A WWII veteran and Bronze Star recipient will give a special speech at this Centerville Memorial Day event

Centerville is hosting a special ceremony starting at 9 a.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial at Stubbs Park, 255 W. Spring Valley Rd., to honor those who have died in service to the country.

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The program will include color guard presentations from Centerville VFW Post 9550, Centerville police and Washington Twp. honor guards and remarks from Centerville Mayor Brooks Compton.

The keynote address will be given by longtime Centerville resident and World War II veteran Robert G. Thobaben. A soldier in the 111th Infantry in the Pacific Theater, he participated in three campaigns: The Gilbert Islands, 1943; the Marshall Islands, 1944; and the Palau Islands, 1945.

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He received the Combat Medic Badge and Bronze Star medal and is a member of Centerville VFW Post 9550. Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Wright State University, Thobaben is the author, co-author and editor of seven books and more than forty essays and articles.

Other program activities include readings by local school students and musical performances by Spring Valley Academy students, Centerville Community Band and the Centerville Community Chorus. Centerville area Boy and Girl Scouts will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

In case of rain, the ceremony will be held in the Centerville Police Building, 155 W. Spring Valley Rd.