Lorain leaders dedicate Samuel L Felton Jr. Central Park

LORAIN — Sam Felton had a heart as big as Central Park, Don Attie said. The commander of the Disabled American Veterans Lorain Chapter 20 and other local leaders and community members gathered Saturday afternoon to dedicate Central Park as Samuel L. Felton Jr. Central Park in honor of one of the city's most decorated veterans. "Sam I know you're watching now, you're our hero to so many across this nation," Attie said. "You'll be missed Sam, but not forgotten … Sam always liked to say all gave some and some gave all — Sam you gave all to everyone. I only think it's fitting that Sam be remembered always." Felton, 70, died May 23, 2020. He served three tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps, from December 1968 to August 1971. While there, he received both the Navy Cross for heroism and two Purple Hearts for being wounded in combat. The Navy Cross is the second-highest decoration for valor in combat in the Marines and U.S. Navy, and fewer than 500 were handed out during the Vietnam War. Felton — then a private first class and fire team leader with Company C of the U.S. Marines 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division — earned it by rescuing three wounded Marines during an intense 11-day battle near An Hoa, Qung Nam Province, in June 1969. While Felton's Navy Cross heroism is often talked about, it is not the only medal he received for his service, his brother Carnell Felton Sr. said at Saturday's service. He retold a story of when his brother was a fire team leader and while out on a patrol his group was overrun and needed to get back inside the perimeter. The man carrying two cans of ammunition got caught in wire and Felton was wounded while rescuing him and carrying him back to safety. "Who you all really need to thank for this is Mary Jo, our mother," Carnell Felton said. "She instilled courage in us to stand up and speak with conviction and believe what we say and say what we believe. That's the way we always have been." For his sister, Wihelminia Peterson, Sam will always be the brother who taught her how to cross the street, whom she misses every day. Sam Felton returned to Lorain after his military career. He opened a karate academy and several billiard parlors, also working at U.S. Steel and Invacare. He had more than 45 years of advocacy behind him when he died, supporting his fellow veterans as commander and life member of the DAV Chapter 20; chairman of the Valor Home Board; delegate to the Lorain Veterans Council; member, First Marine Division Association; member, National Association of Black Veterans and Ohio Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Valor Home, a nonprofit organization providing services for homeless veterans. He also co-founded the Lorain Veterans Council, and was a past commander of the local AMVETS. Over the years he was honored with several awards, including Lorain Veteran of the Year in 2010 and an induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2019. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, brought a flag flown over the Capitol for Felton's family. She, too, had a memory of Felton, telling how he was instrumental in getting an adequate Veterans Affairs Clinic in the county. At the dedication, he put a hand on her shoulder and when she turned to look at him, all she said she could think of was how tall he was. "It was his way of saying thank you America for finally doing what's right for veterans in this part of the United States. … It was a kind of quiet presence," she said. "He was't always quiet, but it was the kind of moment that each of you probably who has taken time to be here today experienced with Sam." Some, like Mayor Jack Bradley, knew him well before he was known as a hero as just another classmate at Lorain High School. "But as you know, Sam became a hero in Vietnam. But that was not what defined Sam," Bradley said. "I remember talking with Sam on Fifth Street after his wife passed away, and Sam knew he had to go on. Sam was always there for others. Sam was there for all of us until he passed." Bradley sang a few lines changed to fit the occasion of Dion DiMucci's "Abraham, Martin and John." "Has anybody seen our old friend Samuel?" Bradley sang. "Can you tell me where he's gone? Saved a lot of people, but it seems the good, they die young. I just looked around and he's gone." Central Park is not the only space to bear Felton's name in the city. In 2018, City Council renamed a section of East 36th Street near the Ohio National Guard Armory in recognition of his service. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.