STATEHOUSE NEWS

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“The Eyes of Freedom: Lima Company Memorial” will return to the Ohio Statehouse and will be on view in the Rotunda from Feb. 9 through Feb. 22. The exhibit was first unveiled at the Ohio Statehouse in 2008. The display was created in memory of 22 fallen Marines and a Navy Corpsman from Lima Company, 3^rd Battalion, 25^th Marine Regiment, 4^th Marine Division who lost their lives while serving in Iraq in 2005. The exhibition will be on display fora fortnight in the Ohio Statehouse Rotunda and is free and open to the public.

Additions and Changes to the Memorial

The memorial began as a dream of artist Anita Miller of Columbus, Ohio in 2005. With help, her vision became reality when her paintings were unveiled in the Rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse in 2008. Since then, the Lima Company Memorial has been viewed at 130 sites across the nation. To commemorate the 10^th anniversary of Lima Companies deployment to Iraqi in 2005 a special service is planned for the Ohio Statehouse while the memorial is on display.

Although the paintings and the emotional impact have not changed, some new elements have been added. Heavy steel frames have been replaced with aluminum frames. A video accompanying the exhibit highlights the trip the memorial has made the past seven years. An additional painting is on display depicting three support Marines who were also killed in the same 2005 incident: Cpl. David “Bear” Stewart of Bogalusa, Louisiana; LCpl. Kevin Waruinge of Tampa, Florida and Sgt. Bradley Harper of Dresden, Ohio.

Attendants will be on hand daily to interact with visitors. Guests may also interact with the Lima Company Memorial. Cards available with QR codes lead to videos that tell the story of the men depicted in the paintings and comments by the artist.

Guests may add to the memorial, by writing a personal message on the back of a dog tag. Dog tags are available for purchase in the Statehouse Museum Shop on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse, along with other commemorative items. Dog tags may be put into the boots which are part of the Lima Company Memorial. The dog tags will travel with the exhibit and become a part of the memorial.

The display of the Lima Company Memorial will be in the Rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse from Feb. 9 through Feb. 22. It is free and open to the public every day, except for Feb. 16, when the Ohio Statehouse will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day.

About the Lima Company Memorial

The Ohio-based Marine Reserve unit, once known as “Lucky Lima,” was one of the hardest hit units in Operation Iraqi Freedom, suffering casualties of 22 Marines and their Navy Corpsman. Created by Columbus artist Anita Miller, the memorial contains life-sized paintings of each of the 23 fallen heroes. Names and statistics of each of the fallen men, an ever-living candle, boots and space for visitors to leave mementos will be part of this moving memorial installation.

The Ohio Statehouse Rotunda will serve as a solemn place to honor these American service members from Feb. 9 through Feb. 22.

“The Ohio Statehouse is proud of the service given to the country by Lima Co. and all service men and women of the United States Armed Forces. At the same time, I am humbled to be in the presence of those ‘who gave the last full measure of devotion;’ it is an emotional exhibit; it’s an honor to have it at the Ohio Statehouse.,” said William E. Carleton, executive director of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board.

The exhibition at the Ohio Statehouse will offer thousands of individuals the opportunity to learn about the sacrifices that these fallen servicemen have given our state and nation.

The Fallen heroes include:
Private First Class Christopher R. Dixon
Lance Corporal Christopher P. Lyons
Staff Sergeant Anthony L. Goodwin
Petty Officer 3rd Class Travis Youngblood (Navy Corpsman)
Sergeant Justin F. Hoffman
Staff Sergeant Kendall H. Ivy II
Lance Corporal Nicholas William B. Bloem
Corporal Andre L. Williams
Lance Corporal Grant B. Fraser
Lance Corporal Aaron H. Reed
Lance Corporal Edward A. Schroeder II
Lance Corporal William B. Wightman
Lance Corporal Timothy M. Bell, Jr.
Lance Corporal Eric J. Bernholtz
Corporal Dustin A. Derga
Lance Corporal Nicholas B. Erdy
Lance Corporal Wesley G. Davids
Sergeant David N. Wimberg
Lance Corporal Michael J. Cifuentes
Lance Corporal Christopher J. Dyer
Lance Corporal Jonathan W. Grant
Sergeant David Kenneth J. Kreuter
Lance Corporal Jourdan L. Grez

For more images and more information about the Lima Company Memorial: The Eyes on Freedom exhibit, visit www.limacompanymemorial.org.
To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

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