Char Valley dedicates Korean War memorial
The new Korean War memorial, adjacent to the World War II memorial plaque and bell overlooking the football field.
The student reasearch team (Adrienne Elioni, Colleen Fritch, Matthew Thomas, teacher Bob Rodrigues, Allie Ferri) look on as Congressman Tim Murphy speaks about lost veterans’ sacrifices.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, a 1980 Char Valley alumnus, spoke of how he recalled the war and its lessons on remembering and acting on sacrifice in public service.
Bridgeville historian and author Joe Oyler listens as students thank him for his work in “Almost Forgotten,” a non-fiction book recounting area veterans’ lives.
Four service members from the Bridgeville-Collier area who lost their lives fighting in 1950s Korea are now memorialized on a plaque overlooking the Chartiers Valley High School football field. The five-student research team who made it possible was led by social studies and history teacher Bob Rodrigues, along with research from Bridgeville historian and author Joe Oyler, whose book “Almost Forgotten” planted the proverbial seeds for their findings.
“We are so incredibly grateful for the service these veterans gave: fighting to protect our freedom, and valiantly giving their lives in Korea in that service,” said student researcher Allie Ferri. “And though we weren’t even born yet, your stories have moved us. We are the new generation, but decades ago, these young men paid for our protection with their lives. It is our turn to pay tribute to them and ensure that their stories are protected and never forgotten.”
The plaque, which sits next to a World War II plaque and below a bell-both of which were found in the school basement-displays the four men’s names: sailor Amos Jones, and soldiers Edward Kolessar, Robert Shipe and Harry Stringer.
“The entire memorial was planned and built by our students,” said superintendent Dr. Brian White, “the design and the brickwork was done by our Computer Assisted Design classes, our masonry students; the research on the WWII memorial-the 17 names-was done by some of last year’s juniors; the bell found in the basement was restored by our Parkway West tech students. And this year was a challenge for the five students, because they didn’t have the benefit of having a plaque that already existed. They had to find who from our community gave their life in service of this country.”
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, a 1980 Chartiers Valley alumnus, spoke at the dedication, saying it was under the tutelage of Vietnam veteran and teacher Bob Rodrigues that he gained an appreciation for public service.
“My dad went into the Navy after WWII … I was practically raised by a good friend’s family, Mr. and Mrs. Barrett, and we’d ask Mr. Barrett after episodes of ‘M.A.S.H.,’ ‘What was it like?’ It’s memories like that that remind me that we indeed have to remember. We need to think about those who made sacrifices,” he said.
U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy (R-Upper St. Clair), a lieutenant commander in the Navy, said he was impressed by the students’ work.
“It’s so remarkable that in this corner of Char Valley High School, these students stood and said, ‘We will not forget these men and women in this forgotten war,'” he said.
Nearly 1.8 million Americans served in Korea, with 103,000 wounded and 7,500 unaccounted for. Approximately 36,574 Americans died in the conflict.