McKinney, Texas -- Collin County history will be made on Monday, June 4 at 3:30 p.m. at the Collin County Courthouse, 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney, Texas, when a ceremony will be held to rename the courthouse the “Russell A. Steindam Courts Building.” The name change comes after the Steindam family and friends, along with McKinney veterans, requested that the young Plano soldier be given the honor. 1st. Lt. Steindam, US Army, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallant sacrifice in the Vietnam War. He is the second Medal of Honor recipient from Collin County, along with the most famous soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy.
Another historic event will take place at the ceremony; the Collin County Fallen Warrior Portrait Project will present the portraits of five more Collin County young men who died while in the service of our country. These portraits will be added to the 54 already on permanent display in the “Hall of Heroes” of the courthouse. The portrait of Russell Steindam was one of the first to be installed.
There are over 385 names engraved on the “Wall of Honor” at the Collin County Veterans Memorial Park in McKinney, and the goal of the project is to put as many faces as possible with those names.
The next five heroes to be honored are:
Arlis K. Anderson, 26, Altoga, 1st Lt. US Army Air Corps, 548th Bomb Squadron, 385th Bomb Group. Killed in action 26 June 1943, when shot down over the Baltic Sea.
Mercer G. Abernathy, 21, McKinney, 2nd Lt. US Army Air Corps, 548th Bomb Squadron, 385th Bomb Group. Killed in action 4 April 1945, when his damaged B-17 went down in the North Sea.
Hulette H. Abbott, 31, Nevada, PFC, US Army, 175th Inf. Regt., 29th Infantry Div. Killed in action 14 July 1944 in France.
Gordon Neely, Anna, Staff/Sgt. US Army, 23rd Inf. Regt., 2nd Inf Division. Killed in action 16 June 1944 in France.
Walter Faulkner, 28, McKinney, “Buffalo Soldier”, US Army, 9th Cavalry. Died while serving at Fort D. A. Russell, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 29 October 1910.
The “Collin County Fallen Warrior Portrait Project” is privately funded and sponsored by American Legion “Bill Bryan” Post 110, VFW “Lone Star” Post 2150 and Collin County Freedom Fighters.com. The portraits are created by McKinney artist and US Air Force veteran, Colin Kimball, who donates his time and talents to this historic project.
For more information go to www.ccfreedomfighters.com.