Honoring Veterans
Published: November 8, 2012
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World War II Navy veteran, William Chessick, 99 years old of Clarks Summit, salutes during "Taps" at Memorial Day ceremonies held at the Abington Memorial VFW Post No. 7069 in Clarks Summit on Monday, May 28, 2007. Chessick served in the Pacific. He enlisted at the age of 36 and passed away in December of 2007.
Whether they support one political party or another, there is one thing all veterans can agree on: they did it for their country.
This weekend, the Abington Memorial Post No. 7069 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is celebrating our nation's soldiers through a series of events from Friday-Monday, Nov. 9-12, culminating with the post's annual ecumenical memorial church service at the Clarks Summit United Methodist Church, located at the intersection of West Grove Street and the Morgan Highway. The service will take place on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 6 p.m., and will be followed by a buffet dinner at the post home, 402 Winola Road.
Post commander Steuart Bailey explained why the service is the star of the weekend's events.
"All of our veterans at our post are Christians, so church comes first in their lives," he said. "We rotate the service yearly between the Clarks Summit United Methodist Church and Our Lady of the Snows Church. We wish to honor the veterans who are no longer with us."
Besides the church service, there will be a special assembly at Lakeland High School for all local VFW District No. 10 veterans on Friday, Nov. 9, at 9 a.m.
On Monday, Nov. 12, Bailey, along with the post color guard, will present a program at the Grove Street Elementary School that will include the posting of the colors, the singing of the national anthem, followed by the pledge of allegiance and concluded by "Taps."
Bailey will then visit the school's second grade to tell them about the meaning of Veterans Day and what the American flag stands for. Following his presentation, the post will give the students their own personal flags.
Bailey explained that it is important to teach people about the VFW so they learn about veterans' sacrifices as well as what the organization is all about.
"All of the VFWs are suffering in membership numbers because young people aren't attuned to what they are," he said. "Young people tend to think of the VFW as an 'old man's' organization. We're fortunate that we have a very active membership in our post so we are able to go out and interact with our community the way we do."
For more information on Abington Memorial VFW Post No. 7069, call 586-9821.
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