Miami Township, Ohio – As part of their 40th class reunion, the Milford Class of 1979 is paying tribute to the loss of four National Guardsmen whose helicopter crashed in the community on September 29th, 1979. They are providing a memorial for these men in the peaceful setting of Paxton Ramsey Park, just less than a mile from the crash site.
The National Guardsmen who died are Capt. James Capps, S/Sgt Alan Piatt, S/Sgt Wayman Nixon, and Capt. Paul Edgar. The class has located and is in communication with family members of all four soldiers.
The reunion will include the placing of a large memorial boulder with an engraved plaque honoring all four National Guardsman, four park benches with each soldier’s name on a bronze plaque, and a military ceremony.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend the memorial dedication ceremony at noon on September 29th. This date and time mark the 40th anniversary of the accident.
The class will gather at Paxton Ramsey Park with the Miami Township Trustees, Civil Air Patrol, Local American Legion and VFW, and the families of the fallen guardsmen
The public is encouraged to attend the ceremony in a show of support of these fallen heroes. To find out more information or to donate to the memorial project, please visit Memorial.Milford79.com or donate online at Milford79.com/Donate.
We ask your support with our class project to make sure these soldiers will never be forgotten again. You can help in these ways: We need financial support to help with the cost of the boulder, benches, travel and ceremony expenses. Donations can be made payable to “Milford Class of 1979 Memorial” and sent to 5654 Harvest Ridge Drive, Milford Ohio 45150. You can also donate online HERE. You also might know someone who might also like to donate to such a worthy cause. Please help us get the word out about this memorial project. We also want you to help honor these soldiers with your presence at the ceremony at Paxton Ramsey Park on September 29, 2019, at noon. Please bring your family and encourage others to join us as we celebrate the sacrifice of these four National Guardsmen.
Please help us make sure that these names will never be forgotten again as we ask you for support in our Class Project.
What a touching memorial tribute. Bang on MHS Class of ’79.