Heroes Honored and Remembered

The Court Street Bridge and Tioga County Veterans Memorial Park in Owego, N.Y. were adorned in red, white and blue flags and wreaths for the annual Memorial Day parade and remembrance ceremony on May 27. Veterans and the community were welcomed with bright sunshine and warm temperatures.

Activities began at 8 a.m. with the annual Roll Call of Deceased Veterans who are buried in all Tioga County cemeteries.  V.F.W. Post 1371 paid a special tribute at the Veterans Memorial Park prior to the start of the parade.

Parade-goers lined the streets of downtown Owego as they clapped and cheered for several veterans’ organizations, along with the Daughters of the American Revolution, Owego Elementary students, the Owego Free Academy (OFA) parade band, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, and local officials and emergency responders, among others.

Following the parade, Memorial Day Chairman and Korean War veteran, Jim Raftis, Sr., remarked, “The true meaning of Memorial Day is to remember,” adding, “We remember the sacrifices of the men and women who died in service to the nation, and the sacrifices of their families.”

Raftis continued, “And we remember the prisoners of war and those missing in action. They are not forgotten.”

Also remembered at the ceremony was the upcoming 75th D-Day anniversary, as well as a salute to the American Legion on its 100th national and 87th local anniversaries.

Owego Elementary students participated in delivering flags to the memorials in memory of fallen heroes. The OFA Parade Band performed the National Anthem along with a medley of Armed Services songs, and Troop 60 Boy Scouts read names of Tioga County’s fallen.

Also honored at the occasion were Purple Heart recipients and their families. Representatives of the Tioga County Veterans Service Agency, Mike Middaugh and John Holton, read names of Tioga County veterans who have passed away since November 11, 2018, and Holton spoke to guests about Tioga County’s recent designation as a Purple Heart County.  

A family member of Donald E. Rummel, killed in action in Vietnam and who now rests in Tioga Cemetery, held a framed photo of him during the ceremony. Two of Rummel’s OFA classmates, Anthony Revak and Duane Clark Romeo, were also killed while serving in Vietnam. Revak is buried in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, and Romeo rests in Riverside Cemetery-Apalachin.

A ceremony tradition, Raftis asked that the oldest living veterans come forward. Tioga County resident, Richard Tiffany, approached the podium and shared with guests that he served in the South Pacific during World War II. Active in the American Legion for many years, Tiffany said he is now 92. 

Karen Messersmith of the Daughters of American Revolution shared that Revolutionary War soldiers helped make the United States what it is today, and commented, “Although Tioga County was not a county at the time of the Revolution, these soldiers came through our area, and later, they came back and settled here, and they should always be remembered.”

Father Mitch Zygadlo, temporary administrator of St. Patrick’s and Blessed Trinity Parishes, and known to parishioners as “Father Mitch,” delivered the invocation and benediction, and was also a guest speaker at the ceremony.

Father Mitch, a retired Air Force Chaplain Major, commented, “I was invited to speak about my role as a Chaplain while in military service.”  He explained that he performed religious rites and provided counseling, as well as promoted a positive spirit for military members, government civilians and their families.

However, Father Mitch remarked, “The most difficult task was my role in death notifications. It was never easy to deliver that news to next of kin.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, U.S. Navy buried at sea were honored by a wreath cast into the Susquehanna River, while Taps was played by an OFA bugler and V.F.W. Post 1371 Honor Guard performed a rifle salute.