July 11, 2024

Springfield’s Ferncliff Cemetery found a new way to honor the first Clark County man to die in World War II after Army cemetery policy required Ferncliff remove its government issued memorial marker.

Navy Seaman First Class James Richard “Dick” Ward, 20, gave his life for his U.S. Navy shipmates on Dec. 7, 1941, serving on the USS Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1942 for remaining onboard the ship and guiding his shipmates to safety with a flashlight, going down with the ship…