Family members and classmates of PHS graduates killed in action gather Nov. 21 for dedication of plaques commemorating their sacrifices. (Photo by Steve Conto)
Posted November 27, 2023
Four men who attended Plymouth High School before they were killed in the service of our country have been commemorated with plaques donated by the local American Legion post.
“It is our hope that these plaques will provide comfort and healing to the families and classmates, as well as our community,” Steve Conto of Ladewig-Zinkgraf American Legion Post 243 told the Board of Education at its October meeting.
The 8-by-10 walnut plaques have been installed in the PHS gym lobby near the auditorium entrance. Mr. Conto and about 20 family members and classmates of the soldiers attended the November Board of Education meeting to see the plaques in place.
Board of Education President Bob Travis thanked the veterans present for their service and the American Legion for donating the plaques. “We feel it in our hearts,” he said. “They will be forever remembered here.”
A center plaque, titled “Plymouth High School Heroes,” reads: “At one time they walked our halls and sat in our classrooms. They were our friends and classmates, now they are our heroes. Alumni who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War and Operation Iraq Freedom.”
Surrounding the center plaque are four individual plaques for:
• Loren “Biff” Ertel: Class of 1965; Basketball, Track; Army Specialist Fourth Class; killed in action 10/10/1967; Purple Heart; age 20
• John P. Gannon: Sophomore 1963; Marines Lance Corporal; killed in action 6/27/67; Purple Heart; age 20
• Le Roy “Butch” Thelen: Class of 1968; FFA; Army Sergeant; killed in action 7/9/70; Purple Heart; age 20
• Brian R. Prening: Class of 1998; Track, Football, Wrestling; Marines Corporal; killed in action 11/12/04; Bronze Star, Purple Heart; age 24
Mr. Conto explained that PHS activities were included on the plaques because their school years represented the happy times in their short lives.
The plaques also are meant to serve as a lesson to students, Mr. Conto said. “The freedoms we enjoy today come at a very high price,” he said. “Because they were once just like our students, they had the same hopes and dreams, enjoying their time as a Panther. May these heroes be an inspiration to our Panther students, and for them to go out and do great things in the world.”
Learn more:
• Read an article in The Plymouth Review about the Plymouth High School Heroes.
The plaques are displayed in the gym lobby near the auditorium door.
