COLUMBUS – Two Fayette County soldiers will be honored with posthumous medals at the upcoming 24th-annual induction ceremony for The Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor Class of 2023.

The ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 5 at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium, starting at 11:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend.

The honorees in this year’s class include veterans from the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Air Corps, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy. These people served in the following conflicts: Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Of the 25 honorees, 11 are posthumous awards.

These remarkable Ohioans have all gone above and beyond the call of duty and performed heroically in specific combat actions against armed enemies of the United States of America. For their actions, members of this Class have received such commendations as the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with “V” device, the Commendation Medal with “V” device and Navy Achievement Medal with “V” device.

These inductees have connections to the following counties in Ohio: Athens, Butler, Clark, Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Darke, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Logan, Montgomery, Morgan, Ross and Shelby.

This year’s ceremony will bring the total number of Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor recipients to 479 from all around Ohio, of whom 14 were awarded the Medal of Honor, including Col. Paris D. Davis, who served as an Army Captain in Vietnam, and received his award this past March 3, 2023 from President Biden in Washington D.C.

The two recipients from Fayette County are Sgt. James A. “Red” Ducey, of Washington Court House, and Sgt. John Wrobbel, from Bloomingburg.

Sgt. Ducey, a Marine, served in World War I and World War II. He is Fayette County’s most decorated soldier. He was awarded two Silver Star medals, and from the French government, two Crois de Guerre medals for bravery. These are just some of the honors bestowed on this Marine.

Sgt. Wrobbel served in the Army during the Spanish American War as a cook and military bugler. At the outbreak of World War I he was a member of the Ohio National Guard with the 166 Infantry, a part of the Rainbow Brigade. Sgt. Wrobbel received the Distinguished Service Cross for valor. There is only one medal higher than this. That is the Medal of Honor. General Pershing personally presented this medal to Sgt. Wrobbel. Sgt. Wrobbel is the only Distinguished Service Cross recipient in Fayette County.

Both of these soldiers are among the 11 that will receive posthumous awards at the event. These two soldiers hold a place of honor in the Fayette County Museum, and their awards and other items are on display there.

The Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor was established in 2000 to recognize Ohio servicemen and women who were decorated for heroism while in combat situations. Please visit our website (www.ohioheroes.org) for more information regarding The Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor and the remarkable service members who have been inducted into its ranks.