The new Starke County Veterans Memorial is still on track to be ready for Veterans Day, despite some delays. County commissioner and project committee member Kathy Norem told the Starke County Park Board Tuesday that the concrete should be done by October 1, a month later than originally hoped.
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Shadow boxes in memory of seven Indiana National Guardsmen killed in combat are part of a permanent memorial to their sacrifices at the Indiana National Guard Valparaiso Armory. Each one contains items belonging to the soldiers from the 113 Engineer Battalion who were killed in January of 2012 when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Spc. Robert Tauteris of Hamlet was among those killed, along with Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Chavez, Sgt. Brian Leonhart of Merrillville, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Metzger, Spc. Christopher Patterson, Spc. Nicholas Taylor and Spc. Sergio Perez. Indiana Adjutant General Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger unveiled the shadow boxes during a ceremony for the soldiers’ families yesterday at Valparaiso University.
The North Judson Town Board commended the officers with the Police Department and the firemen with the North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department for their coordinated efforts in the events surrounding Spc. Robert Tauteris Jr.’s funeral at the Braman and Bailey Funeral Home in North Judson on Sunday.
Spc. Robert Joseph Tauteris, Jr. was laid to rest yesterday near his mother in a LaCrosse cemetery. Tauteris was killed in action in Afghanistan on January 5th, along with three other members of his platoon.
Hundreds of people attended the services at the Braman and Bailey Funeral Home in North Judson. Included was Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Congressman Joe Donnelly and State Representative Nancy Dembowski.
Police and Patriot Guard members who were accompanying the remains of Spc. Robert Tauteris, Jr. from Valparaiso to North Judson on Saturday were credited with saving the lives of several people in a Jeep that was involved in an accident along the route. The Jeep was driven by Ana Pina, 35, of South Bend. The vehicle was rear-ended by a pick-up driven by 76-year-old John Buibish, of Grovertown.
Although many flags are already being flown at half staff in honor of the servicemen from Indiana who lost their lives last Thursday in Afghanistan, the official mourning period begins at 8:00 a.m. this morning.
Starke County Service Officer Gordon Richie made the announcement yesterday. Richie was asked how long the period will last.
“Until the funeral day,” he said. “After the funeral, at the closing of the businesses and Courthouse, they will then take the flags down from half staff.”
