Veterans Commission to Fund Repairs at Kettering WWI Memorial

Kettering, Ohio — The Montgomery County Veterans Services Commission will cover repairs to the stone entry of a World War I memorial in Kettering. This memorial, known as the Victory Oak Knoll, was damaged by a windstorm last fall.

The memorial features an oak tree for each of the more than 100 individuals from Montgomery County who lost their lives during World War I. Jim Cunningham, assistant scoutmaster of Scouting America Troop 193 from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, has been the primary caretaker of the memorial for nearly two decades.

A large limb fell from one of the oak trees during the storm, causing significant damage to the masonry entrance, Cunningham said. The scouts launched an online fundraiser to gather community support, and their story was featured in the Memorial Day edition of the Dayton Daily News.

Bryan Suddith, deputy director of the Montgomery County Veterans Services Commission, came across the article and presented it to the commission. The commission agreed to allocate $3,500 for the necessary repair work. Suddith stated that the project could be officially approved as soon as Monday.

Last year, the commission also funded restoration efforts for the Vietnam Veterans memorial and some construction for the Medal of Honor memorial set to be completed later this year in Dayton. “Normally, those groups come to us, but in this case, we saw the scouts, and it felt like a good opportunity to partner,” Suddith commented.

In addition to the repairs, the veterans services commission plans to introduce the scouts to local veteran service organizations that may help with funding for Eagle Scout projects and ongoing maintenance. “These posts that comprise the veterans and their families are also looking for ways to help preserve these monuments and the history of service in our community,” Suddith added.

Cunningham expressed gratitude for the community’s support and engagement following the newspaper story and social media posts. “It means a lot. It means we have the resources we need to keep the Victory Oak Knoll in good shape and maintained,” he stated.

Looking ahead, the scouts plan to install a split rail fence and raise funds to repair and seal a 100-year-old concrete pavilion.