POW/MIA Veteran Tribute Taking Shape at Grange Park

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.

CENTRE HALL — The People’s Choice Festival is here, and while visiting Centre County Grange Encampment Park, guests may notice a new memorial taking shape on the fairgrounds.

A local family has been working to implement a memorial to honor Centre County veterans, including those missing in action and prisoners of war.

The POW/MIA and Tribute Courtyard that will be situated near gate four at the Grange Fairgrounds is close to being completed.

Bellefonte native Deb Burger and her siblings have been raising funds for the project over the last year.

“This project has been a labor of love from my siblings and I,” Burger wrote to The Centre County Gazette. “Military has always been important in our family. My dad served in both WWII and Korea, so honoring veterans became forefront for us after Lewis went MIA.”

Burger’s older brother, Major Lewis P. Smith II of Bellefonte, was a pilot for the U.S. Air Force and a 1964 Penn State graduate. He went MIA in 1968 while serving in the Vietnam War.

“Keeping the mission of the fullest possible accounting of our missing service members before the public is crucial for not only families of the missing, but to also show those that are serving now or will serve in the future that we will not turn our backs on them if they find themselves missing on foreign soil,” Burger said.

As the memorial nears completion, a dedication ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27.