In this place of honor rests....

The engraving on the monument reads:

"In this place of honor rests an unknown solider who gave his life in the struggle for American independence."

Every July in a the small town of Bolivar, OH, a ceremony is held to remember a fallen hero.  No one alive today knows the mans name. No one knows where he was from.  If he had a wife.  If he had children.  If someone somewhere longed for his return.  No one knows why he joined up.  Did he have a deep feeling of resentment for the crown?  The fact is, he served this young country of ours and it's fight to break free from England.  At some point along the way of struggling to maintain Fort Laurens, this American died.  But for him, no one kept a record of who he was.  So unlike his counterparts that sit in a spot of honor hundreds of miles to the southeast outside of Washington DC, this fallen hero doesn't get the fanfare of daily changing of the guards or hundreds of people lined up to pay their respects.  No, this fallen hero of our early nation gets his just dues just a few times a year.  If you are ever in Bolivar, make it a point to stop at the Fort Laurens State Memorial and spend a minute to thank this nameless soul known only to God.  It's sacrifices like his that allowed this country to be born and to grow.

Pictures to this years encampment and reenactment at Fort Laurens are still being worked on.  Stay tuned for links.