By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2290 members who died in the last year were remembered Sunday at Manville’s annual Veterans Day memorial service at the post hall. Post members and the ladies auxiliary participated in the service after attending a Mass at Christ the Redeemer Church.
The names of the deceased members of Post 2290 who passed away within the year were read by Past Post Commander Charles Goodyear as a bell tolled for each one.
Master of ceremonies Andy Henkel called them "comrades." They included Phillip Gessner, Walter Graham, Louis Fischer, Benjamin Szymanski, John Zolandz, John Lysy, Arthur Estok, Edward J. Fobes, Edward Kwalick, Raymond Horan, Edward Hando, James Duesbury, Alex Pronovich, Eugene Wojack, David Snook, Joseph Palonis, Donald Rickert, Titus Tarnovetchi, James Chernesky, Dominick Calderone, David Dombey, Charles Mielnicki, Allen Gant, Charles Louis, Frank Molinari, John Rosko and William Rudy.
Mr. Henkel began the program by saying, "We are gathered here today to pay tribute to the men and women of our community who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States in the defense of this nation. They are worthy of our recognition for the sacrifices they endured and the deeds they performed while defending this great country. Their deeds shall remain alive in our memories for generations to come and we express pride and gratitude for the task they fulfilled."
He continued "As Veterans of Foreign Wars we and the Ladies Auxiliary look upon these honored ones as comrades. Within our organization are these who have served overseas in many wars to preserve American freedoms. The honors we symbolize here express the appreciation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Auxiliary for all Comrades in Arms."
VFW members laid a red, white and blue carnation and a wreath at the memorial. A gun salute was fired, and Taps was played.
Borough Council President Mark Gregor said, "We’re here today to honor our service members and to remember their sacrifices they have made and the courage it takes to defend honor, duty and country.
"The service members we honor today came from all walks of life, but they shared several fundamental qualities. They possessed courage, pride, determination, selflessness, dedication to duty and integrity – all the qualities needed to serve a cause larger than one’s self," Mr. Gregor said.
Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day, was first observed one year after the pact that ended World War I. The treaty was signed Nov. 11, 1918, and the legislation that created Veterans Day was dedicated to the cause of world peace, said Mr. Gregor.
"Your presence here today and that of the people gathering all across America is a tribute to those lost troops and to their families. It is a way to say we remember. From the soldiers who shivered and starved through the winter at Valley Forge to the doughboys crouched in the muddy trenches of France to the platoon who patrolled the hazy jungles of Vietnam and the young man or woman patrolling the mountains of Afghanistan, we remember and honor them all," said Mr. Gregor.
