes-and-Jay-A-Graybeal

About the book – and the authors, Jay Graybeal and Gary Jestes:

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, Carroll County Times - http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/ - writer, Carrie Ann Knauer wrote:

Historian shares Carroll County Vietnam stories

In researching for a book on Carroll County’s Vietnam veterans, Jay Graybeal and Gary Jestes found a wealth of material in local newspaper archives and by collecting letters sent between soldiers and their loved ones.

They learned about Lt. Col. Charles I. Miller, who was one of the first Americans stationed in Vietnam, and was in fact part of the team to brief Gen. William Westmoreland, who in June 1964 was appointed the senior military commander of the United States’ armed forces in Vietnam, when he arrived in country.

They interviewed Sgt. Jerry Barnes, who told a story of hearing a scream from the cook one night in the camp and discovered a cobra in the kitchen ready to strike. Barnes, Carroll’s state’s attorney, said he pulled out his M16 without hesitation and shot the snake, refrigerator, stove and about everything else in the kitchen, except the cook, Graybeal said.

They read the stories in Carroll newspapers about the war and the reactions from residents on whether demonstrations were an appropriate way of showing dissatisfaction with American forces’ participation in the conflict.

Graybeal shared these stories Tuesday at the Historical Society of Carroll County’s Box Lunch Talk. Jestes, who was also scheduled to speak Tuesday, was unable to attend because of illness, Graybeal said.

Timmi Pierce, executive director of the Historical Society, said it was fitting to have a talk on the Vietnam veterans Tuesday because Veterans Day fell on the normally scheduled day for the lunch talk. Pierce used the opportunity to recognize the dozen or so veterans in attendance at the talk, including four Vietnam veterans.

“It’s fitting that we’re in this building [American Legion Post 31], which honors veterans seven days a week,” Graybeal said during his opening.

Graybeal is the chief curator of the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pa., where he has been working on the center’s Vietnam collection, which will be dedicated Friday, he said.

Jestes and Graybeal started the research for their book, “Tours of Duty: Carroll County and the Vietnam War,” when Graybeal was still at the Historical Society. They spent more than 10 years on the research and writing before it was published last year, he said.

“We joke it took longer for us to write the book than to fight the war,” Graybeal said.

Graybeal gave a general overview of the timeline of the Vietnam War, then listed some of the Carroll servicemen who are highlighted in the book, including Rick Will Sr., Sgt. Gary Hammett, Capt. Richard N. Dixon and Maj. Harold J. Robertson. Several heads in the audience nodded in recognition of the names and faces being broadcast on the projector screen.

“It’s wrenching to read, but it’s important to see the sacrifices that were made,” Graybeal said of the book.

There was so much dissension surrounding the Vietnam War, and a lot of myths were spun out of that dissension, Graybeal said. He read from a list of exposed myths about Vietnam veterans, which showed that Vietnam soldiers were not as young, uneducated, underprivileged or unwilling as people believed. For example, while the draft got so much attention during the Vietnam War, only one-third of the soldiers to serve in Vietnam were drafted, and two-thirds were voluntary recruits, Graybeal said. Those statistics are the opposite of World War II’s, he said.

Despite people’s personal views, no one can deny the way the war affected the nation and its future, Graybeal said.

“It forever changed our views as Americans of our role in the world,” he said.

Carroll County Times - http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/

[20110525 HSCC book order form] [20071108 Tours of Duty] [20110524 sdosm Tours of Duty Carroll County and the Vietnam War] [20110524 sdosm Tours of Duty CC and Vietnam War wpics]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/56220705/%E2%80%9CTours-of-Duty-Carroll-County-MD-and-the-Vietnam-War%E2%80%9D-By-Gary-D-Jestes-and-Jay-A-Graybeal

Vietnam, History, military, Memorial Day, Historical Society of Carroll County, Carrie Ann Knauer, Jay Graybeal Labels: Annual Memorial Day, Dayhoff writing essays Vietnam, Military Vietnam, Military Vietnam Byers James N,Military Vietnam CC Memorial

