Who are those stunningly handsome men in the cover photo?
Well, on the left, that’s my father-in-law, Rodney Eikey. He joined his bride, Veronica Raszkiewicz Eikey, in Heaven on May 4, 2017. God bless their souls in Heaven.
Rod, or “Pap” as he was affectionately called, was just another one of those American kids who was a member of the United States Navy in the 1960s. He left Wheeling, went to basic training, and then served in the Pacific Ocean. He returned home, married the love of his life, was a terrific father to nine children, and then earned his “Pap” nickname thanks to 23 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
He was proud of his service to the country, never spoke of the negatives, and always stood at attention and saluted Old Glory when he heard the National Anthem.
The man in the middle is my father, Edward Novotney, a retired Master Sergeant of the United States Army Reserve who served 27 years and has always been very proud of his service. He was never deployed because of a heart murmur, but he did everything he could to support members of his unit at all times.
He’s 94 years old and loves it when one of his men says hello when seeing him at lunches or dinners.
And the man on the right is our son, Michael, a veteran of five years of active duty, of five years of reserve service, and of three tours to the Middle East during the height of the War on Terror. He was deployed to Afghanistan in February 2002 – a little more than a month after his boot camp commencement – and then to Iraq twice as a “Rakkasan” (187th Infantry Regiment) member of the 101st Airborne Division, and thank The Lord he came home safely each time.
We have reserved placements for each of our family’s veterans as a part of Wheeling’s Military Banner Tribute program initiated by Mayor Denny Magruder soon after he was sworn into office in July 2024. Nearly 100 families in the Friendly City have registered to date, and there’s still time before the April 30th deadline, so your veteran will be displayed along a Wheeling roadway between Memorial Day and Veterans Day for years to come.
The cost of each banner is $125, and the photos and the payment can be dropped off at the Ohio County Public Library, at the Howard Long Wellness Center, and at the Fitzsimmons Law Firm in Warwood. The photos will be returned to the family once scanned.
Weirton, Benwood, and St. Clairsville are a few of the local community’s who have adopted the same effort, and Magruder’s hope is that many more Wheeling families will choose to honor their veterans before the deadline even though it’s likely the men and women may have played down their duty to their kids and grandkids.
And maybe, in many situations anyway, that’s because of what they saw and heard and felt in war, or maybe because of what they did themselves in combat while defending our nation.
That does not mean, though, they are not proud of serving our country, and in such a fast-moving world as we live in today, it sure is going to be an honorable break we take when these banners are placed next month by employees of the City of Wheeling. That’s because far too often we fail to say “Thank You” during our local ceremonies, when the National Anthem is perform at local sporting events, or anytime when our Pledge of Allegiance is recited.
This is NOT a partisan effort either, and that’s because the men and women who have served in our country’s military have been Democrats and Republicans and Independents.
Instead, this is about pride, honor, respect, and, quite frankly, our freedom.
The website link: https://troopbanners.com/wheeling/
The application Link: https://troopbanners.com/wheeling/wheeling-Military-Banner-Application.pdf
Email address for photos: hmunson@htmdesigns.com
For more information: wheelingmilitarybannerprogram@gmail.com
Or call: 304-281-8811
