05/18/2026
We are pleased to share with you 4 new inductees to the MHS Alumni Foundation's Hall of Fame for Military Service to Country for 2026: 1st Lt. Ralph W. Dennings (1940), Sgt. E-5 Norbert A. Ricker (Marines), Major Nicole Lauth Keating (2001), and Lt. Colonel David N. Simms PhD (1995).
1st Lt. Ralph W. Dennings - Ralph graduated from MHS in 1940. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he served as a Bombardier on a B-24 Liberator plane in Europe. He served with Crew 731, 787th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group (H), 96th Combat Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He flew 35 combat missions over enemy occupied Europe and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the European African Middle Eastern Theater Medal with 4 Bronze Stars for Normandy, Northern France, Germany, and the Ardennes Campaign, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Sgt. E-5 Norbert A. Ricker - Norb attended MHS and was part of the class of 1961. He and his friend, Jim Clark, enlisted together in the Marines in 1963. Norb was deployed to Vietnam where he boarded a flat bottom boat and proceeded up river to join up with the Seventh Marines. In March 1966, he was assigned to Company L, 3rd Battalion, where he and others boarded helicopters and were dropped off in the jungle. They were part of Operation Texas, to drive a large force of North Vietnamese out of the Vinh Tuy Valley. Near the village of Quang Ngai, Norb's squad came under intense enemy fire. Out of 10 Marines in Norb's squad, seven were killed and Norb was wounded in the leg and chest. He was flown to Clark Air Base in the Philippines and then to the Great Lake Naval Hospital in Chicago for recovery. Norb was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the National Defense Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal.
Major Nicole Lauth Keating - Nicole graduated from MHS in 2001. She enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where she trained as a Nurse. She was deployed to Jordan in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, to Qatar in 2005 and to Djibouti, Africa in 2005 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. She was also deployed to Iraq in 2006, Afghanistan in 2006, Qatar in 2008, and Afghanistan again in 2017-2018. She has 275 combat hours and has earned numerous awards including the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal x2, the Air Force Achievement Medal x5, the Army Achievement Medal, the Air Force Good Conduct Medal x3, the Combat Readiness Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the National Defense Medal x2, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal x2, the Iraq Campaign Medal with star device, and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
Lt. Colonel David N. Simms - David graduated from MHS in 1995, The Ohio State University in 2000, and earned a doctorate degree in 2017 from Kent State University. He served in the Army ROTC program in college and has served in numerous deployments as an M1S2 Tank Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, Command of HHC 4th Battalion, and Operations Officer to G3 of the US Army Human Resources Command. These are just some of his many roles in the Army over a very distinguished 20-year career. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and again in 2004. He took commend of HHC, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor in Baghdad, was deployed to Kuwait in 2007, and was deployed again to Dijbouti, Africa in 2015. He retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel with many awards and commendations including the Bronze Star Medal with V Device, the Bronze Star Medal x2, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal x4, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal x4, Army Achievement Medal x4, Combat Action Badge, Basic Parachutist Badge, and the Basic Army Instructor Badge. He is a recipient of the Order of St. George Bronze and Silver Medallions.
Congratulations to each of our new inductees! They will be honored as a Hall of Fame dinner ceremony on September 25, 2026. 💙💛