Related: Memorial Day: Honoring the sacrifice of Staff Sgt. James Norman Byers By Kevin Dayhoff Wednesday, May 25, 2011 http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=4418

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2011/05/memorial-day-honoring-sacrifice-of.html

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2011/05/tours-of-duty-carroll-county-md-and.html

Annual Memorial Day

DAYHOFF: Recalling a fallen son of Carroll, Staff Sgt. James Norman Byers

http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/5452/dayhoff-recalling-fallen-son-carroll-staff-sgt-james-norman-byers/ http://tinyurl.com/3lxqbmr http://twitpic.com/54t2ef

[20110530 CB 2b asleep Memorial Day]

LABELS: ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY, DAYHOFF WRITING ESSAYS MILITARY,HISTORY 1957 1975 VIETNAM, MILITARY MEMORIAL DAY, MILITARY VIETNAM CC MEMORIAL, SMURF FAMILY

http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2011/05/memorial-day-nap.html

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County MD and the Vietnam War” By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

*****

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County MD and the Vietnam War” By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County and the Vietnam War”

By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

Order Form http://hscc.carr.org/forms/shop%20order%20form.pdf

http://hscc.carr.org/publications/books.htm#vietnam

Historical Society of Carroll County

210 East Main Street, Westminster MD 21157

(410) 848-6494

http://hscc.carr.org/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/56220705/%E2%80%9CTours-of-Duty-Carroll-County-MD-and-the-Vietnam-War%E2%80%9D-By-Gary-D-Jestes-and-Jay-A-Graybeal

About the book – and the authors, Jay Graybeal and Gary Jestes:

On Wednesday, November 12, 2008, Carroll County Times - http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/ - writer, Carrie Ann Knauer wrote:

Historian shares Carroll County Vietnam stories

“It’s fitting that we’re in this building [American Legion Post 31], which honors veterans seven days a week,” Graybeal said during his opening.

Graybeal is the chief curator of the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pa., where he has been working on the center’s Vietnam collection, which will be dedicated Friday, he said.

“We joke it took longer for us to write the book than to fight the war,” Graybeal said.

“It’s wrenching to read, but it’s important to see the sacrifices that were made,” Graybeal said of the book.

Despite people’s personal views, no one can deny the way the war affected the nation and its future, Graybeal said.

“It forever changed our views as Americans of our role in the world,” he said.

Carroll County Times - http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/

[20110525 HSCC book order form] [20071108 Tours of Duty] [20110524 sdosm Tours of Duty Carroll County and the Vietnam War] [20110524 sdosm Tours of Duty CC and Vietnam War wpics]

Vietnam, History, military, Memorial Day, Historical Society of Carroll County, Carrie Ann Knauer, Jay Graybeal Labels:Annual Memorial Day, Dayhoff writing essays Vietnam, Military Vietnam, Military Vietnam Byers James N,Military Vietnam CC Memorial

Related: Memorial Day: Honoring the sacrifice of Staff Sgt. James Norman Byers By Kevin Dayhoff Wednesday, May 25, 2011 http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=4418

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2011/05/memorial-day-honoring-sacrifice-of.html

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County MD and the Vietnam War” By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County MD and the Vietnam War” By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

“Tours of Duty: Carroll County MD and the Vietnam War” By Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.

*****

Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/

My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

*****

Saturday, July 03, 2010

George H Miller, ‘A True Patriot’ of Westminster has died at the age of 89

Miller remembered as a veteran and for his tireless service to his country and the community

George H. Miller (March 21, 1921 - June 24, 2010)

June 30, 2010

By Kevin Dayhoff kevindayhoff AT gmail.com

Friends and family gathered at the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home Wednesday evening to say goodbye George Henry Miller. He died at his home on Thursday, June 24, 2010. He was 89 year old.

Miller wore many hats over the years and was known by many as a tireless supporter of the community.

Miller was, in recent years, a fixture at the Westminster Senior Center where he enjoyed participating in the various activities and coordinated many Memorial Day programs.

