555 Western Reserve National Cemetary for Francis L. Emerick

555 Member Francis L. Elmerick Laid to Rest

Francis H. Elmerick, age 88 of North Canton passed away May 21, 2015.  Francis was a retired employee of Ford Motor. During WW II he served in the Merchant Marines in both the Atlantic & Pacific. Francis was a member of the 555 Honors Detachment, Marlboro Volunteers, Catholic War Veterans Post #1325, K of C #554, Stark County Honor Court, a longtime volunteer at Ohio Western Reserve Nation Cemetery and American Legion Post #221.  We will greatly miss Francis, his dedication, his example, his patriotism, his love for others, his friendship and his humor.  RIP old friend!

A Christmas Miracle

On Christmas Eve in the year 1914, German troops

began  placing candles on their trenches and made Christmas trees, they celebrated by

singing Christmas carols. The British responded by singing carols of their own. The two armies

began shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, the enemies  were gatherings

across No Man's Land, where soldiers exchanged gifts of food, tobacco and alcohol, and souvenirs

such as buttons and hats.   The artillery in the region fell silent.      The truce allowed a

breathing spell and casualties could be brought back behind their own lines for burial . In

some areas joint religious services were held.  Although there was no official truce, roughly 100,000

British and German troops ceased fighting for the day!

555 Duty Schedule 2015

DINNER MEETING                                               DUTY WEEK


12 FEB 2015                                                            16 - 20 FEB


31 MAR (Tuesday)                                                   06 - 10 APR


21 MAY                                                                     25 - 29 MAY


09 JULY                                                                     13 - 17 JULY


27 AUG                                                                       31 AUG - 04 SEP


15 OCT                                                                       19 - 23 OCT


03 DEC                                                                       07 - 11 DEC

Battle of the Bulge DEC 1944

Today marks the 70th anniversary of a weeks-long battle known as the Battle of the Bulge. It would become the largest battle the US Army had ever fought, and it would go on for six weeks. The cost in human lives would be high - there were more than 67,000 American casualties before the battle ended in late January.

Remember