By: JoAnn R. Walter —
Jim Raftis, longtime Memorial Day chairman and Korean War veteran, has had a vision and a long-term goal of preserving the stories of Tioga County veterans, and for those who have served during times of war and peace.
To accomplish the goal, a committee was formed, including Raftis, Dorolyn Perry, and Carol Raftis, as well as Marcia Kiechle and Walter Beardslee.
Martin Madert, who travels all across the country with the Witness to War Foundation, traveled to Owego to film and record local stories of veterans on April 4 and 5. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to preserving the stories and experiences of veterans. Several local benefactors and supporters helped secure the project.
Pictured is Vietnam Veteran Manning Stahl, one of several veterans who took part in a veterans’ recording project with the non-profit Witness to War Foundation. Stahl brought along some items he had saved from his service time, including a detailed map. (JoAnn R. Walter photo)
A number of veterans participated in the recordings, which took place at the Owego Methodist Church. Madert interviewed Justin Donnelly, Stacy Donnelly, Dave Honnick, George Carrigan, Manning Stahl, Mack Riggs, Danielle Ingram, Walter Beardslee, Don Charles Cope, Gary Howard, and Steve Palinosky.
Stacy Donnelly, a U.S. Army veteran, served as a combat medic with the Charlie 64th Brigade Support Battalion in Iraq. She completed basic training in 2004, and moved on to advanced individual training, or AIT, in early 2005. She was stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado for about five months before being deployed to Iraq in October 2005.
Stacy’s role was to prepare wounded soldiers for triage and evacuation, such as dressing and sterilizing wounds and taking vital signs, among other duties, and to prepare soldiers for transport to a higher-level medical facility.
It was during AIT training that Stacy met her husband, Justin Donnelly.
Justin, a U.S. Army Sergeant, Iraq War veteran, and Purple Heart recipient, served in the 10th Mountain Division attached to the 121st Battalion as a medic. Donnelly sustained injuries from a suicide car bomb attack on a southern Kirkuk outpost. Donnelly is also known for his heroic actions in aiding Baby Noor, a three-month-old infant with spina bifida.
Pictured from left are Carol Raftis, Justin Donnelly, and Dorolyn Perry, inside the Owego Methodist Church on April 4. Donnelly was one of several veterans who participated in the Veterans Recording Day project, coordinated by the VFW and VFW Auxiliary, and recorded by the Witness to War Foundation. (JoAnn R. Walter photo)
Justin shared that he was “happy to be able to participate in the Witness to War project.”
Justin reminisced about knowing Jim Raftis since he was a young boy swinging the bat at Owego Little League and praised Raftis for all he has done for veterans, including taking on this important project.
And, a full-circle family moment, like many in the community, the Donnelly’ children participated at Owego Little League, too.
Another veteran interviewed for the Witness to War project is Danielle Ingram, a retired Iraq War USAF Major flight nurse. Ingram cared for Donnelly and accompanied him from Kirkuk to Germany for medical treatment.
It wasn’t until Ingram and Donnelly marched together in an Owego Memorial Day parade several years ago that they realized they knew each other.
Also at the event, a group of OFA students and staff stepped in to help interview 102-year-old Owego resident Eudora Shuler. Eudora discussed her recollections of the home front during World War II and also highlighted her husband Fred’s service in the U.S. Army. Eudora’s interview was planned separately from the other interviews.
OFA senior students Madison McEvoy and Ashleigh Steele interviewed Eudora, and other students, including senior Matthew Samuelson, were behind the cameras. OFA teachers and staff at the event were Ryan Dickinson, Ryan Cirbus, Luke Kaczynski, and Luke McEvoy.
Pictured from left are Ashley Steele, Eudora Shuler, Madison McEvoy, and Matthew Samuelson. OFA students interviewed Eudora for a special project focusing on her home life during WWII and her husband Fred’s service in Italy. (JoAnn R. Walter photo)
Eudora’s husband Fred, who passed away in 2006, served in the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division during WWII with the Ski Troopers, where he was part of a campaign to capture Riva Ridge, a 2,300-foot peak in the Apennine Mountains of Italy. Taking the ridge helped Americans push through enemy lines that the Germans occupied during the last months of WWII. Some 1,000 Americans died, and 4,000 were wounded during the campaign. Shuler was the recipient of three Bronze Stars.
Eudora chuckled when she remembered a romantic-type evening shortly after she and Fred were married. They were admiring the full moon, and Fred turned to her and declared, “It’s a nice night for a patrol!”
Apparently, the full moon reminded him of WWII memories.
Pictured are OFA students, along with teacher Ryan Dickinson, during a recorded interview with Owego resident Eudora Shuler on April 4. (JoAnn R. Walter photo)
OFA’s “Eudora Interview” was planned to be edited last week and will be shared via the school as soon as it is available.
Videos of Tioga County veterans will be shared via the Witness to War Foundation on their website, https://www.witnesstowar.org.
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