Veterans Memorial Museum Foundation

06/19/2026

06/17/2026

Consider attending this event. The speaker is a decorated Marine, and will be speaking on the significance of the Purple Heart Medal.

06/17/2026

Yesterday the Museum Curator attended the graveside service of TEDDY BURRGRAF of New Lebanon, Ohio. TED was a good friend and supporter of the Museum. More importantly, he was quiet, unassuming and a Man of God. TED was a tough country boy who retired from the Railroad, and the US Army Reserve as a Sergeant. TED never let modern culture corrupt his core values, and was true to that to the end. He served in Viet Nam with an Attack Helicopter Battalion in the 101st Airborne Division. Later, he re-enlisted in the US Army and served as a Tanker in Germany.

TED came from good stock, his Father GEORGE having served in WWII, also with the 101st Airborne Division and having been seriously wounded and Captured as a POW by the Germans.

TED passed at 75 years of age, and having lost his Wife a few years back, never really recovered from her loss.

He is now lies at eternal rest, next to his wife and parents...

06/16/2026

Did you know that the American Army was formed to fight against the English Army, even before our country was created?

God Bless the United States Army for its sacrifices made to defend our nation.

06/15/2026

BOB TRACY of Germantown, visited the Museum and donated these oil paintings depicting scenes of mountainous terrain, in Southern Germany or Austria. BOB's Grandfather, RALPH COLLINS of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, served in Headquarters Company, 3rd Battaliom, 66th Infantry Regiment of the 71st Infantry Division. This Division was active throughout Southern Bavaria and Austria, during the last weeks of WWII.

The paintings are dated 1945, with the painters name present. Most likely, these paintings were done by a German Prisoner of War. For months after the War ended, the 71st Infantry Division dealt with thousands of German and Hungarian prisoners in that beautiful and mountainous part of the world.

As evidenced by the late 1940's news article, RALPH apparently was able to liberate the infamous N**i War Criminal, HERMANN GOERING's shotgun from a Castle in Austria.

Thank you BOB for preserving history and the story of your Grandfather's service.

06/14/2026

KEN JOHNSON, the 101 year "young" World War Two veteran of ground combat, in the European Theater of Operations, blessed us with his presence and memories at the Museum today. KEN served in England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Czechoslovakia, while in the US Army's 249th Combat Engineer Battalion, and F Company, 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division.

KEN's family roots are in Kentucky, his Father served in France during WWI, and his Brother served in the 42nd Infantry Division during WWII.

KEN is presently the serving Board President of the Museum. He is the Museums most current President, and unfortunately probably the last Veteran of WWII to do so.

Previous VMMF Presidents included:

-CHARLES DAVIS, US ARMY, WWII

-KEN GRUVER, US MARINE CORPS, WWII and KOREA

-BOB BAKER, US ARMY, WWII

-JOHN ASHBY, US NAVY, WWII

***Thanks to KEN's daughter for accompanying KEN to Germantown today.

06/11/2026

Brothers GREGG and JOHN OGDEN visited the Museum recently. They drove over from Monroe County Ohio, and grew up in the little town of Woodsfield. Their Father, JACK, was a WWII Paratrooper with the Army's 17th Airborne Division. GREGG served in the US Navy and is a retired Electrician. JOHN worked as a Civilian Executive for the Department of Defense, and now devotes much of his time to their local Historical Society. The brothers donated artifacts of their Fathers service for Museum display. Stay tuned for a detailed report on their Father's story and artifacts. They were treated to lunch and a short tour of the Museum and Town. The brothers were last seen heading to the birth place of Ulysses S. Grant...

06/11/2026

While working in the Museum today on administrative matters, we heard a knock at the door and were greeted by these two very nice people. DEL ADOLPH and his wife KITTY, from Vandalia, were visiting Germantown for the first time and decided to stop by. Originally from Zanesville, DEL enlisted in the US Army in 1983 as a Military Policeman, and served in Alabama, Korea and Arizona. Good luck to these two...

06/04/2026

The Museum Staff traveled to the beautiful small town of Piqua, Ohio, to an old foundry-warehouse building. The Staff picked up multiple glass display cabinets, to display historical artifacts in the Museum Collection.

The cases were then transferred back to the new VMMF Annex building in Germantown, where they will be carefully cleaned and processed, until they are moved to the Museum for permanent use. The new Amnex building, located in proximity to the Museum will be used for storage of props, display cases etc., but will not contain any historical artifacts. The Annex will also be used for a workshop for display preparation and to store and maintain the Museum's historical vehicles.

The operation to retrieve the display cabinets, expended over 20 hours of manhours. Thanks to ED, JIM, JOE and CRUZE...Volunteers were 13-to 67 years of age...

05/10/2026

The General Ridgeway Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Division Association held their monthly meeting at the Museum. These guys are "old and broken" former Paratroopers, military parachuting is not healthy for knees and backs, (this Curator can say that, as he is "old and broken," from numerous parachute jumps in the US Army). The organization is a nationwide fraternal group that promotes the history, accomplishments, spirit and camaradarie of American Paratroopers. Lets wish them good luck on their future endeavors!