Ceremony took place on front lawn of Sun Bank, where a permanent stone and bronze memorial were placed years ago
By John Tredrea
Like thousands of other towns across America, Pennington paid tribute to military veterans with a ceremony in the heart of town Friday morning, Veterans Day.
"On behalf of our grateful community, I’d like to thank you for your dedicated service," Pennington Borough Council President Weed Tucker told the assembled Hopewell Valley veterans of five wars World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Those veterans, shown in the photo, are: (from left, front) are Nat Norton of Pennington, Korean War; Earl Griffis of Pennington, World War II; Radcliffe Van Dyke of Pennington, Korean War; Charles Rutledge of Pennington, Korean War; Bob Peeck of Ewing, Desert Storm; Sevy Di Cocco of Hopewell Township, World War II and Korean War; William Reuter of Pennington, World War II and Korean War; (from left, back) John Pierpont (with flag) of Pennington, Korean War; George Pearson of Pennington, World War II; Greg Masey of Titusville, Operation Iraqi Freedom; Lou Beck of Pennington, U.S. Navy veteran; Jay Goodwin of Pennington, U. S. Army veteran; and Peter O’Hara of Pennington, Vietman War.
"Freedom isn’t free, and so we honor today the veterans of the armed services who have served our country," Councilman Tucker said.
The ceremony took place on the front lawn of the Sun Bank at 1 N. Main St. A permanent stone and bronze memorial to veterans were embedded in the bank’s lawn many years ago. A floral memorial was put in front of it for this year’s Veterans Day. Nearly a dozen veterans from throughout the Valley area attended.
Among them was Desert Storm veteran Bob Peeck of Ewing and Commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 829, in Pennington.
American veterans "left our schools, our shops and our farms to take up weapons against our foes," Mr. Peeck said. "They were aware of the dangers before them, yet they responded without hesitancy to the call of duty. They are the ones for whom we toiled and prayed here at home to help make their effort victorious, so they might return and live with us in lasting peace and security."

