Now is the time to roll out the red carpet to Tioga County servicemen and women who served during the two-decade war on terrorism. Veterans of Modern Warfare from Afghanistan, Iraq and Desert Storm are invited for a Welcome Home on Veterans Day, Thursday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m. in Glenn A. Warner Memorial Hall of Post 1371 Veterans of Foreign Wars, located on Main Street in Owego.
Joining them will be veterans of Vietnam, Korea, World War II, and Peacetime. All who served since Dec. 7, 1941, are veterans. Not forgotten in the service will be Gold Star Mothers and Fathers and Families and recipients of The Purple Heart. MIA/POWs from Tioga County in the Korean War will be remembered.
Owego has observed Armistice/Veterans Day for 102 years. First century celebrations were outdoors at the Tioga County Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Monument, and later at the Tioga County Veterans Memorial. Unpredictable colder weather and veterans getting older dictated relocation to Glenn A. Warner Memorial Hall of Post 1371.
11-11-11
Veterans Day honors all who served. Memorial Day pays tribute to those who died serving the military.
The Great War, World War I, officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. The treaty came after seven months of on-again off-again combat when the adversaries put a temporary stoppage in place on Nov. 11, 1918 – the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The stoppage was also called an armistice. The term, the war to end all wars, was widely used to mark the armistice.
Nov. 11, 1919 was the inaugural Armistice Day observance, as proclaimed by President Woodrow Wilson.
Federal legislation in 1918 made the 11th of November of each year a legal holiday – Armistice Day. But given World War II in the 1940s, Korea in the 50s, and the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, Marines and air corps (later Air Force), Congress amended the 1938 act in 1954 with the term Veterans instead of Armistice.
Old school patriotism and historic pride has kept Veterans Day on Nov. 11 since 1978, regardless of the day of the week. It honors America’s veterans for their duty, service, patriotism and sacrifice for the greater good.
The profile of the veteran is changing. They are older and less healthy. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says 389,000 of the 16 million veterans who served in World War II were alive in 2019. Almost 300 die each day. Vietnam era veterans likely have a median age greater than 68 years. Memories are fading with each passing, regardless of the military branch of service.
THANKING A VET
Thanking a vet is easier said than done. Many are unassuming, but likely can be found next door or in the neighborhood. Thank all veterans. Honor all who served.
Elderwood of Waverly will hold a modified Veterans Day Program. In the main lobby, veteran patients will be masked and socially distanced. The Valley Color Guard will Present and Retrieve the Colors and certificates will be presented. The program ends with a thank you card and cake and ice cream.
Over at the Newark Valley Fire Station, Veterans of Northern Tioga County – Richford, Berkshire and Newark Valley won’t be getting their delicious free supper from the Newark Valley Historical Society for the second time in 15 years.
Candor will host a Community Breakfast honoring veterans on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 8:30 a.m. at Allen Memorial Baptist Church.
THE CEREMONY
Hometown Radio Owner Dave Radigan offered airtime on WEBO at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day for the live Veterans Day ceremony from the VFW, and with Master of Ceremonies and Korea veteran Jim Raftis, who welcomes program suggestions.
A Roll Call of Deceased Tioga County Veterans since Memorial Day will be read by the Director of the Tioga County Veterans Service Agency, Michael Middaugh, in addition to an overview of his agency’s services.
Tioga County’s Fallen Heroes will be remembered by the Post 1371 VFW Honor Guard. A POW/MIA Table will remember four Fallen Heroes – three of whose remains were not recovered and one who is buried where he died in South Korea. Of the four, one was KIA, one MIA, and two were POWs.
The VFW Honor Guard will conduct the Posting and Retiring of the Colors, and Taps will be bugled by Veteran Steve Palinosky. Honor Guard Chaplain and Blessed Trinity Parish Deacon Mike Donovan will deliver the Invocation and Benediction.
Megan Burrell’s Chorus from Owego-Apalachin will sing, and Vietnam Veteran Lew Sauerbrey will read the poem, In Flanders Field. He’ll explain that you should wear the poppy on the right side; the red represents the blood of those who gave their lives, the black represents the mourning of those who didn’t have their loved ones return home, and the green leaf represents the grass and crops growing and future prosperity after the war destroyed so much. The leaf should be positioned at 11 o’clock to represent the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the time that World War One formally ended.
During the service, veterans will be encouraged to share their military experiences. Attendees are invited to bring wartime memorabilia.
Owego Apalachin Middle School Social Studies Teacher Michael Bartlow will explain an important project. His students have been tasked with finding and interviewing a veteran. If students have a hard time finding a veteran, they can reach out to Michael at bartlowm@oacsd.org and say they’d be willing to interview. Write-ups are included in a book, In Harm’s Way.
Three anniversaries this year are the 34th for the Tioga County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway of Valor, the 13th for the Route 38 Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway of Valor Ride, and the 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington National Cemetery.
This year’s Veterans Day poster contest winner is Matt Tavares, of Ogunquit, Maine. Tavares works closely with his publisher, Candlewick Press, to support an organization called United Through Reading. Their mission is to connect military families who are separated – by deployment or military assignment – through the shared experience of reading together. His design idea for this year’s poster contest theme, the Centennial Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, was taken from an illustration he created for a book called Twenty-One Steps. Poster provided by the Office of Veteran Affairs.
TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER
Owego’s Woloch-Williams families are very proud to announce that Kyle Austin Williams has officially passed his final tests and has earned the highly sought after and distinguished Seminal Badge. He will forever be Sentinel Badge 692. His picture will forever hang at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Since 1950, only 691 badges have been issued. Kyle has been walking guard at the Tomb for 15 months and has endured more than most can imagine. The Sentinel Badge is the second Hardest Badge to acquire in the Army, right behind Astronaut.
To pass along your ideas or for more information, contact the VFW Post 1371 Veterans Day Chairman, Jim Raftis, by email to jraftis2@stny.rr.com.
Be the first to comment on "Veterans Day welcomes home Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans on Thursday at the VFW"