{"id":79615,"date":"2020-06-08T06:26:49","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T10:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=79615"},"modified":"2020-06-12T13:21:58","modified_gmt":"2020-06-12T17:21:58","slug":"ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/","title":{"rendered":"OFA grad gets community send-off"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dozens gathered last Sunday to give 19-year-old Jason Kithcart a send off as he departs for Parris Island, where he will begin his training in the Marine Corps. The 2019 Owego Free Academy graduate will depart on Monday.<\/p>\n

With flags in hand, and plenty of pride, members of Kithcart\u2019s family gathered on Lake Street, and outside of Owego Original Italian Restaurant where Jason was employed, as vehicles drove by with signs and flags to offer him a good send off. The parade formed at 56 Main St. in Owego.<\/p>\n

The parade was an idea that Robbie Yammine had planned for Kithcart. A Marine himself, and co-owner of Owego Original Italian, Yammine had many conversations with Kithcart about joining.<\/p>\n

\"OFA<\/a>

Jason Kithcart, center, is surrounded by family members last Sunday, and prior a community send-off. Pictured, from left, are Noah Kithcart, William Kithcart and Sue Kithcart; in front of Sue Kithcart is Nevaeh Kithcart, and in front of Jason is Dylan Kithcart; then Amy Kithcart, Tim Herbert, and Mindy and Mike Bailey. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Kithcart himself had always thought about the military. He noted last week that his great-grandfather, Harold Kithcart, who passed away three years ago, inspired him. Harold served in the Navy and during the Korean War.<\/p>\n

Kithcart noted that his Uncle, Mike Bailey, served as an inspiration as well. Bailey served in the United States Navy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was around them a lot,\u201d said Kithcart. <\/span><\/p>\n

When Kithcart began working for Original\u2019s and met Robbie Yammine, it all just came together.<\/p>\n

Kithcart studied Criminal Justice at Broome Community College for two semesters, and will be training to serve as an MP, or Military Police. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"OFA<\/a>

Veteran Dean Morgan, with the VFW\u2019s Ritual Team and Honor Guard, offers a flag to Jason Kithcart during his community send-off. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

As far as the physical fitness challenges he will face during his training, he said he is ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know things will be a different atmosphere for me,\u201d said Kithcart, adding, \u201cOnce I get there I will have to forget everything I\u2019ve been told about the training and just experience it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And his family couldn\u2019t be prouder.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, his mom, Amy Kithcart, was filled with several emotions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud,\u201d she said, \u201cbut also nervous about him going. I\u2019m very happy for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

His grandmother, Sue Kithcart, and whom Jason resides with in Owego, stated that she is extremely proud.<\/p>\n

Mike Yammine, owner of Original\u2019s along with Robbie, expressed his pride as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cRobbie guided him through the recruitment process, so this is a big deal for us,\u201d said Yammine who has several family members in the Marine Corps.<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cIt was Robbie\u2019s idea and it all came together, it was great.\u201d<\/p>\n

You can view more photos from the parade by clicking on the thumbnails below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dozens gathered last Sunday to give 19-year-old Jason Kithcart a send off as he departs for Parris Island, where he will begin his training in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":79617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOFA grad gets community send-off - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"OFA grad gets community send-off - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dozens gathered last Sunday to give 19-year-old Jason Kithcart a send off as he departs for Parris Island, where he will begin his training in...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-08T10:26:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-12T17:21:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/\",\"name\":\"OFA grad gets community send-off - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-08T10:26:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-12T17:21:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"A motorcyclist offers respect to Jason Kithcart as he prepares to enter the Marine Corps. (Photo by Wendy Post)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"OFA grad gets community send-off\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/\",\"name\":\"Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\",\"name\":\"psadvert\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"psadvert\"},\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/author\/psadvert\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"OFA grad gets community send-off - Owego Pennysaver Press","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"OFA grad gets community send-off - Owego Pennysaver Press","og_description":"Dozens gathered last Sunday to give 19-year-old Jason Kithcart a send off as he departs for Parris Island, where he will begin his training in...","og_url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/","og_site_name":"Owego Pennysaver Press","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/","article_published_time":"2020-06-08T10:26:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-06-12T17:21:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"psadvert","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"psadvert","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/","url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/","name":"OFA grad gets community send-off - Owego Pennysaver Press","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2020-06-08T10:26:49+00:00","dateModified":"2020-06-12T17:21:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/06\/Kithcart2-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"A motorcyclist offers respect to Jason Kithcart as he prepares to enter the Marine Corps. (Photo by Wendy Post)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/06\/08\/ofa-grad-gets-community-send-off\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"OFA grad gets community send-off"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/","name":"Owego Pennysaver Press","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492","name":"psadvert","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f42612cb07a4c4b7f1eb18ddb88bac4f8054cf2755aff2b1ac4f82d9e9ffd01?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"psadvert"},"url":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/author\/psadvert\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}