Military Service

Mr. Richard Leon "Buck" Ramsburg, 78, formerly of Adamstown, Md., died Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011, in Baltimore.   He was born on May 14, 1933, in Utica, Md. He was the son of the late Henry and Thelma (Herdler) Ramsburg. From 1953 to 1955, he served in the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. After his military service, he worked for Ideal Farms and Dairy Maid, picking up and delivering milk. He worked as a truck driver and heavy-equipment operator for various construction companies, including Richard F. Kline and Walter W. King.

A U.S. Marine from Waynesboro injured in Afghanistan was expected to arrive at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Tuesday evening for continued treatment of fractured vertebrae. Lance Cpl. Matthew Shank, 21, was wounded when an MRAP all-terrain vehicle hit a roadside bomb Saturday, according to his mother, Kim Shank of Quincy Township, Pa. All five of the vehicle's occupants were expected to survive, Kim Shank said. "We were fortunate enough to receive a phone call from Matthew himself.

SEPT. 9, 1938-MAY 29, 2011 J. Michael Boyd, a crop-protection specialist based in Hagerstown, Md., died suddenly on May 29, 2011, surrounded by family and friends. He was 72. Complications from surgery earlier in the week was the cause of death. Mike was born on Sept. 9, 1938 in Darby, Pa., to James and Lilian Boyd. He graduated from Sharon Hill High School, where, as a sophomore transfer student, he first met his future wife, Jane Priestley. He went on to graduate in the Class of 1961 from the University of Delaware with a degree in agronomy.

Vernard "Vern" Brintzenhofe joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942, fresh out of high school in Ohio. His military career took him all over the world and most notably to Iwo Jima with the 4th Division. Vern survived the World War II battle for Iwo Jima in February 1945, but was evacuated to a hospital on Pearl Harbor after being wounded on the third day of the invasion, said son-in-law Wade Moore. He was awarded a Purple Heart. After a three-month recovery, Vern rejoined the 4th Division in Maui, Hawaii.

JUNE 1, 1923-APRIL 11, 2011 Frederick John Wark, 87, of Silver Spring, Md., and formerly of Boonsboro and Huntington Station, N.Y., died Monday, April 11, 2011, at the Washington Home in Washington, D.C. Born June 1, 1923, in Huntington Station, N.Y., he was the son of the late Alexander and Rose (Von Fricken) Wark. His wife, Lois Eleanor (Bave) Wark, preceded him in death in 2006. Mr. Wark was a veteran World War II, having served with the U.S. Army. During his military service, he was the recipient of the Air Medal with two oak-leaf clusters, the Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon and two Bronze Stars.

This column is about retired CWO5 Fred L. Shinbur, the Maryland Joint Veterans Committee’s Veteran of the Year for 2011. Probably the most important word in that entire first sentence is “veteran,” and I believe Chief Shinbur is proudest of that title. In fact, some of his friends refer to him as “the veterans’ veteran.” My wife and I got to know Shinbur at the Joint Veterans Committee banquet where he received his award earlier this month. Shinbur lives in Hagers-town and was chosen as veteran of the year from more than 470,000 veterans in the state.

I had the rare honor of participating in the events at Arlington National Cemetery to pay tribute to Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving American World War I veteran and the representative of the lost generation of our “doughboys.” It was a moving afternoon, standing with so many on the knoll and seeing Frank Buckles buried in Section 34, in sight of Gen. Pershing’s grave and among many other World War I veterans. I also thought about the American flags at half-staff in our embassies in the countries of our World War I allies.

APRIL 8, 1954-DEC. 30, 2010 Ben Paul Persinger of Hagerstown, Md., passed away Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. He was 56 years old. He was born to Harold L. Persinger and Virginia Mae (Wilhelm) Persinger in Bitburg, Germany, on April 8, 1954. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Kathy (Rider) Persinger; son, Alex Persinger; and sister, Carol Norris and her husband, John, and her children, Michaela Waugh, Loucinda Schlotterbeck and Paul Norris. In addition, he is survived by his sister-in-law, Karen Gladfelter, and her husband, Todd, daughter, Alecia, and mother-in-law, Eileen (Shaw)

It's on opposite ends of the earth that a Fayetteville mother and daughter find themselves undergoing major life changes in service to their country. Heather (Eberly) Kline is retiring as a lieutenant commander from the U.S. Navy Dec. 31 in her new home of Alexandria, Va. Her mother, Barbara Eberly, has been in Iraq since August working in safety and environmental clean-up as a civilian. "She had always wanted to join military service but watched my career from the sidelines," said Kline, who will turn 41 Sunday.