Honor Rolls stand in front of post office Manistee County Honor Rolls
US Post Office Building
Manistee, Manistee County
This monument honors 158 citizens of Manistee county who have given their lives in armed conflict. Collectively they are a diverse group that stepped forward into the ranks. Poles, Danes, Irish, French, Greek, British, Dutch, German, Russian - a representative cross section of the coummunity as it was during the time of each war. Waves of immigrants came to these shores to become "Americans" and were willing to take up arms to protect their new home.
Two Medal of Honor winners are mentioned on the Civil War plaque, Seaman John Hyland and Boatswains Mate Michael McCormack. Hyland was born in Ireland and buried here in Manistee at Oak Grove Cemetery. McCormick is believed buried in an unmarked grave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both men, along with two other sailors, earned the award in May of 1864 aboard the USS Signal, a wooden steamer engaged on the Red River of Arkansas. Damaged severely, USS Signal attempted to surrender to Confederate forces, but sharpshooters ignored the request for quarter and the four men displayed extraordinary valor in tended to ships duties while wounded. The crew as taken prisoner. McCormick died a few days after the battle, Hyland and the others not until two years later. It's unknown why this memorial seems to lead the visitor that Hyland died in battle, but it is possible his death may be attributable to the wounds and subsequent Prisoner of War treatment.
Not all heroes are awarded medals. Battlefields, naval engagements, and aerial combat scenarios rarely allow time to slow the action down so events may be fully documented. Frequently those that witness a selfless action that is 'above and beyond the call' are themselves counted among the casualties.
One soldier listed on the World War II roll, 1stLt. Donald A. Leckrone, US Army, probably met the requirements for some medal of valor, but the witnesses that could have made the award recommendation died in battle before any paperwork was initiated. I was contacted by an amateur historian a few years back that had come across some uniform gear of Leckrone's. He was intrigued because the patches indicated the officer had been attached to the 7th Armored Division, in one of the units hit hardest in the infamous "Battle of The Bulge". He had done some work investigating 7th AD units and remembered something about that name. After a bit of work he found Leckrone mentioned twice in dispatches in the days leading up to his combat death. The researcher was certain, based upon other mentions of award winners, that Leckrone probably would have gotten a medal had not he AND his immediate superiors all died in action.
Many men remembered, many stories untold
