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thedrifter
03-16-08, 10:12 AM
Honoring a hometown hero, Dwight remembers Holzhauer
03/15/2008, 11:31 pm

By Bill Byrns
bbyrns@daily-journal.com
815-468-7349

The image of a hometown hero, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Raymond J. Holzhauer, now greets those entering the foyer of Dwight Township High School.

The memorial honors Holzhauer while a nearby plaque, instituted by the Dwight Rotary Club in 2001 and 2002, lists the names of all former students, including Holzhauer, who enlisted in the armed forces following graduation.

Holzhauer, a 2005 graduate, was only 19 when he died in an armory accident on March 15, 2007 while serving in al Anbar province in northern Iraq. He is one of 141 Illinois service men and women killed in Iraq since the war began five years ago.

"He loved cars and going hunting and fishing with his dad," his grandmother, Shirley Holzhauer, of Dwight, said. "He was very proud of his service in the Marines."

Ray's mother, Lori Fraher, and his sister, Kirstin Holzhauer, joined a crowd of 42 students and staffers for the dedication ceremonies on Friday. Ray's father, Raymond V. Holzhauer, lives in Streator and did not attend the service.

Both mother and sister wore mementos. For Fraher it was a necklace of her son's dogtag and a guardian angel medallion, while Kirstin Holzhauer had a replica set of her older brother's identification tags.

"He is my guardian angel now," Fraher said as her voice wavered with emotion. "He volunteered. He wanted to go into the Marines," she said, recalling her son's desire following graduation. "He was only in Iraq for two and a half months before the accident."

His sister remembers his appealing demeanor.

"He was a friend to everyone and very easy to confide with," Kirstin Holzhauer, who graduates this year, said. Her name appears on the "High Honor Roll," just a few feet from the school's Veterans' Wall and the memorial to her brother.

"Ray always found a way to bring people together," Assistant Principal Clark Reamer said, noting the large ring of those gathered for the dedication ceremony.

So far 16 former students -- four women and 12 men -- have enlisted in the armed services since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Later this year, the name of Gina Spandet will be added to the plaque. Spandet, a classmate of Ray Holzhauer's, is serving in the National Guard.

Also attending was Carol Dippon, who heads up Operation Support Our Soldiers. The group, which will mark its fifth anniversary in April, sends care packages to solider based overseas.

"We generally send between 35 and 70 packages, six times a year," Dippon said. "We just mailed 35 Easter boxes on Thursday and will be sending out packages of personal items again for Memorial Day."

Ellie