Hall of Valor ceremony returns after virus pause
Eleven new members of the Hall of Valor at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Oakland will be inducted later this month after the 2020 induction was postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The honorees are members of the 2020 and 2021 class and will join the Hall of Valor during a livestreamed ceremony at 2 p.m. March 28. The event will not be open to in-person attendance.
More than 700 veterans havebeen inducted since 1963, including recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross.
Inductees include World War II veteran Philip Bagian, of Philadelphia County, a U.S. Army Air Forces captain who received the Silver Star for leading a formation of fighter planes in an attack on a heavily defended airdrome in Campoformido, Italy, in 1945. His fighter was struck by antiaircraft fire, but he led repeated strafing attacks before flying 160 miles back to his base, where he made a “perfect landing,’’ according to his citation.
Another USAAF veteran, Tech. Sgt. Robert R. Kirsch, of Allegheny County, received a Silver Star as a result of a 1944 mission over Romania in which his B-17 was heavily damaged by anti-aircraft fire. The plane nevertheless continued on its mission before being attacked by enemy fighter aircraft. Sgt. Kirsch’s plane fought off the attack and made it back to base.
Pfc. Donald Dukovich, of Allegheny County, an Army medic, was awarded the Silver Star in 1944 after giving aid to and helping to evacuate a squad of men despite being wounded himself in a battle in Belgium.
Army 1st Sgt. Gilbert M. Moser, of Allegheny County, received a Silver Star for directing fire that destroyed an enemy tank on Christmas Eve 1944 in Belgium while under heavy fire himself. He also rescued three crew members from the wreckage of his burning tank destroyer after it was struck by enemy rounds.
Aviation Machinist Mate FirstClass Paul E. Stock, of Allegheny County, received the Distinguished Flying Cross for “heroism and extraordinary achievement” while participating in action in 1945 near Japan. The gunner on an aircraft carrier-based torpedo plane, he participated in 20 strikes against the enemy between February and June 1945.
During the Vietnam War, Army 1st Lt. Stanley K. Rykaczewski, of Allegheny County, was mortally wounded in the vicinity of Phuoc Binh for remaining in an exposed position to direct artillery fire. He was killed in that January 1969 fight and posthumously awarded the SilverStar.
Navy Electronics Technician Third Class Wayne R. Weaver II, of Allegheny and Jefferson counties, who served in the Persian Gulf/ Iran-Iraq War in May 1987, died while helping shipmates aboard the USS Stark escape from the vessel after it was struck by two missiles in the Persian Gulf. He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.
Army Specialist 4 Larry L. Hohman, of Allegheny County, was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in Vietnam in October 1969. After his team was pinned down by enemy fire, he took his rifle and as many grenades as he could carry and crawled toward enemy bunkers, silencing most ofthe hostile force.
Army Capt. James E. Siegman, of Allegheny County, received the Silver Star as a result of action in July 1968 in Vietnam. The aircraft commander of an armed helicopter that was supporting a reconnaissance mission, he directed the firepower of his gunships and men on the ground toward enemy forces. He then flew his craft into a landing zone and evacuated five soldiers.
Marine Lance Cpl. Frederick G. Monahan, of Philadelphia and Blair counties, was awarded the Navy Cross for action in May 1967 in Vietnam. With his company under an intense mortar and automaticweapons barrage, Cpl. Monahan positioned himself between his command post and enemy soldiers and directed fire toward the advancing North Vietnamese forces. He kept the enemy pinned down for two hours, despite being wounded by a grenade, and directed relief forces into position.
Marine Cpl. Albert P. Gettings, of Lawrence County, received the Silver Star while serving as a team leader in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in January 2006. Wounded by enemy fire, Cpl. Gettings stood his ground and returnedfire while a wounded Marine moved to cover. He directed deployment of his squadmates as they maneuvered against the enemy, not moving to cover himself until theywere in position.
The induction ceremony will be streamed on Facebook andYouTube.