Remembering all who served

Names are important to Ralph Caldwell, who displays two large memorial flags at his Rocky's Pool Hall business in Coudersport. He's spearheading American Legion Post 192's Armed Forces Honor Roll project. Lugene Heimel photo

Hundreds of Coudersport area men and women have served their nation as members of the military. Now, their service will be recognized in a very public way.

American Legion Post 192 recently broke ground for a major military service memorial to be erected facing U.S. Rt. 6, next to the former railroad depot that now serves as borough headquarters.

A skeleton of the Coudersport Area Armed Forces Honor Roll can now be seen in the northern corner of the Coudersport Arboretum, behind McDonald's Restaurant and the Coudersport Service Center car lot.

Ralph Caldwell, the man who first conceived of the honor roll, has remained its driving force on behalf of Post 192. From advocacy and fundraising, to steering the project through a maze of approvals, Caldwell is finally seeing his dream begin to take shape.

Sturdy and attractive redwood framing, custom-built by Calvin Horning, has been erected. Wooden panels that will eventually bear the names of military personnel dating back to the Civil War are being prepared by Jerry Crumrine's Pennsylvania Conservation Corps crew.

'No one left out'

Meanwhile, Caldwell has logged many hours at the Potter County Historical Society Museum and his own computer, compiling lists of names to be recognized through one of the most ambitious projects in Post 192's history.

"We don't want anyone to be left out -- that's very important to us," Caldwell told Endeavor News.

Anyone who served in the military from the Coudersport Area School District, as defined by today's boundaries, is eligible for inclusion.

Relying largely on a thorough database at the Historical Society, he is fairly confident that his lists of veterans from the Civil War and World War I are thorough. They number 331 and 292, respectively. He has also been putting the finishing touches on the roll call from World War II, which currently stands at 516.

Those names will be the first to be added to the Honor Roll,