Veterans were honored at the Talmage Historical Society Museum May 27, 2012.

World War II touched many lives in Talmage and surrounding communities, and six veterans of that war and others unable to attend were honored Sunday, May 27, 2012, at the Talmage Historical Society museum.

“We had a great group of close to 80 people who came to help us honor our veterans,” said Talmage Historical Society Director Verl Coup. “There were a lot of memories shared and history that might have been lost is now preserved in the museum.”

Coup has close to 50 veterans’ histories recorded and seven more names were recently given to him to research.

“I started receiving veterans pictures at the museum, began talking to them, and started collecting their stories as a means to preserve history,” Coup said.

One visitor, who knows the time and effort it takes to initiate and record those interviews, was especially impressed with the community attendance and participation.

“I was really impressed with how the community turned out to honor and visit with the veterans, and I felt like people really learned a lot,” said Bill DeArmond, a writer with an interest in WWII and who is helping with the Dickinson County WWII Writing Project. “I’d like to see more communities honor their veterans. It was a really nice afternoon.”

Verl Coup read the service records of the six living veterans in attendance: C. Wayne Banks, Wichita; Curtis D. Fulton, Salina; Marvin Ledy, Abilene; Lynn Meehan, Abilene; Joyce W. Romberger, Abilene; and Ralph W. Snyder, Abilene.

C. Wayne Banks, US Navy, 1943-46, joined the navy on May 19, 1943. He was at Okinawa when the atom bomb was dropped and at Hiroshima where he saw the devastation.

Curtis Fulton, US Naval Air Corp, 1942-43, joined in 1942 and received his pilot’s license in Lindsborg. He received more flight training in Liberty, Mo., and St. Louis, Mo.

Marvin Ledy, US Army, 738th Battalion, 1943-45, was sent to Ft. Knox for training in radio where he learned morse code.

Lynn Meehan, US Army, 1944-46, was 1 of 42 Dickinson County men drafted in 1942. He was on board a ship where the Peace Agreement was signed and was part of Occupation Forces inside Japan for a year.

JW Romberger, US Army, 1942-45, was drafted in 1942 and was trained in the motor pool as a truck driver and regularly made 500 mile trips to deliver troops and supplies.

Ralph Snyder, Army Air Corp,1942-65, was part of 487th Bomb Group and retired at rank of Lt. Colonel.

Three veterans unable to attend were Melvin L. Brillhart, Holden, Missouri; Dena Huitt, Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Clara Houtz Lawson, Hebron, Nebraska.

An honor roll of deceased veterans was read: Herb Banks, US Army; George Barclay, US Army; Ivan Book; Walter Book, US Army; Lowell Dean Britt, US Navy; Kenneth Ray Coup, US Navy; Bruce H. Freeman, US Navy; Mike Funston; Markwood D. Heck, US Army; William H. Lake, US Army Air Corp; Joe Laird, US Army; John McVicker, US Army; Virgil H. Marsteller, US Army; Calvin Charles Matteson, US Army; Vernon Dale Noel, US Air Force; Paul R. Noel, US Navy; Raymond E. Noel, US Army; Stanley Scripter, US Army; Oliver Simpson, US Navy; Estel H. Snyder, US Army; Orland Arlie Stewart, US Navy; Abram E. Stoner, Jr., US Navy; George Thompson, US Army; Phillip Wallace, US Marines; Delmar E. Watt, US Navy.