Sterling Legion honors Vietnam vet with grave marker noting his service

STERLING – He’s gone, but his service to his country is not forgotten.

American Legion Post 296 installed a grave marker earlier this year for Sterling Vietnam War Army veteran Denis G. Meiners, who is buried in Oak Knoll Memorial Park.

Meiners, a Sterling native, was 66 when he died Aug. 12, 2019, at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. He was buried with military honors that Aug. 27.

When Legion members learned in July 2021 that there was no marker noting his service, they worked with the VA, and with donations from a distant relative and several Legion members, and the marker was placed May 27.

“This Veterans Day, another Vietnam veteran has received the proper recognition and identification he deserves,” Sterling Squadron 296 Sons of American Legion Cmdr. Jerry Beranek said in a news release.

The post is at 601 First Ave. Go to https://centennial.legion.org/illinois/post296 to donate, to learn more about the many services it offers veterans or for a membership application.