Names added to County War Memorial

The name of George Kreber was added to the Crook County War Memorial this fall. George graduated from Sundance High School in 1969 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1970.

He was discharged in 1974, last serving on the USS Simon Lake. The USS Simon Lake was a submarine tender, named for a pioneering designer of early submarines.

After his discharge, George went to work as a welder at Ellsworth AFB, SD. He retired after 40 years and now lives in Piedmont, SD.

The original portion of the Crook County War Memorial was erected in 1945 to honor our World War II veterans. The decision to expand it and honor all Crook County veterans who had served in any war or conflict was made in 1987 – at that time veterans from World War I, Korea and Vietnam were added. Names of veterans have continued to be added to this day.

In order for a name to be engraved on the War Memorial, the veteran must (1) have been a resident of Crook County at the time of their induction and claimed it as their home of record OR (2) have been serving active duty here in Crook County at the time of their reenlistment (this option is only available to those who served here when the “Radar Site” and the “Nuke Plant” were active military duty stations).

This information can be found on the veteran’s DD Form 214, a copy of which must be presented to the War Memorial Committee for verification.

Earl Gray was the driving force behind the Crook County War Memorial Committee for a number of years – sadly he passed away this fall. Before his death he turned over the management of the memorial to the Crook County Commissioners to ensure the memorial was maintained and updated regularly.

The Committee currently consists of Jill Mackey, Jean and Charley Jones, Cheryl Angel, Mike Paschall and John Locher. The committee advertises for name submissions each summer and the engraving usually occurs in September.