Veterans’ Roundtable returns to Wayne County Historical Society on May 18

WOOSTER − The Wayne County Historical Society will honor veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 18, as the Ed Arn Veterans’ Roundtable returns after a hiatus of several years.

Five local veterans who served in those conflicts will share their experiences in a panel discussion moderated by Marine veteran Mark Sheppard. The free public event will be held in the schoolhouse on the Historical Society’s campus, 546 E. Bowman St.

The society’s current featured exhibit, “Wayne County in the Armed Forces,” will be open for tours, free of charge, beginning at 4:30 p.m. May 18.

The participants are: Randy Anderson, retired Army sergeant first class; Tom Ballinger, a veteran of the First Infantry Division, who saw extensive service in Al Anbar province in Iraq; Robert Casto, retired Marine master sergeant; Army veteran Craig Wellert, who served in Operation Desert Storm and deployed again to Iraq 20 years later; and Kevin Wellert, Craig’s son, also an Army veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Kosovo.

“I think it’s timely to bring the veterans’ roundtable back and pay tribute to the veterans of the modern era who are our brothers, sisters, children, and co-workers,” said Wooster attorney and Historical Society board member Jeff Musseslman, who has chaired the event since its inception.

The Ed Arn Veterans’ Roundtable began during the society’s 2005 exhibit on the Vietnam War, and was so successful that it was made an annual event and named in honor of Ed Arn, a well-known local World War II combat veteran, author, and active member of the Historical Society, according to a news release.

This year’s roundtable is sponsored by Taggart Law Firm and Service First Title Agency.

Learn more at waynehistoricalohio.org or call 330.264.8856.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Veterans’ Roundtable returns to Wayne County Historical Society