40th Infantry Division Medal of Honor
Sebby, Daniel M 1SG RET
Family
donates Medal of Honor
By JUDY D.J.
ELLICH
Daily American Staff Writer
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009 11:10 PM EST
On Wednesday the Somerset County Veterans
Hall of Honor received a new centerpiece.
The family of U.S. Army Cpl. Clifton T. Speicher of Gray, who served and died
in the Korean War, donated his Congressional Medal of Honor and Purple Heart to
the hall, which is located inside the Somerset County Office Building along
North Center Avenue.
Speicher is one of only three Somerset County veterans to receive the medal, the country’s highest honor for individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty for their country.
Officials acknowledged the donation by
presenting an American flag to his sister, Margie Speicher, and niece Beverly
Blough, both of Hollsopple, at the county’s ninth annual Veterans Day
observance Wednesday in the county courthouse. Speicher kept running her hands
gently over the folded American flag during the remainder of the ceremony.
“It is wonderful,” she said after the event, which drew nearly 200
people.
“He was my brother,” she said as
she unsuccessfully tried to hold back tears of pride.
She was speaking of Speicher, who was a member of Company F, 223d Infantry
Regiment, 40th Infantry Division, on June 14, 1952, according to Commissioner
Pamela Tokar-Ickes.
She shared his story.
It was the Korean War. He was stationed with his fellow soldiers near
Minarigol, Korea. They were pinned down. Machine gun and small-arms fire
pierced the air around them. The bullets were flying from a nearby fortified
bunker. Speicher crouched forward and ran toward the bunker. He was wounded
once — then twice — by small-arms fire. The 21-year-old continued
on, entered the bunker, killed two enemy soldiers with his bayonet, and
silenced the machine gun. Inspired by Speicher’s display of valor, the
men quickly completed the mission. Dazed and shaken, Speicher walked to the
foot of the hill, where he collapsed and died.
Tokar-Ickes said Speicher’s medals will be the centerpieces of the
Veterans Hall of Honor, which is already filled with memorabilia from other county
veterans.
“We will treasure this donation and give it safekeeping,” she said.
Safekeeping was the theme of a speech by Lowell Shaffer of Davidsville. Shaffer
spoke of the safekeeping of a nation by veterans and the need to recognize that
“freedom is not free.”
Shaffer is also a U.S. Army veteran who served in Korea. He served from 1952 to
1954 with both the 25th and 3rd infantry divisions. He is a member of the
American Legion, the 25th Infantry Division Association, the 3rd Infantry
Association and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is also commander of Johnstown
Post 1 of the Korean Veterans Service Association.
“If you love your freedom, write a soldier a letter,” he said.
Scattered among the long wooden benches in Courtroom No. 1 were soldiers from
eras of both war and peace. A Touch of Brass played a medley of military
anthems. Veterans from each branch of the armed forces rose in recognition of
their anthem. They sat down to resounding rounds of applause.
The event included additional musical selections from the Somerset student
vocal group Counter Act and heart-felt renditions of the national anthem and
“God Bless the USA” by Rockwood vocalist Danny Conner.
As master of ceremonies, the Rev. Russell Kessler led the Pledge of Allegiance
and kept the program moving forward. The Rev. Daniel J. O’Neill of St.
Peter’s Catholic Church of Somerset gave the invocation and the
benediction. The Somerset County Honor Guard presented and posted the colors.
County Commissioner Jim Marker read a proclamation outlining the importance of
Veterans Day, recognizing the service and sacrifice of America’s veterans
and calling for people to show their appreciation. The event concluded with a
21-gun salute and taps.
(Judy D.J. Ellich can be contacted at ju...@dailyamerican.com.
Comment on the online story at dailyamerican.com.)
Dan Sebby
Director and Curator, The California State Military Museum
A United States Army Museum Activity
1119 Second Street
Sacramento, California 95814-3202
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