A meaningful military mural

BELLEVUE — A new mural pays tribute to the military and veterans. Paul Woronecki, of HAVRE Graffiti, recently wrapped up the month-long project. He's a professional graffiti artist and only used spray paint to create the image. "It's fun. I love doing this. I couldn't imagine doing anything else," Woronecki said. Within the mural is an American flag, an aircraft carrier, a tank, a submarine, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, an F-16 aircraft and several veterans. The veterans depicted represent people from Bellevue in various military branches. It includes: • Jacob C. Miller, who fought during the Civil War; He was shot in the head but survived. He lived a long life despite the wound. Miller was also a Medal of Honor recipient. • Donn Rospert, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps; He served in Vietnam from October 1967 to October 1968, which included the Tet Offensive. • Dr. John Zimmerman, who served with the U.S. Army Air Corps; He was a pilot during World War II. Zimmerman also served nine months as a prisoner of war before he was liberated. • Cameron Wasson, who served with the U.S. Navy; During his service, he completed a six-month deployment. • Jan TerVeen, who served with the U.S. Coast Guard; He graduated from the Coast Guard Academy. TerVeen also retired from the Coast Guard. "Bellevue is full of heroes," Woronecki said. "There's a lot of history here." The mural is painted on the side of the building at 106 S. Sandusky St. in Bellevue, which houses Art @ 106. The building is owned by John Miller, according to the auditor's website. Woronecki, who lives in Missouri, is John Miller's grandson. Woronecki said it's the biggest mural he's painted by himself. Passersby can see the mural when heading north over the Veterans Memorial Overpass (Ohio 269) into downtown. Woronecki "did a magnificent job," Donn Rospert said. "It's a nice welcome to Bellevue." Rospert is one of the five veterans included in the mural. He's among good company. "It's a great group of veterans covering a big span of our history," he said. "We can't forget the veterans." There are also two generic silhouettes within the mural. Those will be completed next year, Woronecki said.