MENASHA, Wis. (WFRV) – Hometown Heroes is marking National Medal of Honor Day, March 25th, by sharing the stories of Menasha’s two recipients.
Pueblo, Colorado, is the only other city to have multiple recipients.
“The guys here were dedicated and fought just like anybody else,” said VFW Post 2126 Commander David A. Mix. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
Menasha’s Isle of Valor is a sacred place in Smith Park along Lake Winnebago.
People come here to remember those who served, some who never made it back, and two in particular who received the Medal of Honor. They are Vietnam Veteran Kenneth Stumpf and World War II Veteran Elmer J. Burr.
Local 5 News’ 2025 Q1 Hometown Heroes Special
“It’s a distinct honor having two,” added Mix who was part of the team effort among fellow veterans to enhance the property to include the wider community.
He knew Stumpf but only heard about Burr.
It was World War II, and according to the official Medal of Honor website and newspaper accounts at the time, Burr smothered a grenade explosion with his body in order to save his company commander on Christmas Eve, 1942. His tombstone at Oak Hill Cemetery in Wisconsin has him dying the next day.
“To save another guy ya know,” contemplated Mix. “I don’t even think he knew what happened. He went in right after school, going in to protect the country and then he did what he did.”
The Post set out to make sure nobody would forget the stories of Menasha’s heroes and worked years for the Isle of Valor to become a recognized historical site. Picnics, patriotic ceremonies, and even funerals happen here.
“I mean these families, they take it to heart,” added Mix who also is part of the Honor Guard which volunteers around the region at fellow veterans’ funerals. “When we get done doing a funeral, they’re really happy we were there.”
There are other stories of veterans told in bricks along the pathways and etched in stone on benches looking out onto the water.
On a bitterly cold spring day, when the silence is filled by a sudden gust of wind, you’re reminded this is a living, breathing monument to country and community.
Mix says it has turned out as many of them envisioned.
“It’s a secluded little place that you can come out there and sit there and look over the water.”
He added that more and more people are purchasing the bricks to help with the upkeep.
“I don’t know if in the real world if there’s a lot of people who know Medal of Honor Day,” Mix acknowledged, “All the guys who come out and do this stuff, it’s because they want to give what they can for the families that lost people.”
There is no formal ceremony on March 25th but there is always a special tribute to both Medal of Honor recipients during the popular, annual Armed Forces Day ceremony.
Look for the story of “Kenny” Stumpf from those who met him, Monday on Local 5 News at 6 p.m.
