2017 Veteran Honorees: Calvin E Newell, Charles G Bowersmith, Ronald Hamilton

Calvin Eugene Newell, the first man from Union County to die in the Vietnam War, was one of the Voices from the Stone Honorees in 2017. Born on May 5th, 1948 to Lena Newell of Plain City, Calvin was known as ‘ornery’ by his childhood friends. One of Calvin’s favorite childhood pastimes was baseball. He attended Jonathon Alder schools, although he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps in 1966 rather than graduate high school. Assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, Newell was part of the initial landings near Da Nang in 1966.  Newell remained in the region, and in the spring of 1967, was involved in an operation to clear out the NVA and Viet Cong from the province. Regrettably, Calvin was shot and killed by a Vietnamese sniper on April 18th, 1967. Newell’s body was returned to the United States. CPL Newell is interred at Darby Township Cemetery in Unionville Center.

Charles George Bowersmith was one of the Voices from the Stone Honorees in 2017.  Charles was born on April 9th, 1948 to Charles and Evelyn Bowersmith of Bellefontaine, although Charles would grow up near Raymond and attend Raymond schools. Due to sharing the same name with his father, Charles went by George. He attended high school at Marysville High School, although he joined the Army prior to his graduation. While in the Army, George became a paratrooper and was assigned to Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. At first, George was stationed in Germany. However, he was sent to Vietnam in the May of 1967, arriving on May 29th, 1967.  He would be wounded three times, as well as hospitalized for malaria and jungle rot, before he was killed on November 6th, 1967 by gunfire during the Battle of Đắk Tô. George was only nineteen years old at the time of his death. His body was returned to the States, and PFC Bowersmith is buried at Oakdale Cemetery.

Ronald Lloyd Hamilton was the third Voices from the Stone Honoree in 2017. Ron was born on June 22nd, 1947 in Marion to Lloyd and Bernice Hamilton of Richwood. As a child, Ron attended Richwood schools. At the age of eighteen, Ron went to Battlecreek, Michigan, where he studied to be an auto mechanic. Ron was drafted in the fall of 1966, and attended basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th ‘Tropic Lightning’ Infantry Division. He was deployed to Vietnam, arriving on March 20th, 1967.  On the day after his twentieth birthday, June 23rd , 1967, Ron was tragically killed by an enemy grenade. For his actions during the engagement he was killed in, Ron was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. His body was transported back to the United States, and he was buried at York Center Cemetery on the 4th of July, 1967.