Nearly 30 years have passed since Thomas Belkofer’s days at Rossford High School, but a group of students want to make sure his sacrifice and the service of other military alumni are not forgotten.
The 44-year-old lieutenant colonel was killed by a bomb in Kabul, Afghanistan, on May 18, 2010, during an orientation visit prior to his second deployment. His photo is among those displayed in a case outside the school’s main office. Called the Wall of Honor, the displayincludes 51 photos of alumni, from those who served in World War II to those serving today.
“They span almost the whole history of Rossford,” said Martha Fellman, adviser to the school’s SOS (Serving Our Soldiers) Club, which started collecting photos for the Wallof Honor four years ago.
A second group of photos will be installed this fall.
“We collected enough by last fall that we had our unveiling of the Wall ofHonor,” Fellman said. “We receive more weekly. Every year students graduate and students enlist. We’re planning on keeping it going indefinitely.”
Fallen soldier
A 1983 graduate of Rossford High School, Belkofer had been in the Army for 18 years when he was killed. He was married with two daughters and was the middle of three sons. His two brothers also served in the military. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Belkofer’s parents, Donald and Sharon Belkofer of Perrysburg Township, said their son was humble about recognition, but would have been honored to be remembered by his alma mater.
“It’s a really neat thing they’ve done. The students have worked very hard to put that together,” Sharon said. “It means a lot. I think Tom would have really appreciated it. He loved what he did, he loved the military. He felt very strongly about the commitment that our country has and he had a great deal of commitment to the soldiers who worked with him. The last thing he really cared about was getting a lot of personal attention, but he was proud of what he had accomplished and I think he would have been pleased they remembered and wanted to include him.”
The idea for the Wall of Honor came from a similar organization at Bowling Green State University. The BGSU club’s adviser helped Fellman start the group in Rossford.
“I just thought it was a really good way to recognize and honor our students who have served, but also to be a reminder to our community,” said Fellman, a businessand computer instructor at the high school. “A lot of time people forget. Unless they see something recently in the news, they just don’t think about the sacrifices the military families and soldiers are making for us. This just seemed like a good way to recognize them and help them in any way we can.”
The club, which has about 30 members, also organizes fundraisers and volunteers at local events that support causes to help meet the needsof service men and women and their
families at home.
Club members dress in costume and hand out candy during the annual Military Family Fun Night at the Corn Maze at the Butterfly House in Whitehouse. They have also raised money for Honor Flight Northwest Ohio, helped send care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan and babysat for children of deployed soldiers while their parents were at meetings.
For more information about the club or Wall of Honor, contact Fellman at (419) 666-5262, Ext. 1329, or mfellman@rossfordschool.org.
Submissions for the wall should include a 5-by-7-inch photo, Rossford High School graduation year, military branch and rank and any other pertinent information. Submissions can be e-mailed to Fellman, dropped off at the school’s office or mailed to Rossford High School SOS Club, Attention: Martha Fellman, 701 Superior St., Rossford, OH 43460.
