Leo Cakounes talks Steve Luciani, Founder of the War Dog Memorial, about the effort to create a War Dog Memorial in Centerville including location, style of monument, and fundraising efforts.
Apart from being a veteran, Phil has another legacy: a pet cemetery in Lyon Charter Township. But, it isn't just any pet cemetery. No, the Michigan War Dog Memorial is one of only two cemeteries within the United States dedicated to K9s that have served our country.
Jesse Hill never forgot the reception he got after he returned from serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
“It still hurts,” said the Middletown resident in 2015. “Most of us were volunteers and to come home and be spit on.”
Hill spent decades making sure no other returning U.S. Army veteran ever again experienced the same kind of disrespect.
Hill, 72, who died April 28, founded the Bristol Township based Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans and served as its treasurer for more than 30 years.
He was the organizing force for annual Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day events to remember those killed or missing-in-action during the Vietnam War. He helped volunteers plant more than 60,000 American flags each year at the annual Flag Day memorial in June.