BOALSBURG — On Sunday, hundreds of people, including more than 90 National Guard facilities from across the state, will gather at the Pennsylvania Military Museum to honor Pennsylvania veterans.
An event that takes place annually, “A Celebration of Service: Honoring Pennsylvania Veterans,” will feature something special this year: the official dedication of the 28th Infantry Division Shrine, which honors 83 fallen soldiers from the 2nd Brigade.
Gov. Tom Corbett is scheduled to be in attendance.
Sponsored by the Pennsylvania National Guard, the U.S. Army reunion and memorial service will begin at 12:30 p.m., and will include a variety of activities, such as helicopter and vehicle displays, a military band concert and a 21-gun, 105mm howitzer battery salute.
The shrine will honor the fallen warriors of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard “who gave their last full measure of devotion” while serving in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, from 2005 to 2006, according to a brochure provided by Gen. John Gronski, deputy adjutant general of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
The division was mobilized in January 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Known as the “Iron Brigade,” it consisted of military personnel from 31 states, and had more than 4,100 members, of which 2,100 represented the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, according to the brochure.
The Fallen Warrior Memorial was originally constructed in Ramadi, Iraq, by the soldiers who served there. Dedicated in 2006, it honored, at the time, 76 fallen soldiers. It was then disassembled and shipped from Iraq to the United States, and was rededicated at Ft. Indiantown Gap in 2006 to honor 83 fallen warriors, the brochure states.
While in Iraq, the combat team made a promise to the warriors that they would construct a second memorial at the 28th Infantry Division Shrine in Boalsburg, in order to fulfill the tradition of obelisks being built in pairs. The memorial in Boalsburg was completed in January of this year and will be dedicated by the 28th Infantry Division on May 20.
Standing at 28 feet tall, it represents the “unique war the living fought and the fallen left behind,” according to the brochure.
Inside the obelisk, dog tags for each fallen comrade are suspended from chains.
“As the wind passes through the structure, the dog tags move with a wind chime suspended below them, creating a subtle sound , like the quiet whispers of the Fallen Warriors as they continue to speak to us,” the brochure states.
Gronski said “hundreds of people” have donated their time, advice, money and sweat to help create the memorial.
“(I’m) absolutely thankful to all the folks that supported it,” he said.
He said the memorial helps mend and soothe people, including families of fallen soldiers, because they can see the names and dog tags of their loved ones.
“It helps everyone to reflect and to heal,” he said.
Cory Angell, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, said the annual event, held on the third Sunday in May, dates to just after World War I. Hundreds of people show up each year, he said, including National Guard companies from across the state, and National Guard retirees.
Helicopters are flown in before the event starts, he said, which draws in many spectators early. Different types of armored vehicles will be on display, “and the soldiers are right there with the vehicles,” he said.
Attendees are allowed inside the vehicles and can talk to the helicopter pilot. This type of participation, he said, helps educate attendees on what the soldiers do.
“It’s a nice event for the community,” Angell said.
For more information, contact the Pennsylvania Military Museum at (814) 466-6263 or visit www.pamilmuseum.org.
