The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
HOMETOWN SHERO
Lorain honors native, Brigadier General Isabel Rivera Smith, discusses memorial
Many tears and laughs were shared April 10 during the Ohio Hispanic Veterans memorial event.
Held at Sacred Heart Chapel, the event was meant to honor Lorain native and recently promoted Brigadier General Isabel Rivera Smith.
“When I first got in (the United States Army) my dad said ‘Do you really want to do this?’ And I said, ‘Yeah dad, I do,’ “she said.
Smith, who has spent more than 35 years in the United States Army, is an Iraq War Veteran.
She grew up in Lorain and graduated from Admiral King High School.
“All the experiences that I had have been just amazing,” she said.
“All the experiences that I had have been just amazing.”
— Brigadier General Isabel Rivera Smith
During her time in the military, she received the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Army Achievement Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and many other awards a commendations.
Smith received over five proclamations from various elected officials including: Senator Sherrod Brown, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Governor Mike DeWine, and Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley.
During the celebration of Smith, the Ohio Hispanic Veterans Memorial Project Committee revealed plans for a new memorial in the area.
Currently there’s a Hispanic Veterans Memorial located in Oakwood Park. It was created by AMVETS post #58 41 years ago. The committee has been researching the memorial with an intention of adding to the area.
According to Fred Lozano, co-chair of the Ohio Hispanic Veterans Memorial Project Committee, the project is large but he believes it will get done.
“I think it will happen if we have a bunch of different people coming together. We need the emotional support and physical support from people,” he said. “We want it to be here long after I’m gone.”
Although the project is only the beginning stages, Lozano said, the committee hopes to spend $1 million for the memorial.
According to Cel Rivera, a co-chair of the Ohio Hispanic Veterans Memorial Project Committee, the memorial is going to be inclusive of all ethnicities and branches of the military.
“We want to see the city flag, the United States flag and flags to represent all of the branches on the military. We want it to be up and extend into a new lane in Oakwood Park,” he said.
“It should be somewhere people are proud of and want to come. We want there to be stones for other ethnicities and to match the one we have now in Oakwood.”
“It should be somewhere people are proud of and want to come. We want there to be stones for other ethnicities and to match the one we have now in Oakwood.” — Retired Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera, a co-chair of the Ohio Hispanic Veterans Memorial Project Committee