ZANESVILLE – From Paris to Korea to Vietnam to the South Pacific. Some of Zanesville’s most important stories, hidden right in plain sight, have traveled all across the world to protect Muskingum County and the United States.
Many of the local men and women who served in the U.S. military are featured on the 250 veterans banners that span Zanesville.
They go up in the spring of every year and come down after Veterans Day on a two-year cycle.
Spring 2026 will mark the banners’ fifth overall year and the start of a new cycle of banners, meaning that applications are open for 2026 and 2027’s veterans, explained Wayne Clark, the president of the Veterans Appreciation Foundation.
Each banner is $70, and the applications can be picked up at Zanesville VFW Post 1058, the Zanesville American Legion, the Zanesville-Muskingum County Conference & Welcome Center, Green Valley Golf Course, and Muddy Misers Restaurant.
Once taken down, banners can be picked up by the family at the VFW, 1318 Putnam Ave.
Here are the stories behind nine of the faces you’ve seen on the current banners.
Clarence Boyd
Clarence Boyd grew up on a farm near Perryton, Ohio. By January 1944, he was married with two young daughters and living in Zanesville when he was drafted into the Army.
They headed to Florida to train, then were sent to England and on to France in Aug. 1944, two months after D-Day. He was in a heavy mortar platoon 13th regiment 8th Infantry, Company D.
They went through Paris, into Luxembourg, where they got their first and only hot shower until the end of the war. They guarded an area that was just north of the Battle of the Bulge. From there they moved into Germany.
One night Clarence and 15 to 20 other men took shelter in a small barn. While there, a German artillery shell landed in the haymow but failed to explode. They were thankful for the worker who “forgot” to put the charge in.
They captured thousands of German prisoners but had little contact with them. He did not go to see the concentration camps, but other soldiers told him of the horrors there.
After V-E Day, they were sent to the states with the expectation of going to the Pacific, but, thankfully, the war ended. The 13th saw heavy action, but Clarence amazingly never fired the 81-mm mortar he was assigned to in combat.
In November 1945, Clarence returned to Zanesville, where he and Helen had three more children. He worked for Omar Bread, Woodman Insurance, had a rural mail route and owned Mary Carter Paints.
Submitted by Jim Boyd, Clarence’s son.
Wayland Carrel
Wayland Carrel served in the “bent beer can” 7th Infantry Division, U.S. Army as a corporal. He was a tank mechanic during the Korean War.
Transferred to Korea in 1951, he spent his entire overseas service on the front lines at the 38th Parallel. His exceptional mechanical skills earned him several medals and commendations, including one for never losing a tank to the enemy.
The front lines frequently shifted and, during one intense battle, a disabled tank ended up behind enemy lines. When the fighting line moved back past the tank, Wayland bravely ran to the tank, jumped under it to make repairs.
While working under the tank, the line shifted again, leaving him behind enemy lines. Undetected, he continued his repairs. When the line shifted once more and he heard English-speaking voices, he started the tank and brought it back to safety.
After 18 months, he earned enough points to rotate out of the combat zone. Wayland was a true patriot who loved his country, proud of his service, but haunted by the memories of combat.
Submitted by Steve Carrel.
Harold “Kenneth” Culbertson
Kenneth Culbertson was my mother’s cousin. They grew up together in Zanesville area and were close as children. Kenneth was a staff sergeant in the Army Infantry. He served from November 1942 until October 1945.
Although I do not know much about his military career, it is only fitting that his service to his country be remembered and honored by our family with this banner. Upon his discharge, he worked in the banking field. He was a member of the Grotto and had served in several offices. He was also active in the community.
Kenny was a good son, caring for his mother until his death in 1952. He was helpful to his family and was a good friend.
Submitted by Joyce Patton, Kenneth’s cousin.
Robert “Bob” Frick
My dad, Bob Frick, grew up on a small farm in Wayne Township and was a self-taught engineer. A veteran of World War II, he was an airplane mechanic and served from June 1941 to July 1945.
During his military career, he was stationed in Alabama, Texas, and finally Alaska. His rank was 2nd Lt. in the Army Air Force. He was awarded a Theater Ribbon Asiatic/Pacific, with one Bronze Star.
Upon his return, Dad worked for Mosaic Tile in Zanesville, Borden Company in Columbus, and finally Haysen Manufacturing in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. With Haysen, he traveled all over the country installing and doing maintenance on machinery, especially installing electric eye packaging, which was new and innovative.
He and my mother, Betty, were married in February 1946, and raised myself and my two sisters. He was very active with us in our 4-H and Girl Scout badge work, helping us with our activities.
He was also active in Immanuel United Church of Christ, Muscoryan Club, and loved to play euchre. As a family we enjoyed picnicking, square dancing, and traveling with friends and family.
My dad could make anything out of anything. He was very inventive and a great asset to our family, community, and church.
Unfortunately, he was taken from us at 47 years of age, way too soon. He has been greatly missed, and it is with much pride that my family sponsors his and 13 other family members with the veteran banners.
Submitted by Joyce Patton, Bob’s daughter.
Adam D. Layman
Adam enlisted in the U.S. Army upon graduation from John Glenn High School in June of 1997. He immediately left for Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
The day he left with the recruiter was both sad and hopeful. I had no idea what to expect when he left, and the few weeks of no communication were hard. When the first phone call came, I was relieved to know he was OK.
