Post #4

Post # 4

I would like to talk about a little bit of WWI Dayton area History. A lot of people dedicate time on researching the people who served in the Great War form Dayton. I would like to focus on the people who were left behind in the Miami Valley, and how they remember those who served. Victory Oak Knoll Memorial was dedicated to the veterans of WWI On May 29^th 1921. During this dedication ceremony the “home guards gave Victory Oak Knoll to the city”. There was expected to be about 8,000 people at the dedication ceremony. The site is just off of the 18^th hole at the community golf course, located in Kettering. The site consists of a memorial along with an oak tree planted for each of the veterans engraved into the central plaque. A bronze disk with the name of the local veteran originally accompanied each tree. Since the original dedication, there have been memorial services at the memorial site every year on Memorial Day. It is clear that there are people in the Dayton community that are still very interested in preserving the memory. However, it is also clear that these local memorials are no a primary concern for all. There have been complaints of neglect and even vandalism. The majority of the bronze markers have been stolen from the site, along with the surrounding vegetation being allowed to grow out of control. Many people have called for action by the grounds of the community golf course. This responsibility has been pushed on to the city of Dayton and then again onto the department of parks and recreation. It seems that these conflicting departments deny reasonability and have contributed to the decline of the memorial. I believe that this denial of accountability has been to primary reason that the Oak Knoll Memorial has fallen into its present state.

However, there is one local group that has made the Victory Oak Knoll Memorial a priority for many years. Troop 193 is a Boy Scout troop that is located out of the Kettering, Ohio. This troop is made up of about 35-45 young boys from the ages of 10 to 18 years old. The troop first heard about the Victory Oak Knoll project after one member chose to clean up the area as an Eagle Scout project. Former member Sean Findlay wanted to renovate the memorial for his project and enlisted the help from his troop’s members. Since the original project in 2004, Troop 193 has visited the site twice a year to clean the area and make minor repairs. These cleaning efforts include trimming shrubbery, planting flowers, clearing fallen branches, and even minor masonry for the entrance. While there are no original members of the troop, this tradition has been passed on to younger generations of scouts.

This ongoing effort is a truly a testament to the public and their local pride. It is reassuring to see a younger generation take interest in local history.

Kettering Boy Scouts Troop 193. Interview by author. Personal interview

The Dayton Journal, "Film Types of Newspaper," May 1, 1921, sec. Carillon Park Archives .

Ullmer, katherine. "Ceremony to Honor WWI Vets, Victory oak Knoll Site of Sunday Event."Dayton Daily News, May 18, 1994, sec. Carillon Park Archives .

Dale, Huffman. "Ceremony honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice." Dayton Daily News, , sec. Carillon Park Archives .

Ullmer, katherine. "Ceremony to Honor WWI Vets, Victory oak Knoll Site of Sunday Event."Dayton Daily News, May 18, 1994, sec. Carillon Park Archives .