A Dedication in Eldersville

The small village of Eldersville, located at the West Virginia line in Jefferson Township, has a lot of which to be proud. Perhaps 100 or more were present Saturday afternoon at the dedication of a large, new veterans monument on a plot of ground in the center of the village. The Jefferson Township Historical Society was behind the creation of the new stone monument, which lists 1,110 names of township residents in military service from colonial times to the current day. Washington County Judge John DiSalle, retired U.S. Army Col. Emile Adrian Robert, Jr., and historical society VP John Ratkovich were among the speakers.

I had the opportunity to speak with some of the veterans and their families at the social after the dedication. There were only a few WWII veterans present. (The "Greatest Generation" is quickly leaving the scene -- the youngest WWII veterans alive today are at least 80 years old.)

Among the WWII veterans present was my great-great uncle, Ray Vincenti, age 90, who lived the longest part of his life in Jefferson Township. He took part in the raising of the U.S. flag at the memorial. ("Uncle Remo" was the brother of my great-grandfather, Joe Vincenti. The sons of immigrants from Northern Italy, they grew up in the village of Primrose west of McDonald.)

Gaydos Monument created the monument.