SHEBOYGAN — 86 new names were read aloud one by one during Saturday's annual ceremony at the Sheboygan County Veterans Memorial site.
The memorial honors veterans who are still with us, those who have passed on after their service, and those who died while on active duty — like 19-year-old Samuel Klassy, who joined the Marines in January 2024.
"He was always smiling," Samuel's father Jarvis smiled through tears. Samuel's happy-go-lucky personality earned him the nickname "Jolly Green Giant" in his unit.
"Life has a different perspective…and what an honor to be his parents," said Marie, Jarvis's wife.
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Samuel came home to visit in September, telling his parents repeatedly that he had to be home that week. Six weeks later, he was killed in a training accident.
"You always see it in the movies, but until it happens to you, it's not real," Marie Klassy shook her head.
The Klassys were among many families who attended the name dedication ceremony.
"It means a lot. I mean, it's been a long time since he passed away," said Caleb Koehler, a member of the Sheboygan County Motorcycle Club who accepted his late grandfather's certificate of service.
"He was in the army at the end of the Vietnam War," Koehler said.
The motorcycle club donates $1,000 each year, which sponsors around five name engravings on the memorial.
"Now that I'm an adult, I can just appreciate it more, knowing that he's honored on the wall," Koehler said.
The ceremony signifies a community of support and helps people like Marie and Jarvis on their road to healing.
"Now that you see all these names, dates, it just makes you appreciate life even more… To be able to share with other people - their grief," Marie Klassy said.
The memorial ensures the Sheboygan community never forgets those who fought for our country and our freedom.
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