Wednesday, March 4, 2015

TOWNSHIP RECOGNIZED FOR DISPLAY OF FLAG AT VOA MUSEUM

Township Recognized for Display of U.S. Flag at VOA Museum

Colonel Donald C. McGraw Jr. (Ret.), President of the Cincinnati Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), presented the Chapter’s 2013 Flag Certificate to the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting. The award was received by Mr. Ken Rieser, President of the Museum’s Board of Directors, and the West Chester Township Board of Trustees. The award is presented annually by the Chapter to individuals, businesses, or organizations proudly displaying the Flag of the United States of America.

Mr. James D. Schaffer, a SAR Cincinnati Chapter Board of Management member and Township resident, assisted with the evening’s presentation. He remarked that the museum was very deserving of the award, stating “it’s location of prominence in West Chester Township inspires patriotism with its display of the American Flag to the thousands who pass by daily.”

The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting was once the site of the VOA Bethany Relay Station. The location was formerly owned by the U.S. Government and was operational from the start of WWII until it was decommissioned and donated to West Chester Township for historic monument purposes in 1995. West Chester Township formed an independent board to develop and operate the National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, which is a work-in-progress. Schaffer thanked the West Chester Township Trustees for their vision and commitment to recognize and preserve the historical significance of this site.

The mission of the Voice of America was to deliver the American message of freedom and democracy to people oppressed by tyrannical leaders. The station delivered the news and culture of America to victims of war, the oppressed, the curious, and to service men and women serving their country around the globe until it was decommissioned, largely due to technological changes. The Ohio Historical Society commemorated the VOA Bethany Relay Station in 2003 with a historical marker for its contribution to the state’s history, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

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