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On February 15, with a stroke of a pen, Ohio Governor Robert Taft signed into law a legislative bill
initiated and supported by a dedicated team of PJs that renames Ohio State Route 48 to the U.S.
A.F. Pararescue Memorial Parkway.
The effort to rename State Route 48 began in October 2003, when a dozen PJs traveled to
Sidney, Ohio, to attend the James Locker (Jolly Green 23) internment. After the funeral, the twelve
PJs gathered together in Hospitality Room 109 of the Holiday Inn. During the course of
conversation Doug McGill happened to mention that T.J. Bruce had told him previously of a tight
cluster of four outstanding and highly decorated PJs who all came from the same neighborhood in
southwestern Ohio.
In fact, all four PJs were raised just a country-mile either side of a 10 mile long section of Route
48; James Plieman, the first PJ to lose his life in Vietnam; Bill Pitsenbarger, awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor; Lames Locker, brought home finally from Vietnam after 35 long
years; and William McDaniel, who recently perished on a Special Operations anti-terror mission in
the Philippines.
All of a sudden, DC “Surfer Doc� Johnson, sitting quietly at the table next to Doug, had an
epiphany -- “PJ Parkway!� he shouted. D.C.’s spontaneous outburst immediately was
picked-up and repeated by other PJs in the room and soon there was 100% agreement this was
something worth pursuing. The PJ Memorial Parkway Project was underway, and Bill Eby and
Steven West, both Ohio PJs, volunteered to take up the challenge to get a bill through the
legislature and onto the Governor’s desk for signature, ASAP!
Subsequently, both PJs made highly effective presentations before the Ohio Senate
Transportation Committee. A member of that committee, Senator Jim Jordan, wrote a Bill that was
passed immediately by the Transportation Committee and sent at once to the full Ohio Senate for
a vote. It wasn’t long before our PJ Parkway renaming Bill passed the full Senate unanimously.
The just-passed Bill was hand carried from the Senate and rushed quickly to the Ohio House of
Representatives arriving just in the nick-of-time to be assigned to a House Committee before the
spring session ended last June. Over the summer recess, and throughout the winter session, the
Bill survived a tsunami of amendments, and, in the very last hour of the very last day ending the
late December session, the Bill finally was passed by the full House and sent to the Governor for
the signature he’d promised from the beginning.
In attendance at the Governor’s signing ceremony were family members of our four fallen PJ
brothers; Mr. and Mrs. Bob McDaniel, MSgt Bill McDaniel's parents; Mrs. Dorothy Locker, mother
of Sgt James D. Locker; Mrs. Rita Plieman Utz, sister of A1C Jim Plieman; and Mrs. Alice
Pitsenbarger, step-mother of SSgt Bill Pitsenbarger.
Also attending were representatives of the U.S.A.F and Pararescue. Our honored guests included
Lt. General Richard V. Reynolds, Vice Commander of the Air Force Material Command; Lt. Col
Miller, the General's aide; and the Command Chief Master Sergeant, CMSgt Jonathan Hake. On
the PJ side of the house we had Major Jeff Wilkinson CRO, MSgt Steve Elson, MSgt Karl Grugel,
Senior Airman Rob Rosentreater (PJ Trainee) all from the 123rd STS, Kentucky Air National
Guard, Louisville and, from the Pentagon, SMSgt Ryan Beckmann. These impressive warriors had
a tremendous impact on all who were in attendance. They did us proud! They have our deepest
respect for their outstanding representation of the career field!
The Bill’s author and chief sponsor, Senator Jim Jordan, Ohio Senate President Doug White,
and District 78 Representative Derrick Seaver together with the PJ Parkway Project staff Bill Eby,
Roger Porter, Steven West, and Doug McGill were all there to witness a year’s worth of work
signed into law.
Immediately after the signing ceremony the family members, guests, and PJs assembled in a large
ornate room just down the hall from the Governor’s Office. There each of the PJ families was
presented a beautifully framed tribute proclamation from Representative Seaver’s office. The
tribute for each PJ brother was solemnly read aloud by Steven West and presented to each family
by Representative Seaver. Framed, full-sized, duplicates of all four tributes will be displayed at the
Pararescue School. The tribute proclamations were initiated and written by Jerry Pearson with
Adam Ward of Representative Seaver’s staff.
After the tribute presentations and generous refreshments, the families were given a special tour
of the Capital by the Senate’s Sergeant-at-Arms.
initiated and supported by a dedicated team of PJs that renames Ohio State Route 48 to the U.S.
