ASHLAND — Jimmie Hendricks was a 32-year-old Navy veteran when he touched with his bare hands a piece of history so close to his heart, the Medal of Honor.
It was a balmy Monday morning at the Ashland County Fairgrounds when the now 77-year-old pushed down on his walker to stand up, amidst an unknowing crowd during a veteran’s service, to recount with a shaky voice the story he’s told, with tears in his eyes, countless times.
It was 1863 when Army Private Jacob Parrott, an Ohio native, received the first Medal of Honor along with five other comrades after a mission dubbed the Great Locomotive Race.
“His grandson lived with me in West Salem,” Hendricks said of Parrott’s grandson. “And I was able to touch the very first Medal of Honor in this country.”
Hendricks’ story came seemingly out of nowhere during the fair’s annual Veteran’s Service, which was hosted this year by Hospice of North Central Ohio. Hendricks was not scheduled to speak. In fact, he stood and began telling the story during the service’s opening remarks.
No one, including Danielle England, a Hospice of North Central Ohio staffer who happened to speaking in that moment, was bothered by the brief interruption.
The crowd of men and women veterans broke out into a chorus of wows and applause as Hendricks took a seat at the end of his story.
“Thank you for sharing,” England said, addressing Hendricks.
After the ceremony, Hendricks — who was joined by his wife, Faye — said five other men happened to be with Parrott when he received the Medal of Honor. They all received the military decoration, but Parrott happened to be the first who “stuck out his hand.”
Hendricks served in the Navy from 1962 to 1968. He then worked as a police officer in West Salem, which is where he met Parrott’s grandson, he said.
Stationed at Jacksonville’s Naval Station Mayport, he never saw combat. The closest he came to anything close to that was when he and his comrades were surrounded by Russian nuclear submarines for a week straight, he said.
“After that, they just went away,” he said.
“Thank God for that,” his wife, Faye, said.
The Hendricks, who live in Troy Township, were one couple of several who came to the fair to be honored on Monday. Hospice of North Central Ohio put together the service, where speakers including Ashland Mayor Matt Miller and decorated Army veteran Steve Carroll shared thoughts on freedom and honor.
“Never once have we Americans fought a war to conquer another people,” Miller said. “Our mission, every time, was to free a people. We were on a mission to free a people, whether it was our own or other lands that were in bondage.”
Carroll, who now works for University Hospitals, agreed with Miller and went on to describe the men and women who carried out that mission.
“Loyal and trustworthy, committed and dedicated, focused and selfless, tough; courageous; brave and, I would say, unique,” Carroll said, using words to describe a veteran. “But above all, the word I think of is ‘honorable.’”
Whether it was the first recipient of the Medal of Honor or the no-combat veteran who met the first recipient’s grandson while living in West Salem, the crowd on Monday morning agreed with Carroll, as the people stood to give a prolonged ovation.
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