For young Catherine Dorney it’s a yearly tradition.
Each Memorial Day weekend she travels with her family from Philadelphia to State College, where she joins her grandfather, Jim Miller, to participate in the American Legion Post 245 Memorial Day service at Pine Hall Cemetery on West College Avenue.
On Sunday, they were among those raising American flags at 3 p.m. to begin the service. Miller, of State College, served in the Navy during the Vietnam war, serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid.
‘I say I served so long ago the ship I served on is now a museum,’ Miller said of the carrier, which is preserved as a museum ship in New York City.
Miller was there to remember all those who gave their lives in service, as well as service members he was personally connected to who have since departed. His brother-in-law, Bill Brennan, who served in the Army during Vietnam, is laid to rest at Pine Hall after passing away last year.
Miller and Dorney were two of the dozens of people who gathered Sunday afternoon to remember fallen servicemen and women.
‘It shows your dedication to those who have sacrificed and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we have today,’ said American Legion Post 245 Commander Richard Seifert.
Members of Coburn Brass performed during and after the service, which concluded with buglers Dave Strouse and Bill Fatula playing ‘Taps.’ Mary Werdal, past post commander who passed away in the last year, always wanted to have the dual buglers, with one echoing the other, and Coburn Brass’ participation made that possible, Seifert said.
Retired Lt. Col. William J. Burkhard delivered the memorial address. A resident of State College since 1968, Burkhard was commissioned Army ROTC at Penn State in 1971 and promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1992.
Burkhard said that since John Cramer, a Civil War veteran, was buried at Pine Hall in 1893, more than 340 service members have been laid to rest at the cemetery. They include 16 who served in the Civil War, three in the Spanish-American War, 69 in World War I, 164 in World War II, 43 in Korea, 15 in Vietnam and one in the Gulf War.
Catherine Dorney and her grandfather, Jim Miller, raise a flag at the start of the American Legion Post 245 Memorial Day Service on Sunday.
‘For those of us gathered here today we recall the loss of a close relative, a loved one or friends that served in wars from World War II to present conflicts across the globe,’ Burkhard said. ‘We’re here today to remember, reflect on and recognize their sacrifices and yours. They gave their lives in battle in service to this great nation for us and generations to come.’
About 2.9 million Americans have been killed or wounded in approximately 100 wars and conflicts since the 18th century. Those who serve, Burkhard said, are motivated by a sense of duty, but also much more.
‘First there’s faith in God and love of country and their fellow service members, who are dedicated to the values of this great nation –freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; upholding the Constitution and Bill of Rights,’ he said.
He said service members have courage to stand up for the rights of all and loyalty to the nation and one another.
‘The concept of leave no man behind is the very creed that exemplifies loyalty to their colleagues,’ Burkhard said. ‘Everyone knows their comrades in arms have their back.’
He added that those who serve dedicate themselves to the hard work that is required from basic training through their entire service.
‘Deployments are becoming more frequent,’ Burkhard said. ‘The environments are harsh and hostile, in which no one knows where their enemy will strike next or what the mission may bring.’
Burkhard concluded his remarks by encouraging those in attendance to visit the graves of departed service members.
‘There’s nothing more humbling than to stand before a fallen hero’s grave to contemplate what our world would be like without these courageous souls,’ he said.
See images from the service in the gallery below.
