NEENAH – The city has two official war memorials in the veterans section of Oak Hill Cemetery.
The front of the first monument is dedicated to soldiers who died in the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
The back is dedicated to the soldiers who fell in the First World War.
The front of the second monument is dedicated to those who died in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The back is blank.
And that’s where it ends. There is no memorial to the soldiers who served in the Gulf War or the Global War on Terrorism.
Fox Crossing resident Jill Fritsch has made it her mission to change that.
Her late husband, retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Fritsch, served in the military for 20 years before retiring in 2021. He died in 2023, she said, “from a brain tumor related to the burn pits in Afghanistan,” where he served during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Before his death, he noted that there was no monument at Oak Hill Cemetery to honor the soldiers who fought in recent wars.
“My goal is to put a monument there because it’s the right thing to do, in memory of my husband, who noticed it,” Fritsch told The Post-Crescent. “He’s buried there now.”
Fritsch obtained permission from the Neenah Parks and Recreation Commission to place a plaque-shaped memorial at the cemetery, and the commission approved the wording.
The black granite memorial will read, “In honor of all who served.” It will list the Gulf War, including Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield, and the Global War on Terrorism, including Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, and Operation Enduring Sentinel, Afghanistan; Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn, Iraq; and Operation Inherent Resolve, Islamic State.
Fritsch ordered the monument from Twin City Monument Works. After engraving, it will be placed in the cemetery in time for the anniversary of September 11 or Veterans Day.
But that’s only half the story.
As part of its approval, the Park Commission specified that no individual names may be placed on the memorial and that if residents of Neenah, Menasha, Fox Crossing or the City of Neenah have been killed in combat since the Vietnam War, their name, rank and the conflict in which they fought may, upon request, be placed on a plaque at the rear of the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam Memorial.
Mike Kading, Neenah’s parks and recreation director, said the back of the new monument would remain open for any future conflicts.
Fritsch asked the park commission to reconsider the plan. She wanted the new monument to read: “Donated by military personnel, friends and family in memory of SFC Daniel Fritsch.”
City staff recommended that the commission reject its request, arguing that it had been decided that war memorials should only include the names of people killed in combat.
Kading said a war memorial is “much more sacred” than, say, a park bench bearing the name of a donor. He said the existing memorials were erected by the four municipalities or by veterans’ organizations and never by an individual.
To make matters worse, donations had to be raised for the monument. According to Fritsch, the cost will be $10,800.
Fritsch said when she started the project, she had the money to pay for it. But as the project dragged on, that was no longer the case, so she began accepting donations, including a $3,000 donation from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, Chapter 45-3, of Wrightstown.
This raised the question of whether all donors and not just the Fritsch family and friends should be recognized.
“Did they donate in Dan (Fritsch)’s name, or did they donate because there are people in this community who have served in these various conflicts?” asked Commission President Peter Kelly.
In the end, the park commission rejected Fritsch’s request to have her husband’s name placed on the monument. Instead, the commission unanimously voted that the monument should read: “Donated by family and friends of those who served.”
“That wasn’t what I had hoped for,” said Fritsch afterwards. “It was only possible thanks to a soldier who was on duty.”
Kading said the city will provide the land and concrete slab for the memorial. Still to be decided is whether a QR code will be added to the memorial. The QR code would link to a city website listing all donors and giving special thanks to Jill and Daniel Fritsch for initiating the project.
Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.
