CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Honor Guard making stops for Veterans Day

Daily Item - 10/26/2020

Oct. 25--The COVID-19 pandemic is curtailing plans to honor fallen veterans in Snyder County next month, but members of the Honor Guard of American Legion Victory Post 25 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6631 have scheduled a few cemetery visits for Nov. 11.

Under normal circumstances, the Honor Guard would visit about 40 cemeteries in the county on Veteran's Day and perform a brief ceremony, including remarks, a three-gun salute and playing of Taps.

The group canceled most of those visits and the celebration at The Commons in downtown Selinsgrove because of the health pandemic, said Gerald Showers.

They also are unable to visit local nursing homes and schools.

"We felt guilty because we've been doing it for such a long time," Showers said of the decision to still visit 11 cemeteries.

The following is their schedule for Wednesday, Nov. 11:

St. Johns in Port Trevorton from 9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Grubb's in Mount Pleasant Mills from 9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Arbogast in Mount Pleasant Mills from 10:20 a.m. to 10:35 a.m.

Richfield from 10:50 a.m. to 11:05 a.m.

St. John's in Mount Pleasant Mills from 11:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Witmer's West in Port Trevorton from 11:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m.

Shreiner's in Shamokin Dam from 1:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Orchard Hills in Shamokin Dam from 1:25 p.m. to 1:40 p.m.

Kratzerville from 1:55 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.

Salem in Selinsgrove from 2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Evergreen in Freeburg from 2:50 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Honor Guard member and Army veteran Ron Hoover said it's important not to forget the servicemen and women who fought for the country.

He was spurred to action after learning as an adult that a great-great-uncle who died in the Civil War was buried in an unmarked grave in a Florida cemetery.

"How many other veterans from Snyder County are in similar unmarked graves," said Hoover, who adds that half of the 70 county residents who perished in WWII are buried overseas in marked graves.

While the Honor Guard members hope people attend the brief cemeteries, Hoover said that's not why he pays his respects.

"It's not about how many people show up. It's about those who are resting under those flags," he said.

___

(c)2020 The Daily Item (Sunbury, Pa.)

Visit The Daily Item (Sunbury, Pa.) at www.dailyitem.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.