Veterans honored at national cemetery
A large crowd attended Veterans Day services at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township Tuesday morning. At the rear of the crowd stood the Patriot Guards with American flags waving in the breeze during ceremonies.
A large crowd attended Veterans Day services at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township Tuesday morning. Afterward, Lisa Shulnes of Charleroi spent time visiting the grave of her mother, Alice Murphy, and placing a pink teddy bear her mother loved at the site. Murphy, a Navy veteran, died two years ago at the age of 92.
The keynote speaker, retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Lawrence T. Luba, addresses a large crowd who attended Veterans Day services at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township Tuesday morning.
A large crowd attended Veterans Day services at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township Tuesday morning.
The United States is home to about 21 million veterans, according to Brig. Gen. Lawrence T. Luba of Canonsburg. They are young and old, they’ve fought in various conflicts across the world, and they come from all backgrounds and creeds.
“They are Americans who most recently fought in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, and also those who remember the swift conflict of the Persian Gulf War, the long Cold War vigil, the heat of Vietnam and the bitter cold of Korea,” Luba said in a speech during a Veterans Day ceremony at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Cecil Township.
“They are veterans of all ages, some who have even served under MacArthur and Eisenhower and saved the liberty of the world. Our nation will always be proud of their service.”
Each year in November, hundreds gather at the cemetery and humbly search for the right words to commemorate those who put their lives on the line in service to their country.
Luba, the keynote speaker of the ceremony, retired in 1997 after 28 years of active service in the Army and 28th Infantry Division of the National Guard. He held many leadership positions throughout his military career and commanded the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.
He commended Iraqi War veterans for their dedication to fighting against a “ruthless enemy” and tyrant, and said Afghanistan War veterans helped “sweep away vicious oppression” and laid the path for democracy.
“Their actions have made us safer in a world full of new dangers,” Luba said.
Cemetery Director Ronald Hestdalen called veterans “the lifeblood of democracy” and quoted Nathanael Greene, general of the Continental Army, who once said, “We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.”
Congressman Tim Murphy, a lieutenant commander who serves in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps, shared the story of the USS Constitution ship, which was employed to fight against Great Britain during the War of 1812. Shortly after the war began, the Constitution was rounding the Chesapeake Bay on its way to New York when commanders spotted British sails.
The crew – many whom had never been on a ship before – wanted to avoid a fight, but their ship was resting in “dead calm waters,” Murphy said. So they got into rowboats, tied lines to the ship and attempted to pull it away from the British. After a 57-hour chase, they succeeded.
“Everybody pulled together. everybody did their job … so that the ship could be there to fight another day,” Murphy said. “Living to fight another day is important for all of us, but it is the message here of how we all support everyone who has worn the uniform at any time. It is a day to give thanks, not just for those who give their lives, but anybody that served.”