Tioga County to welcome special guest; Erwin Flohr to speak at Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony

By JoAnn R. Walter —

A long-time friend of Tioga County, Erwin Flohr, accompanied by his wife, will be traveling to the U.S. from his home in the Netherlands and is scheduled to speak at the May 26 Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony in Owego.

The remembrance ceremony is planned immediately following the Memorial Day parade, which kicks off at 10 a.m. in downtown Owego, N.Y.

Flohr has been a faithful visitor to American cemeteries in the Netherlands and Belgium for many years. His connection with Tioga County, N.Y. began in 2008.

In 2017, Owego residents John and Carole Schubert delivered proclamations from the Tioga County Legislature and from the N.Y.S. Senate in person to Erwin on a trip they made to the Netherlands. The proclamations thanked Erwin for his dedication and loyalty in caring for the gravesites of the fallen American heroes who served in World War II.

Erwin has cared for six Tioga County World War II fallen heroes who rest in Margraten American Cemetery in the Netherlands and at Belgium’s Henri-Chapelle Cemetery.

Tioga County’s four fallen heroes in Margraten include Army Pfc. Edward E. Whallen of Straits Corners, Army Pfc. Glenn A. Warner of Owego, Army Pvt. Walter R. Magee of Lounsberry, and Army Sgt. Richard Hoyt of Candor.

At Henri-Chapelle, Flohr visits the graves of Army 2nd Lt. Albert F. Church of Nichols, and Army Pfc. James M. LaDue of Waverly.

Flohr lays flowers at the graves of the Tioga County soldiers buried at each cemetery and, in turn, has followed up by forwarding photos to Jim Raftis, Sr. Raftis often mentioned Erwin’s efforts during past Memorial Day ceremonies.

It was hoped that Erwin would have the opportunity to meet Raftis while visiting Owego this month, since they had developed a close friendship through the years. Sadly, Jim passed away on May 11.

Erwin has shared that while growing up, his father took him to a war museum in the Netherlands, where he saw firsthand real tanks, jeeps, airplanes, weapons, and uniforms. As he learned more about the history of World War II, he better understood the role of the Allied Forces in liberating the Netherlands in 1944-45.

Flohr later took an interest in an adoption program, where citizens of the Netherlands can adopt the grave of a soldier. Erwin’s first adopted soldier was John R. Thomas, a 17th Airborne Division trooper Killed In Action in March 1945 when the plane he was on crashed due to anti-aircraft fire in Germany.

Thomas hailed from Chenango County, N.Y., and Erwin and his wife plan to visit the family when they are in the area.

Erwin’s second adoption was Leroy M. Sthalman, of Niagara County, N.Y., who, at just nineteen, crashed in the North Sea in November 1943 during a bombing mission.

Erwin’s third adoption started his long-time connection to Tioga County. James M. LaDue, resting at Henri-Chapelle, was Killed In Action in Sept. 1944.

LaDue’s daughter, Nancy, of Waverly, visited her father’s grave in Belgium for the first time last year, accompanied by her daughter and grandson. Nancy, now in her eighties, was just two years old when her father died while serving our country.

Erwin shared that it has been rewarding to see how his efforts have been appreciated by many in Tioga County. Even though he has never been to Tioga County before, he feels a connection and looks forward to meeting people while he is here.

According to the American Battle Monuments Commission, the American Cemetery in Margraten is the final resting place of 8,288 U.S. WWII soldiers.

Currently, all of the graves and names on the Walls of the Missing are adopted at Margraten. According to the Foundation for Adopting Graves at Margraten, there is a lengthy waiting list of people who wish to adopt a soldier.

The Liberators, as the Dutch describe our U.S. heroes, “gave their lives for our freedom during World War II.”