Significance of the World War II Minority Veterans Memorial at the Oncenter.
What is Veterans Day and why is it always celebrated on November 11th ? At the end of World War I, the armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. That is why November 11, 1918 became the official day to celebrate all our nation’s veterans. Called Armistice Day originally, renamed Veterans Day after World War II. The following is our annual celebration of those who sacrificed who are enshrined on the World War II Minority Veterans Memorial at the Oncenter
On its dedication on Aug. 27, 2005, the black granite wall included the names of 245 veterans. On the wall above the memorial are photos of two men PFC Charles Latham, Buffalo Soldier & 489th Engineer Water Supply Division and Sergeant Albert A. Tarbell 82nd Airborne Division. These men are just representative of the diverse minority group members who served our country during World War Two. This is our annual tribute to those who’ve served.
America’s “Minorities” or people of color have fought and died in wars since our nation’s birth. There are hundreds of thousands who fought in WWII and other conflicts that were never recognized for their service. Therefore, the existence of the World War II Minority Veterans Wall of Honor is especially important as we celebrate Veterans Day.
The monument at the OnCenter’s entrance on S. State Street consists of 245 names engraved on a black granite wall it includes blacks, American Indians, Latino Americans and Asian-Pacific Islander Americans of all World War II services, including the Merchant Marine.
The names
Here’s a listing of the names on the wall at its 2005 dedication. It includes blacks, American Indians, Latino Americans and Asian-Pacific Islander Americans of all World War II services, including the Merchant Marine. Veterans must have lived in Onondaga County at some time in their lives. Branch of service is not known for all on the list.
Frank V. Adams, Army
David P. Agnew Sr., Army
John C. Agnew, Army
Valley Allgood, N/A
James Lawrence Anderson, Army
Warren Timothy Anderson, Army
Milton Babcock Jr., Navy
Louis Beckman, Army
Matthew T. Bell, Army
John B. Betsey Sr., Army
Eugene Blue, Army
Harold N. Braithwaite, Army
Curtis Brown, Army
Odis Brown, Army
Ophius Brown, Army
Leslie Bucktooth Sr., Army
Edward A. Bullard, Army
Roy J. Catalfamo, Army
Louis D. Christiano, Army
Granville Clemons, Army
Johnson Cook, Navy
Cecil Chester Cooper, Navy
Louis Mayhew Credle, Army
John William Cree, Air Force
Joseph W. Cree, Army
Robert B. Chestnut, Army
Lyn Harold Crouse, Army
Marvin Crouse Sr., Army
Robert Crowder, Army
Timothy P. Crowell, Army
Morgan Joseph Curry, Army
Thomas Peter David Sr., Navy
Marion Davis, Army
Roy L. Davis, Army
Walter Davis Jr., Navy
Donald Dawson, Navy
Romie Lee Days Sr., Army
Charles Albert Dixon, Army
Kenneth L. Dixon, Army
Alfred Doctor, Navy
John Dowdell Sr., Army
James L. Dubose, Army
Arthur Lembert Dunbar Sr., Army
Curtis Dunbar, Army
Freddrick Dunham, Army
Marvin Edge, Army
Vester Edge Jr., Army
Desport Edwards, Army
Raymond Elm Jr., Navy
Walter Elm, Navy
Isiah Farmer, Army
Freeman Finch, Army
Thomas Miles Fleming, Army
Daniel Frost, Army
Nelson Frost, Army
Winston H. Gaskin, Army
Charles Reginald George, Army
Robert E. George Sr., Army
Robert George, Army
Ronald J. George, Army
Russell George Sr., Army
Ambrose Gibson, Army
Andrew Gibson Jr., Army
Calvin Gibson, Navy
Donald Gibson Sr., Army
John Gibson Sr., Army
Maurice Gibson, Marines
Clarence Eckel Glenn
Thomas Godley, Army
Thomas L. Goldthwait, Army
Raphael Gonyea, Army/Air Force
Thomas P. Goslowski, Army
David Green, Navy
Loren Green, Army
Warren Green, Army
Wallace Greene, Marines
James Herman Griffin, Navy
Julius Hall, Army
Denvil Hammons, Army
Samuel Harvey, Army
William T. Hicks Sr., Navy
Leon John Hill, Navy
Oliver Hill Sr., Army
Richard Hill, Army