In a 2005 recognition written about Miller for being named the “2005 Outstanding Senior Volunteer,” then-Westminster Senior Center Manager, Paul Garver noted that Miller has been a volunteer at the senior center since 1997 and served “as president of the Westminster site for two years.

Garver praised Miller as “a caring volunteer… chairman of the Sunshine Committee,” who visited “senior center participants who are recovering in the hospital and attends funeral services for those who pass away.”

“George is often referred to as ‘Mr. Patriot’ around the center. He always leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance… He also planned our first Patriot’s Day Program on September 11, 2002…”

It was “through the hard work and dedication of” of Miller that the Westminster Senior Center had a flagpole, observed another old undated senior center memo shared by the family at the funeral home.

“Through his determination, the pole was finally completed on September 10, 2001…” Miller got the American Legion Post #31 to donate the American flag and Carroll County State’s Attorney Jerry Barnes to donate the Maryland flag.

Of course, anyone who knew him knows that Miller was hard to say no to...

Kenny Williams remembered Miller Wednesday evening “as a member of the church” - St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Carroll County Coin Club. Williams appreciated Miller’s military service during World War II and how he supported veterans.

Miller was a life member and held various positions in the V.F.W. Post 467, which he joined on May 25, 1948. He was also a member of the American Legion Post 31, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie 4378 and the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1381.

Miller was a U.S. Army Veteran of World War II; when he served in the 84th Infantry Division, 326th Field Artillery and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

In family papers shared at the funeral home, we learn that Miller was born on farm on March 21, 1921 in Millers Station. He was the son of the late H. Walter and Ella Florence Lippy Miller.

He is survived by his wife, Agnes Stephan Miller, whom he married on March 8^th, 1947.

Miller left “Manchester High School after the eleventh grade to join the United States Army,” according to information provided by the family Wednesday evening.

“After his enlistment date of December 8, 1939, George was stationed at Fort Hoyle, Maryland…” After transferring to Camp Gordon, Georgia, next to Camp Howze, Texas, and then on Fort Dix, New Jersey; “on September 20, 1944, George set sail for England. He arrived in England on October 1, 1944, after a rough crossing of the Atlantic…”

“George served in the Ardennes and saw action at the Battle of the Bulge. His last commander in Europe was the legendary General Patton. George returned to the United States at the end of the war and was honorably discharged from the Army on October 31, 1945 at Camp Meade, Maryland.”

According to an old undated newspaper article by Lois Szymanski, shared by Miller’s family, Miller “enlisted in the Army in 1939 and worked with horse-drawn artillery until 1940…”

The article detailed that Miller was one of “Four speakers (that) brought the past to life for seventh-graders at East Middle School… In a program designed to let students know about history from those who have lived it…”

As for his service in World War II in the Battle of the Bulge, Miller was quoted, “The snow was 4 feet deep, and the temperatures were way below freezing. Once things thawed out, we had to fight our way through the thick mud.”

Wednesday evening, members of the V.F.W. Post 467 performed the V.F.W. Memorial Chapel Service. The leadership of the V.F.W., proudly remembered Miller’s service and sacrifice for our country and along with the nods of agreement among those who had crowded into the funeral home, Thomas Williams, the current commander of the local Westminster V.F.W. mourned the loss of yet another veteran of World War II.

“He was a hero. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge,” said Williams. “As a younger member of the post, I always looked-up to George.”

After the ceremony Wednesday evening, Williams and retired Lt. Col. Ron Hollingsworth, the current V.F.W. officer of the day room, exclaimed simultaneously, with a smile, “George was one tough old bird,” in reference to what he went through during World War II – especially in the Battle of the Bulge.

V.F.W. Chaplain Earl Seipp said, “I was bred and raised in Westminster. I’ve known George and (his wife) Agnes all my life…. Some men grope the high road and some men grope the low road and in between on the misty flats, the rest drift to and fro…” George took the high road said Williams. “Cream always rises to the top. I think George fits both of these sayings.”

