Several years ago, during the Memorial Day Services at the Lamky, Luther, Whitehead Veterans Memorial, World War II veteran Al Clasing requested that all WWII veterans in attendance please step forward.

A small group of very proud survivors made their way to the front of the monument. Each succeeding year, the number of veterans who come forward has grown increasingly smaller.

According to the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, 16,112,566 Americans served in the Armed Forces during World War II. Today, 740 World War II veterans die each day. That means just 1.7 million of the 16 million who served during that time are alive today.

In my last column, we mentioned the fact that many residents of eastern Baltimore County entered the armed forces during World War II. Many of those servicemen never made it back home.

Their names are enshrined on various monuments throughout the community. Lamky, Luther, Whitehead, Mohr, Lindsay, Brady, Dotterweich, Eurice, Evering, Wilhelm and many others paid the “supreme sacrifice” to protect our great nation from the tyranny of the Axis Powers.

Many others returned home to lead very productive and successful lives. They married, raised families, worked hard at their jobs and still found time to become very involved and active in community affairs.

We would like to highlight a few of these brave men today. They are no longer with us, but their deeds will never be forgotten. I had the unique opportunity to become acquainted with many of these veterans in their later years.

Paul P. Blitz was a decorated combat veteran in the European theater. His family moved to eastern Baltimore County in 1920. Drafted into the Army in 1943, Blitz served in both the 69^th and 30^th Infantry Divisions. He was a radio operator and survivor of the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the Belgian Fourragere and a Bronze Star for “Heroic and Meritorious Achievements.”

Blitz came home after the war and became very involved with organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and others. His son, Paul M. Blitz, is also a veteran who has served tours of duty in Iraq fighting the war on terror. Paul P. Blitz passed away on Oct. 19, 2009 at the age of 95.

Michael H. Weir was another decorated combat veteran who served in the Pacific Theater. Weir served as a medic in the 121^st Infantry of the 31^st Division. He was the recipient of two Bronze Stars for his heroic actions in both New Guinea and Mindanao.

Weir never spoke much (at least in our conversations) about his military service, but I know that his family is very proud that the words “war hero” are included in his resume.

Upon his return home, Weir married his sweetheart, Clara, and they raised a fine family. Mike is perhaps best known to today’s generation for his 28 years of service in the Maryland General Assembly. He left a fine legacy of work, especially in environmental issues with that body.

Weir passed away on Feb. 5, 2010.

Clifton Leroy Sewell, a long-time resident of the Back River Neck peninsula, was also a highly-decorated combat veteran of WW II. Known to his family and friends as Leroy, he was another veteran who did not speak much of his war experiences.

My personal knowledge of his wartime efforts come from a mutual friend and Sewell is another veteran who can proudly be called a “war hero." When he returned home, he married Jean Brehm, (a member of one of Baltimore County’s pioneering families) and together they raised several children who achieved fame in their own rights.

For many years, Sewell was very active in his local Methodist Church and proudly served as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America. He was also an extremely hard worker in various civic groups. Sewell passed away on Feb. 14, 2011.

Walter Summerfield passed away on Sept. 17, 2011 at the age of 87.

He served in the 101^st Airborne Division. He made jumps into Normandy and Holland. A veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, Walter was taken prisoner by the Germans near the town of Bastogne on Christmas Eve in 1944. After his release, he came home and obtained employment with the railroad.

These are the heroes whom we all should honor and respect, not only on holidays, but also on each and everyday of the year, for it is they who fought to protect the freedoms we all enjoy and who we should give thanks to this week.