Mishawaka veterans unveil city's World War 1 memorial plaque

MISHAWAKA, Ind. --- The City of Mishawaka unveiled a World War 1 memorial plaque on Sunday.

Mayor Dave Wood said it was important to add the memorial to the city hall on Third Street because, without it, there’d be a “glaring hole.” The plaque honors 33 soldiers from Mishawaka, who died in World War 1.

“We never want to forget it,” said Mayor Wood. “We just want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to educate our citizens.”

During the ceremony, veterans went one-by-one to uncover the name of a fallen soldier. Vincent Meribela, a 96-year-old World War 2 veteran, said he was proud of the soldiers listed on the plaque.

Watch above for Meribela’s military story.

Mayor Wood told the crowd on Sunday there were other projects in place, which honor veterans in Mishawaka. The first is an additional memorial at Battell Park encompassing veterans from WW1, WW2, Civil War, etc.