Hollingsworth, a veteran of two tours in Vietnam in 1966 and 1969, recalled “the first time I went to Miller’s house. His garage was meticulously organized and cleaner than most houses. It was full of military mementoes… Military hats, banners, decorations… it was like a military museum.

I could talk about George for hours about his service - to our country, our community, and the younger members of the V.F.W. He was a fountain of information. A very bright man. I will definitely miss him,” said Hollingsworth as his voice trailed off.

After the war, Miller returned home and worked in the vending business and later transitioned to security and detective work. For a brief period, perhaps in the 1950s, although the family could not recall the exact date, Miller operated a gas station at the corner of Main and Bond Streets out of a little building that in recent years has served as an eatery.

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s he coached Little League baseball.

In another yellowed newspaper clipping, this one dated simply, “1970,” served notice that “George Henry Miller, a 49-year-old vending machine company employee and part-time security guard, filed last week as a Democratic candidate for county sheriff.

“Miller, a veteran… and former official of various veterans’ groups, called for ‘better relations with other elected officials’ as he entered the race against incumbent Sheriff H. LeRoy Campbell, a Republican.

“Declining to take issue with Campbell’s performance during the primary campaign, Miller said he favored ‘positive communications with deputies and other law enforcement officers throughout the county.’

“Miller, whose father was an Orphan’s Court judge in Westminster…” The article goes on a great length about Miller’s accomplishments.

Another yellowed newspaper article with a date of only “August 17,” was an article written by now-Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnich.

“Security Man Is Straight Shooter,” begins with “You know who George Henry Miller is by what he says and by what he does. He is one of that country-bred-and-reared … men that doesn’t play around with double meanings and fancy manners. Some things are right and some things are wrong…”

The article goes on to detail that Miller “runs the local office of the Bay State Detective Agency, a security firm which employs about 30 guards and keeps watch over local business and industrial properties for 700 hours a week.”

The article delineated his service in the Army, rising to the rank of first sergeant… “I liked the Army,” Miller is quoted. “I’d do it again…”

Minnich wrote of Miller’s participation in the Battle of the Bulge: he “remembers being the third man in line to leave a ditch. The first two were shot down, but he survived…”

“He visits the sick, attends the funerals…, and sends cards and baskets to the grieving. There is a sense of community and a system for doing the right thing. He is a man who believes in setting standards and then working to meet them. And those who don’t meet the standards can expect to suffer the natural consequences…”

Minnich also detailed that Miller “was instrumental in the construction of a second (baseball) diamond on Gist Road in Westminster…” Minnich quoted Miller, “I went to the commissioners and I said, ‘Look, we need another ball field to help keep those kids off the streets…’

“While they were building it,” noted Minnich, “he was out there every day. He was as involved with that as he has been with the other things he believes in.

“In 1970, after years as a deputy and a friendship with the incumbent sheriff, LeRoy Campbell, he decided to run for the office on the Democratic ticket … but today still counts Campbell as a friend, and he is still a deputy. He disagreed (with Campbell,) but disagreed with honor.”

Anyone who knew Miller is aware that he was always straightforward and positive. In addition to being known as a hardworking, honorable, honest man, who cared greatly for his fellow man and his community, his son Dale, mostly remembered his Dad Wednesday night as “a true patriot.”

“Every parent passes on to their children a special gift. My father gave us the gift of patriotism and love of country… He truly was a member of ‘The Greatest Generation.’”

Surviving in addition to his wife are a son, Dale H. Miller; a granddaughter, Chelsea E. Miller; siblings, Lois Neumann, Charles Ivan Miller, Herbert Eugene Miller, Helen Dickens, Evelyn Nott, and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his son, Sidney Dwight Miller and siblings, Louella Sanders, Ruthetta Redding, Pauline Roth, Ethel Detter, and H. Walter Miller, Jr.

His memorial Service was held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home, 91 Willis St., Westminster. At his request his body was donated to the Maryland State Anatomy Board.

LABELS: HISTORY 1939 1945 WORLD WAR II, PEOPLE TRIBUTES 0 COMMENTSLINKS TO THIS POST

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