From left, Jamestown Police Officer Lt. Sam Piazza, JPD Historian Arthur Osterdahl, fallen military veteran Kenneth A. Beebe’s living relatives, Kenneth Beebe (nephew), Pat Page (niece) and JPD Chief of Police Tim Jackson, present the restored and refurbished plaque of Beebe on Veterans Day at JPD Headquarters. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee

For years a plaque hung in the Jamestown Police Department honoring former city police officer Kenneth A. Beebe.

It disappeared several years ago after suffering severe damage – but is back now thanks to current and former officers who never met Beebe.

“Officer Kenneth Beebe was born in September 1913 and served as the dog warden for Jamestown from 1936 until 1940,” said Arthur E. Osterdahl, retired Jamestown Police detective and department historian. “The police chief at the time promoted him to patrolman, and he served in that capacity from 1940 until 1943, when he was drafted into the military.”

Osterdahl said Beebe was killed in action May 5, 1945, while fighting the Imperial Army of Japan on the Island of Iwo Jima, during World War II, by a Japanese sniper.

“The original telegraph -from the War Department- read that he was originally listed as MIA (Missing in Action),” said Osterdahl. “It was common during the war to list service members as MIA, at first. Beebe was 32 years old when he was killed in action.”

For years a plaque in Beebe’s honor hung in Jamestown Police Headquarters until it was severely damaged in a 2017 flood. An overnight rainstorm that took place during renovation of Tracy Plaza allowed rain water to pour into the police station. There was damage to JPD equipment, files, computers and radios – and the plaque honoring Beebe. .

“There was a huge flood in 2017 at the police department,” said Osterdahl. “This plaque was one of the victims of that flood.”

Osterdahl said that the plaque has been painstakingly restored to its glory.

“I must give credit to Tim Dolittle of Dolittle Custom Engraving, for the amazing work he did on restoring Officer Beebe’s plaque,” Osterdahl said.

The significance of presenting the plaque to some of Beebe’s living relatives and restoring it to a place of honor in the department is not lost on some of the current officers in the force. For Officer Beebe’s niece this is a great tribute to an uncle she never got a chance to meet.

“I never met my uncle. He was killed just before I was born. But I heard all about him growing up,” said Pat Page (Beebe). “He was a hero.”

“We have a proud and rich history of military service members donning our uniform and continuing to serve our community as police officers,” said JPD Lt. Sam Piazza.

JPD Chief Timothy Jackson echoed Piazza’s statements.

“We have several past officers and current officers who have served and are still serving in the military. This is a tradition we hope to continue,” he said.

According to history.com the Battle of Iwo Jima took place Feb. 19, 1945, and continued to March 26, 1945. In the aftermath of the battle, it is believed that of 21,000 Japanese soldiers present at the beginning of the battle, over 19,000 were killed and only 1,083 taken prisoner; the 36-day (Iwo Jima) assault resulted in more than 26,000 American casualties, including 6,800 dead. An interesting fact of the battle revolves around two Japanese holdouts who reportedly continued to hide in the island’s caves, scavenging food and supplies until they finally surrendered in 1949, almost four years after the end of World War II.

“We hope to continue to honor the memory of Officer Beebe and continue our proud tradition of service to our city,” said Jackson.