Memorial Day's Special Meaning for Dominick

In my piece last week about the preparations for Memorial Day in Wellsville I showed Pack member Dominick Walker, pictured above with his parents, helping place flags at the cemetery. Talking to his father I learned young Dominick has an ancestry of veterans on his paternal side of the family all the way back to the beginning of our country. I'm sure there are other similar stories in the ville. This is just one of them. I'm sure there is a line of veterans on Dominick's maternal side of the family too. This is just one side of Dominick's family history of veterans.

Dominick's dad, Gerald Walker, told me that day that although he is not a veteran himself he felt it was his duty to help in honoring our nation's veterans because of the veterans on both sides of his parent's families. Starting with his dad Jerry, that was a nine year veteran of the US Air Force, uncles that served in Viet Nam and Korea, and grand parents in WWII, he felt it was the least he could do.

One of Dominick's great grandfathers was Harold Rutter, a WWII vet that served in the 3rd Army in Europe. While in Holland he met and married Maria Popping who's parents were members of the Dutch Underground. They helped American & English pilots shot down by the Germans escape back to England. Harold's brother, Lloyd Rutter, was in the Pacific and earned five Bronze Stars in the service of our country.

Farther back in Dominick's ancestry there was a Samuel Cox who served as a Major in the Civil War along with other relatives. Going way back there was an Edward Riddle that served with the Pennsylvania Artillery, 1st Co. in the Revolution. Riddle was born on a ship in 1753 while his parents were immigrating to the United States from England. He also fought in various Indian skirmishes in Western PA back when they were settling in the area.

The Walker family are mostly Pennsylvania natives. Gerald Walker was born and raised in the Hookstown area and is now a Wellsville resident. He told me that he has no family buried in Springhill. Besides feeling he has a duty to help he is trying to teach Dominick a sense of duty and honor for our nation's veterans. From what I saw that day young Dominick is doing well in that lesson. Let's hope when he becomes of age he'll never have to serve in time of war.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gerald.

ole nib