By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist
It feels appropriate that I am writing this column on Memorial Day, a day for which we pause to honor and remember all who died in service of the United States of America. Today’s column is dedicated to all of Brown County’s soldiers who earned the freedom and liberty we realize today through their ultimate sacrifice.
Brown County High School Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Emily Lewellen, is one of only 18 teachers selected from across the nation to participate in a very special program, “Memorializing the Fallen,” funded by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Foundation and sponsored by National History Day. Mrs. Lewellen’s engagement provides her with the opportunity to research and tell the story of a “Silent Hero” — specifically, an American soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War I.
I interviewed Mrs. Lewellen about this project in commemoration of Memorial Day and was sincerely touched by the depth and breadth of her research. Mrs. Lewellen selected Brown County native Pvt. Ray Griffin as her “Silent Hero.” I learned a lot from our conversation and am honored to know that Mrs. Lewellen is representing Brown County with this project. All of the information contained below comes directly from Mrs. Lewellen’s research.
Aaron “Ray” Griffin was a member of the Army’s 1st Division where he became a private in Company I of the Third Battalion in the 16th Infantry Regiment. Brown County sent 301 men to fight this “Great War” and 12 never returned. Pvt. Griffin was one of that number.
On June 4, 1917, Pvt. Griffin set sail for France on the USS Havana where he engaged in training and preparation for combat. Mrs. Lewellen learned, of significance, that he and his regiment drove the Germans out of the Village of Cantigny and held the line in the trenches for an extraordinary 72 days. To follow, Pvt. Griffin and his division fought at the Battle of Soissons, where Ray would meet death on the battlefield on July 19, 1918.
Of Pvt. Griffin, Sgt. Walter Howard wrote, “a gallant solder who was highly esteemed by his comrades.” So esteemed, in fact, that Pvt. Griffin was posthumously awarded the Citation Star. In 1932, the Citation Star was replaced by the Silver Star, which is the third-highest award for valor issued by the Army. Family members of soldiers awarded with the Citation Star are able to convert these awards to Silver Stars. It is here where Mrs. Lewellen’s project takes on a profound significance.
Aaron “Ray” Griffin was born on Feb. 24, 1895, to Adam A. Griffin and Sarah E. Pogue Griffin. Ray’s father worked as a farmer and lived about 5 miles west of Nashville in the village of Jackson Creek in Washington Township, near Yellowwood Lake. He was one of nine children, two of whom passed during their first year of life. Pvt. Griffin’s parents and siblings have all passed away. Ray was not married, nor did he have any children.
Therefore, Pvt. Griffin has no family to assist in converting his Citation Star to the Silver Star. That is, until Mrs. Lewellen got to know “Ray.” She said, “While Ray and I are not actually related, he has become my family. So, I decided to do what no one else can … convert his medal.”
Mrs. Lewellen has been engaged in tireless efforts to do just this. She now holds a Silver Star for Pvt. Ray Griffin and will return this award to the brave Brown County soldier who is now a member of her family. In coordination with the “Memorializing the Fallen” project, Mrs. Lewellen will award this star while offering her own eulogy at the gravesite of Pvt. Griffin in Oise-Aisne American Cemetery in France.
Who might have guessed that 101 years later, an educator from Brown County would travel to the place where a private from Brown County offered his life for his country so that he could receive the commendation that he earned? It’s amazing.
Moments like these are filled with the heartbeats of the men and women who bravely fought and paid for the freedom we enjoy today. Moments like these make us truly appreciate the meaning and significance of the “holiday” we know as Memorial Day.
For all of this, I offer a thank you to Pvt. Ray Griffin and Mrs. Emily Lewellen. Thank you for the reminder of what is most important. THIS is what Brown County is all about.
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].
