Veterans celebrated at courthouse rotunda

Local News Veterans celebrated at courthouse rotunda By DAN POMPILI November 12, 2026 4 min read Staff photo / Dan Pompili Joe Illencik of the Catholic War Veterans, center, carries the ceremonial wreath from the Mahoning County Courthouse to the veterans memorial in the center of downtown along Wick Avenue during Wednesday's annual Veterans Day ceremony. Trending YOUNGSTOWN -- History has well recorded what happened at the 11th hour on the the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, and most Americans understand why the date is still celebrated every year. What they cannot know is what that day means from the perspective of every military veteran or their family members. At a ceremony Wednesday in the rotunda of the Mahoning County Courthouse, Susan Krawchyk, executive director and service officer at the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission, explained the first part about Veterans Day. "Since then, we have come together annually to recognize and commemorate American veterans for their service to this great nation during the war of our nation. We remember the men and women from their county who set aside their civilian pursuits to answer their nation’s call to defend our liberty, our freedoms, and preserve our precious American heritage," she said. While Krawchyk retired in 2007 as an Army sergeant first class, it was a retired United States Air Force master sergeant who provided the veteran's insight. Monroe Klein, a Youngstown native, was the morning's guest speaker. He told the crowd that the day for him is about people and memories. "From when I was younger, the talks with my grandfather, who served in the United States Navy in Italy during World War II, and then a few years later with my wife’s grandfather, who also served in the Navy in Italy in World War II," he said. Klein took pride in their service and was grateful to learn from them and to listen to their experiences. But eventually he developed a new perspective. Klein joined the Air Force in 1990 during his senior year at Chaney High School. Trained in F-15 maintenance in Texas and New Mexico, he was deployed to Okinawa, Japan, where he served as an assistant crew chief for two years, also spending time in South Korea for training. From there, he returned stateside, to Florida, eventually earning promotion to dock chief. Klein served at the Youngstown Air Force Reserve Station's auto repair shop, and in 2002 was hired as an air reserve technician in the Aerial Spray Unit. In 2003, he was activated and sent to Kuwait, and a year later to Qatar. Klein spent 34 years with the Air Force, retiring in December 2024. "Over the years, I started to realize, through the numerous deployments, humanitarian campaigns, TDYs, missed birthdays, and just time spent away from home and my loved ones, that I was part of something like my grandfather and Michelle’s grandfather," he said. "I realized that I did do my part, and that I was part of the 1% of Americans who serve." For Klein, the holiday is about remembering the places he's been, the people he has known, and what he and they have achieved, individually and together. "Veterans Day yields a wealth of memories, friendships, and experiences that I will never forget and reflect on," he said. "It is the mentors who guided me when I was young and entered the Air Force, my peers who I worked alongside of me during the countless long days and many long nights. It is the young men and women that I’ve trained and led, and so that we can be confident in our nation’s future. And now, over the years, especially since my retirement in 2024, it’s noticing the fuss my family makes over me on Veterans Day. I don’t just hear, Happy Veterans Day. Every day I see how proud they are of me, and knowing that I made them so proud, wow, what a feeling." The event, attended by county dignitaries and veterans alike, included opening and closing prayers from Rick Williams, and the National Anthem sung by Tera Lobaugh. Tony Viano adorned the symbolic empty chair with the POW/MIA shroud, while Joe Illencik of Catholic War Veterans carried the ceremonial wreath from the courthouse to the veterans memorial in the center of downtown along Wick Avenue. Commissioner Anthony Traficanti, who was joined by fellow Commissioner Geno DiFabio, said the board is grateful for the MCVSC for holding the annual ceremony. "They pay tribute to both past and present members of our United States military and coast guard," he said. "The board of Mahoning County Commissioners support and honor this ceremony every year by honoring all of our veterans for their service, sacrifice, and dedication to the great nation."