Willard Hill, Navy
Eddie Hollis, Army
Charles E. Holt, Army
Eli Homer Sr., Navy
James Homer, Navy
Wilbert Homer, Navy
Moses Honor, Army
Elliot Honyoust, Army
Madeline Honyoust, Army
William Bill Honyoust, Army
Nathan W. Howard, Navy
Robert Howard, Army
Vincent H. Hunt, Army
Eddie Jackson, Air Force
Arthur Jacobs, Army
Ernest Jacobs, Army
Sherman Jacobs, Army
Louis Jacques, Canadian Air Force
Mahlon R. Jeffries, Navy
Charles E. Johnson Jr., Army
Charles E. Johnson Sr., Army
Fred E. Johnson, Army
Herbert A. Johnson, Army
Robert Johnson Sr., Navy
Sidney L. Johnson, Air Force
Willard A. Johnson, Army
Woodrow Johnson, Army
Arthur W. Jones Jr., Army
Clarence B. Jones, Army
Ernest Jones, Marines
Jimmie L. Jones Sr., Army
Hiram Harold Jones, Navy
Louis Leon Jones, Navy
Moses Jones, Marines
Nelson LaForte, Marines
Joseph LaFrate, Army
Charlie W. Latham, Army
Dave Leverette Jr., Navy
Cornelius A. Lubo, Army
Emmet Lyons, Army
James “Tiger” Lyons, Army
Jack M. Mable, Army
William Thomas Mabry Jr., Army
Ernest Joseph Mallery, Air Force
Clifton E. Marshall, Army
Andrew J. Mathews, Army
Walter McClairy, Army
Frederick C. McClaude, Navy
Joseph W. McDougall, Army
James McKinley, Army
Alfred McKinnon, Army
Herold Miller, Army
Kenneth T. Miller Sr., Army
David Mims, Army
Clarence Moody, Army
J.B. Morgan, Army
Henry Graham Moore, Army
Kenneth C. Morris Sr., Army
Harvey Moses Sr., Army
Lawrence Moses, Navy
Charlie Myles, Army
Raymond M. Newport Sr., Navy
Bernard Nolan, Marines
Leo Nolan Sr., Navy
Jesse S. Oneal, Army
Luther Owens, Army/Air Force
Anthony Ozark, Navy
Miguel Estrada Padilla, Army
Jose Pagcaliwagan, Navy
Robert Junious Paige, Army
Angus Papineau, Navy
Anna Mae Papineau, WAC/Army
Mitchell Papineau, Marines
Ernest J. Pelkey, Navy
Braxter Pettiford, Army
Harold Pierce Jr., Navy
Lynn Pierce, Navy
William W. Pierce, Navy
William Polk, Marines
Benjamin Powless, Army
Henry Powless, Marines
Leslie Powless, Navy
Richard A. Powless Sr., Army
Timothy Powless, Navy
John C. Pullins, Army
James B. Redfearn, Army
Rudolfo N. Reyes, Army
Robert T. Rhoades Sr., Navy
Floyd Rice, Air Force
James E. Richards Jr., Army
Donald Honyoust Rockwell, Navy
Arthur Ryan, Army
Earle M. Scoggins, Air Force
George W. Scott, Army
Michael John Scott, Canadian Army
Thomas J. Scott, Army
Chapman Schenandoah Jr., Navy
Nelson Paul Schenandoah, Navy
Ralph Schenandoah, Army
Exandine Shenandoah, Marines
Frederick Shenandoah Jr., Army
Willie Sherman Sr., Marines
Roger Sherrill, Navy
Leroy Simmons, Army
Jesse C. Simpson, Army
Roosevelt Sims, Army
Anthony John Singleton, Army
Wilbert A. Singleton, Army
Ledger Slater, Army
J.D. Smith, Army
Willard D. Smith, Army
Leo J. Smoke, Army
Leon Smoke, Navy
Percy Smoke, Army
William Peter Smoke, Marines
Marion Stanfield, Army
Robert Stanley, Navy
James Stewart, Army
Gilbert Stout Sr., Marines
Albert A. Tarbell, Army
Leslie Joseph Tarbell, Marines
Michael Robert Taylor, Army
Alfred Thomas, Army
Arthur Thomas Sr., Army
Edson Thomas, Army
John Thomas Sr., Marines
Kenneth Thomas Sr., Army
George Thompson Jr., Army
Miles Thompson Sr., Navy
Paul E. Tisdell, Army
Arthur Lee Todd, Navy
Raymond L. Triche, Army
Edward M. Tucker Jr., Army
Floyd Benjamin Tucker, Army
Frederick Lee Tucker, Marines
Conrad Vanderpool, Air Force
Sheldon Vanderpool, Air Force
Wesley Vanderpool, Air Force
Louella Vanevery, nurse, Army
Michael B. Ventrone, Army
Thomas Allen Warren, Air Force
Emerson Waterman, Army
Gene Waterman, Navy
Paul Waterman, Navy
William A. Weaver, Army
Charles Webster, Army
Jacob Webster, Army
Richard Webster, Army
Thomas Webster Sr., Navy
William Webster, Army
Henry J. Werts, Army
Howard P. White, Army
Woodrow White, Army
Thelma A. Whitted, Army/Air Force
David E. Wilkins, Army/Air Force
Duane Williams, Navy
Kelly N. Wilson, Army
Aubrey D. Winslow Sr., Army
Michael Henry Wolek, Army
James L. Young, Army
John William Young, Navy