A.F. Pararescue Memorial Parkway.
The effort to rename State Route 48 began in October 2003, when a dozen PJs traveled to
Sidney, Ohio, to attend the James Locker (Jolly Green 23) internment. After the funeral, the twelve
PJs gathered together in Hospitality Room 109 of the Holiday Inn. During the course of
conversation Doug McGill happened to mention that T.J. Bruce had told him previously of a tight
cluster of four outstanding and highly decorated PJs who all came from the same neighborhood in
southwestern Ohio.
In fact, all four PJs were raised just a country-mile either side of a 10 mile long section of Route
48; James Plieman, the first PJ to lose his life in Vietnam; Bill Pitsenbarger, awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor; Lames Locker, brought home finally from Vietnam after 35 long
years; and William McDaniel, who recently perished on a Special Operations anti-terror mission in
the Philippines.
All of a sudden, DC “Surfer Doc� Johnson, sitting quietly at the table next to Doug, had an
epiphany -- “PJ Parkway!� he shouted. D.C.’s spontaneous outburst immediately was
picked-up and repeated by other PJs in the room and soon there was 100% agreement this was
something worth pursuing. The PJ Memorial Parkway Project was underway, and Bill Eby and
Steven West, both Ohio PJs, volunteered to take up the challenge to get a bill through the
legislature and onto the Governor’s desk for signature, ASAP!
Subsequently, both PJs made highly effective presentations before the Ohio Senate
Transportation Committee. A member of that committee, Senator Jim Jordan, wrote a Bill that was
passed immediately by the Transportation Committee and sent at once to the full Ohio Senate for
a vote. It wasn’t long before our PJ Parkway renaming Bill passed the full Senate unanimously.
The just-passed Bill was hand carried from the Senate and rushed quickly to the Ohio House of
Representatives arriving just in the nick-of-time to be assigned to a House Committee before the
spring session ended last June. Over the summer recess, and throughout the winter session, the
Bill survived a tsunami of amendments, and, in the very last hour of the very last day ending the
late December session, the Bill finally was passed by the full House and sent to the Governor for
the signature he’d promised from the beginning.
In attendance at the Governor’s signing ceremony were family members of our four fallen PJ
brothers; Mr. and Mrs. Bob McDaniel, MSgt Bill McDaniel's parents; Mrs. Dorothy Locker, mother
of Sgt James D. Locker; Mrs. Rita Plieman Utz, sister of A1C Jim Plieman; and Mrs. Alice
Pitsenbarger, step-mother of SSgt Bill Pitsenbarger.
Also attending were representatives of the U.S.A.F and Pararescue. Our honored guests included
Lt. General Richard V. Reynolds, Vice Commander of the Air Force Material Command; Lt. Col
Miller, the General's aide; and the Command Chief Master Sergeant, CMSgt Jonathan Hake. On
the PJ side of the house we had Major Jeff Wilkinson CRO, MSgt Steve Elson, MSgt Karl Grugel,
Senior Airman Rob Rosentreater (PJ Trainee) all from the 123rd STS, Kentucky Air National
Guard, Louisville and, from the Pentagon, SMSgt Ryan Beckmann. These impressive warriors had
a tremendous impact on all who were in attendance. They did us proud! They have our deepest
respect for their outstanding representation of the career field!
The Bill’s author and chief sponsor, Senator Jim Jordan, Ohio Senate President Doug White,
and District 78 Representative Derrick Seaver together with the PJ Parkway Project staff Bill Eby,
Roger Porter, Steven West, and Doug McGill were all there to witness a year’s worth of work
signed into law.
Immediately after the signing ceremony the family members, guests, and PJs assembled in a large
ornate room just down the hall from the Governor’s Office. There each of the PJ families was
presented a beautifully framed tribute proclamation from Representative Seaver’s office. The
tribute for each PJ brother was solemnly read aloud by Steven West and presented to each family
by Representative Seaver. Framed, full-sized, duplicates of all four tributes will be displayed at the
Pararescue School. The tribute proclamations were initiated and written by Jerry Pearson with
Adam Ward of Representative Seaver’s staff.
After the tribute presentations and generous refreshments, the families were given a special tour
of the Capital by the Senate’s Sergeant-at-Arms.
| OHIO GOVERNOR SIGNS “PJ PARKWAY� LAW |