Memorial Day 2026: Ceremony at Crown Hill

Memorial Day, originally named Decoration Day, was created shortly after the Civil War as a way to honor fallen soldiers. Like many communities, Washington County has a decades-long tradition of holding a Memorial Day Ceremony at Crown Hill Cemetery.

In addition to Boy Scout Troop 4029 (led by Alan Tarr and Jonathan Smith) performing the flag ceremony and Salem High School band members (directed by Brittany Hildenbrand) performing music for the event, Veterans Affairs Officer Andrew Bush invited John Quatroke to be the guest speaker. Below is a video of his speech, as well as a short summary of his military experiences.

Video of John Quatroke's speech:

John Quatroke joined Washington County in 1986 when he relocated from Chicago. Known locally as John Q, John was drafted on May 1, 1967 and attended basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri before attending Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. In October of 1968, Quatroke was sent to Vietnam where he served with the 25th Infantry Division in Kochi, Vietnam. While there, Quatroke earned many awards, including four Battle Stars from each of the campaigns he participated in.

He earned the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), which is a military decoration awarded to infantrymen. To earn such a decoration, “a soldier must satisfactorily perform duties while assigned in infantry and actively engage in ground combat under hostile fire,” said Andrew Bush.

John Quatroke

Quatroke was also awarded the Bronze Star, which is a prestigious Armed Forces decoration awarded to those who distinguish themselves through heroism, outstanding achievement, or meritorious service in a combat theater. He earned this decoration as a combat infantry soldier and was promoted to Sergeant.

To top it all off, John Q earned a total of three Purple Hearts in Vietnam. The Purple Heart is awarded to those wounded or killed in action. His first was awarded on December 26, 1967 due to shrapnel wounds in his chest from a hand grenade that was tossed into the area where he was on duty. The second Purple Heart was awarded on January 12, 1968 after his position in a bamboo thicket was compromised, causing it to get shot up. The third Purple Heart was on March 26, 1968 when a bomb fragment struck his shoulder blades while he was taking cover behind a rice paddy dike.

When he returned to the United States, he was stationed at Fort Dixon, New Jersey. There, in addition to his other duties, he maintained a Boy Scout camp until his discharge from service on April 30, 1969. He then returned home to Chicago where he spent his days as a successful carpenter. In 1986, he relocated to Salem and later worked at USPS until retiring in 2008.

Following Quatroke, the names of the soldiers that have fallen since the previous Memorial Day was read aloud by Lieutenant Colonel Troy Baker:

Anderson, Adrian

Atkins, Donald

Bagshaw, Raymond

Barnes, Calvin

Bateman, Kevin

Beyster, Paul

Blevins, Charles

Boaz, Stewart

Brough, Larry

Brown, Lawrence

Catlett, Timothy

Cress, James

Critchfield, Theodore

Denton, Hazle

Dunn, Shawn

Eberle, Thomas

Eldridge, Bill

Felker II, Russell

Goodwin, Jerry

Gray Sr., Gerald

Green, Robert (Bob)

Hattabaugh, John

Hoskins, John

Johnson, Lloyd (Stretch)

Kirby, Paul

Kuntz, William (Bill)

Lewis, Terry

Lindley, Frank

Mahuron, Jimmy

McIntosh Jr., James

Miller, Donald

Nicholson, Roosevelt

Patton, Tony

Rivas, Louis

Roak, Eddie

Saylor, Johnnie

Sechrist, James (Jim)

Shanks, William (Bill)

Shelby, Mark

Sparkman, Winifred (Ray)

Spradlin, Kenneth

Thomas, Gerald

Tipton, Larry

Troyer, Charles

Vergason, Darwin

Voyles, Christopher

Walls, Robert (Bob)

Wheat, James

As this year’s Memorial Day comes to a close, it is important to remember those that gave everything they have so that we can have anything. Thank you to those that have served and to those that continue to serve. You make our world a better place.