Victoria County Honor Roll

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker records, out on the road through Victoria County. Now, some markers tell you about a building, or a battle, or a bend in a river. This one tells you about people.

Thirty-nine of them, to be exact. Men from Victoria County who went off to fight in the World War and did not come back. The marker calls what they did the supreme sacrifice, and it does not dress that up any further, because it does not need to.

The citizens of Victoria County erected this honor roll, and Leon Zear Post No. 166 of the American Legion dedicated it. Leon Zear Post. You'll want to hold onto that name for just a moment.

Read the roll of names on this marker and you will find a Leon A. Zear listed among the fallen. That post was named for one of their own.

Overton A. Abshier. Charles J.

Beyer. Oscar R. Booker.

John R. Branch. Leo Leslie Brown.

Willie E. Butler. Harry Russell Canfield.

John J. Caton. Horace C.

Davidson. Jacob B. Dentler.

Joseph H. Devasier. Lawrence J.

Fox. Manuel De La Garza. George Gleinser.

Maurice Lombardi Groce. Andrew Jackson Handley. Fritz Hoeber.

Frank Joseph Holy. Henry Innocenti. Alfred Kohl.

Thomas Lambertson. Edwin Ley. John J.

Mikeska. Leo E. Mitchell.

Walter E. Nitschmann. Albert S.

Noble. James W. Priddy.

William J. Rawlines. Clarence Elton Smith.

Pedro Villareal. David Dell Weaver. Fritz Wolf.

Henry Wurdel. Leon A. Zear.

Raymond A. Allen. Reed Thomas Anderson.

Elijah Atwood. Henry Bell. William M.

Halein. Thirty-nine names. Every one of them from right here, Victoria County, Texas.

The marker closes with a passage dated 1917, and it reads like this: The right is more precious than peace, we shall fight for things which we have always carried in our hearts, to such a task, we have dedicated our lives. Dedicated our lives. For thirty-nine men from this county, that was not a figure of speech.

It was the plain truth. Remember the names.

What the marker says

Country's Defenders from Victoria County who made the supreme sacrifice in the World War erected by the citizens of Victoria County dedicated by Leon Zear Post No. 166 the American Legion. Overton A.Abshier, Charles J. Beyer, Oscar R. Booker, John R. Branch, Leo Leslie Brown, Willie E. Butler, Harry Russell Canfield, John J. Caton, Horace c. Davidson, Jacob B. Dentler, Joseph H. Devasier Lawrence J. Fox, Manuel De La Garza, George Gleinser, Maurice Lombardi Groce, Andrew Jackson Handley, Fritz Hoeber, Frank Joseph Holy, Henry Innocenti, Alfred Kohl, Thomas Lambertson, Edwin Ley, John J.Mikeska, Leo E. Mitchell,Walter E. Nitschmann, Albert S. Noble, James W. Priddy, William J. Rawlines, Clarence Elton Smith, Pedro Villareal, David Dell Weaver, Fritz Wolf, Henry Wurdel, Leon A. Zear, Raymond A. Allen, Reed Thomas Anderson, Elijah Atwood, Henry Bell, William M. Halein. "The right is more precious then peace, we shall fight for thing which we have always carried in our hearts to such a Task, We have dedicated our lives." (1917)