At his graduation from basic, I was shocked to see the young man standing before me, so proud and excited to show his new frame and his new frame of mind. He had made it, and clearly, he was proud. So was I!
Twenty-four hours later, Adam left for Gulf Port, Mississippi, for advanced individual training in carpentry masonry. He excelled in training, finishing first in his class. Adam was then stationed in Fort Lee, Virginia.
Adam was discharged in 2000. While serving, Adam received a U.S. Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Service Ribbon, Expert Grenade, and Sharpshooter Rifle Levels.
Adam is a maintenance supervisor for AEP in both coal and nuclear plants. He is also a member of Malta Masonic Lodge #118. As a Mason, he conducted 12 annual golf outings to raise funds, which provided backpacks for East Muskingum School students. He also works in his home woodshop using his Army skills.
Submitted by Joyce Patton, Adam’s mother.
Dave Lyons
Dave Lyons was born in 1947, the son of Cecil and Florence Lyons. He was raised in Zanesville, Ohio, and has lived here almost all of his life.
He graduated from Zanesville High School in 1965 and went on to college at OUZ as a part-time student, as he was also employed in the McGraw Edison engineering department.
He was drafted into the Army in June of 1966 and did basic training at Ft. Benning in Sand Hills, Georgia. Afterward, he was sent to electronics school at Fort Gordon, Georgia, for six months to learn to repair communication and navigation radios used in Army aircraft, like the Huey helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
In March of 1967, he was deployed to Vietnam, spending most of his tour at Tan Son Nhut outside Saigon. After the Tet Offensive in January and February of 1968, their operations were moved to Long Thanh Army airstrip. He spent the last four weeks of his tour there, and upon returning stateside was released from the Army in March of 1968.
He immediately returned to college and his old job at McGraw Edison. A few years later, he met the love of his life in Karen Northrup, and in 1974, they married and later had three kids: Dustin, Kristi, and Kathi. Years later, he was hired at Nestle Purina Pet Care as an IT tech specialist and retired from there in 2011.
Submitted by Karen Northrup Lyons, Dave’s wife.
Lee Northrup
Lee Morrison Northrup was the son of Alice and Ernie Northrup, born Sept. 10, 1926.
On Sept. 21, 1943, at the age of 19, he enlisted in the Navy. He would receive four rankings by the time he was honorably discharged: AS, S2C, S1C and COX.
His service was spent on the USS Pinkney (APH-2) and USS LST-937. The ship was an assault/hospital ship with no protective markings. Dad’s job was to lead a group of 10 crewmen to help transport and evacuate troops to invasion areas and to also help maintain the equipment.
On April 28, 1945, at 7:31 p.m., the Japanese struck with a 400-plane raid on the invasion force. A lone Japanese ZERO managed to avoid radar detection and set its sight on what it thought was the USS McKinley. The plane was piloted by a Japanese kamikaze.
This particular plane was carrying a 1,000-pound armor-piercing bomb. The plane crashed into the top deck of the mid portion of the ship. Five officers and 29 service men were killed by the blast and fire.
Many lives were saved since most of the crew was watching a movie on the top deck. My father was on watch duty near the front of the ship when the bomb exploded. He was honorably discharged on March 15, 1946.
In 1947, he started working at Armco, where he remained until his retirement in 1988. In 1952, he married Betty Louise Tullius, daughter of Mary and Donald Tullius. Together they raised three children: Karen, Mike and Mark.
Submitted by Karen Northrup Lyons, Lee’s daughter.
Raymond St. Clair
In the summer of 1945, Raymond St. Clair was in Army advanced infantry training in Texas when he and other trainees were sent to the South Pacific, expecting to be replacements for the invasion of Japan.
After a 43-day voyage on the Robin Wently Ship, they arrived in the Philippines where they received the news that atomic bombs had been dropped on Japan and there would be no invasion.
Overjoyed, they spent another week on the ship not knowing what their assignment would be. They were then sent to the Philippines, where he was transferred to Chemical Warfare Services, working as a driver hauling prisoners to ships to send them home.
They also hauled barrels of mustard gas and unused gas masks to be disposed of at sea. He was amazed at the sight of the many Japanese ships overturned in the harbor in Manila, where he spent five months. He was then sent to Korea, where he drove staff cars transporting officers to their destinations.
After spending 11 months in Korea, he was sent home and was officially discharged on Dec. 31, 1946 and returned home to the Chandlersville area, where he farmed and went into the trucking business until retirement.
He married Rita Englehart in 1947, and they spent 69 years together until she passed in 2016. Raymond passed away in 2017 at the age of 91.
Submitted by Jean Ann Allen, Raymond’s daughter.
J. William Straker
Mr. Straker was a first lieutenant in World War II serving in the Army Air Corps. After he earned an Ohio State University bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering in three years, accelerated by the war, he was trained at Princeton and in Florida before traveling on a Navy ship to Japan where he served during the Allies’ occupation.
After the war, he married Mary Helen Cleary, and they had four children: Susan, John, Jane, and Anne. After a successful career in the oil business, Mr. And Mrs. Straker founded the J.W. And M.H. Straker Charitable Foundation in 1994.
Mr. Straker died at the age of 98 in 2020.
Submitted by Susan Straker Holdren, J.W.’s daughter.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville’s veteran banners honor 250 local legacies. Meet nine of them
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
