PIERCE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Pierce Township police officer who found a bronze memorial marker on the side of a township road is asking the public for help locating the family of the World War II veteran it honors.
The marker reads "In Memory of Howard Vincent Foster, Lt. US Navy, World War II, 1909-1992," framed around a small cross emblem. The Pierce Township Police Department said in a social media post that it had been unable to find any of Foster’s relatives and asked anyone who might be connected to the family to send the department a message.
Markers like it, bearing a veteran’s name, rank, branch of service and dates, are commonly used as footstones to mark a veteran’s grave at a cemetery, according to veteran memorial providers.
The Pierce Township Police Department traces its roots to the 1950s, when it began with a single full-time constable. It has since grown into a 24-hour agency built around a community-oriented policing philosophy, serving all 23 square miles of the township, according to the department. Chief Paul Broxterman currently leads a force of roughly 15 uniformed officers.
Pierce Township, established in 1853, is home to more than 15,000 residents in Clermont County, according to township data.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pierce Township Police Department.