Friday, May 28, 2010

Havlat Memorial Dedication Set For This Sunday Afternoon

This Sunday, May 30, the Dorchester Area Community Foundation (DACF) will host a dedication ceremony for the Havlat memorial marker. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Saline County Museum on the south side of town. (UPDATE: To see the Lincoln Journal Star's story on Private Havlat, click here.)

Speaking at the ceremony will be state Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber and Adolph Havlat (Private Havlat’s brother). The museum will be open Sunday afternoon and all area residents are encouraged to attend. This is a proper way to remember those who gave all.

A Dorchester native who died May 7, 1945, while helping to free a monastery in Czechoslovakia, Private Charles Havlat was the last soldier killed in the European Theater of World War II. Private Havlat's death occurred about six hours after the unconditional surrender of the Germans. For more on Private Havlat, click here.

In 2008, the Dorchester American Legion, Post 264, asked the State of Nebraska and the roads department to name the small stretch of Highway 33 between Dorchester and Crete after PFC Havlat, but the request was denied. The Dorchester Legion and the DACF worked to raise funds and place the historical marker on the grounds of the Saline County Museum. The project cost approximately $5,000.

2 comments:

  1. THANKS TO THE LEGION & DACF FOR DOING THIS, IT IS A LONG OVERDUE TRIBUTE TO OUR FALLEN LOCAL HERO!

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  2. Thanks to everyone who helped with the Havlet Memorial and making the dedication such a success. We at the Saline County Museum are very proud to have it on our grounds. We have a large display on Charles Havlet and we will be open July 4th so stop and see it.

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