Marion soldier inducted into Ohio Military Hall of Fame

COLUMBUS – A color guard of Ohio Army National Guard soldiers led a solemn procession into a standing-room-only crowd at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium on Friday.

The occasion was to honor heroes — not just servicemen, but men who faced hostile fire during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the nation's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Shafts of sunlight spilling in from above the massive portico shined down upon the young Junior ROTC students in their sharp dress blues and the older men in their black Veterans of Foreign Wars jackets as they crowded around the raised stage.

Twenty-nine service members, including the late U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph H. Green of Marion, were inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Valor during the hourlong ceremony honoring combat veterans from the Buckeye State.

Marianne Ballas, Green's daughter, accepted the Ohio Medal of Valor on her father's behalf. The sight of the medal brought tears to her eyes.

"It was truly a touching day for me," Ballas said, clutching a bright yellow envelope filled with proclamations and certificates honoring her father. "My father was a war hero, but not a warrior. He was really an honorable man, so it's so nice to see him recognized. I was very moved to see the other veterans of his generation here today, too."

Ballas' father's citation explained that, on Feb. 2 1945, Staff Sgt. Green, of the 325th Glider Infantry Division, led a light machine gun section in an attack on a section of the Siegfried Line, a line of defensive fortifications and pillboxes in western Germany.

Green and his men advanced in the face of heavy automatic weapons fire from concrete pillboxes to furnish close support for attacking riflemen. When the machine guns became worn out from the constant firing, Green organized the section as riflemen and led an assault into the enemy positions.

His high courage and devotion to duty were an inspiration to his men and contributed greatly to the success of the attack. Green was awarded both the Bronze Star with "V" Device and the Silver Star during his service in Europe.

He died in 1974 in Marion.

"My dad rarely talked about his experiences in the war, except when his Army buddies would come by," Ballas said. "He was in his early 30s when he went to Europe, and he was leading 18- and 19-year-olds.

"Many from his unit that survived told him they wouldn't be alive today if not for him. He was older, and I think he had better survival instincts than the younger men."

Ballas recalled one particularly sad story that stuck with her because it reminded her of her father's wisdom.

"My dad was moving through brush with empty canteens looking for water when he came upon a couple of men relaxing, just sitting on a fence post and trading laughs with each other," Ballas said. "My dad told them they should get down, said they were easy targets for snipers sitting up there.

"Dad eventually found a stream and filled his canteens. Retracing his steps back through the brush again, he came upon the soldiers he had spoken to. Both were shot dead, lying beneath the fence posts they had been sitting on, picked off by sniper fire."

Green is survived by his wife, Herma Green, who still lives in Marion, but at 90 years old, the trip and the crowded, overheated atrium were likely too much for her, Ballas said.

"It was a very moving ceremony," said Ballas, who traveled from the Toledo area to accept the medal.

"When Dad died, I wasn't really ready for it. I always thought he was invincible," she said. "This really helps us bring some closure on Dad's life."

For more information on the Ohio Military Hall of Fame, visit www.ohioheroes.org.

jsmiller@gannett.com

twitter@motionblur.com