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General News: Veterans Honored at Ceremony
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| Jim Kline (r), commander of American Legion Post 353, and other veterans. |
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| WWII veterans Andy Maroney, Joe Pilus and Frank O'Donnell. |
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| Mayor Gross thanked the veterans for their service. |
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| Veterans Andy Maroney and Bill Fulton laid a wreath at the monument. |
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| The assembled veterans saluted as Taps was played. |
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| The children sang "God Bless America." |
November 11, 2008
Some thirty veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces were present as their service to the country was honored this morning in a brief ceremony at the War Memorial across from Cornwall Town Hall.
American Legion Post 353 Commander Jim Kline led the Veterans Day memorial that began with a prayer for those who gave their lives for the country.
Town supervisor Kevin Quigley, whose father served in World War Two shortly after he immigrated to this country from Ireland, focused his remarks on the personal freedoms that are protected by the men and women of the armed forces. He noted that the ability to speak our minds is a benefit we take for granted that has been made possible by veterans.
Village mayor Joseph Gross read a poem by Lawrence Binyon and noted the passing of three local veterans this year, Colonel Russell Blair, Patrick Burns, and Warren Luken. He also thanked the veterans for their service. “You have made our lives better and you inspire us to make the world a better place for people of all nations,” Gross said.
American Legion members Andy Maroney and Bill Fulton then laid a wreath at the monument, followed by Helen Bunt and a young student from the school she runs, the Butterhill Day School.
After a stirring rendition of Taps by Abby Meyer , a group of twenty young children from the Butterhill school led the crowd of about 100 people singing “God Bless America.”
As the ceremony ended three of the oldest veterans in Post 353 stopped to talk about their service in World War Two. Andy Maroney, Frank O’Donnell, and Joe Pilus all served in the U.S. Navy during the war.
Maroney enlisted in the Navy in 1942 at age 21 and was sent to the Atlantic.
Pilus and O’Donnell signed up just weeks after they graduated from high school at age 17. They both were sent to the Pacific and Pilus was onboard a heavy cruiser in Pearl Harbor the day the Japanese attacked.
Today, Pilus recalls that moment when he worked alongside a Navy chaplain whose words, “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition,” encouraged the men on that day and were later made famous in a 1942 by composer Frank Loesser. (Scroll down to the bottom of this page, to Play of the Day, and click the play button to hear the song.)
Comments:
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Thank you to American Legion Post 353 for a wonderful ceremony honoring our veterans.
I know Mr. Maroney, Mr. Fulton, Mr. O?Donnell and Mr. Pilus - they are very proud men - their commitment to country and to local volunteer organizations are second to none.
One other person to recognize today - our very own - Commander of US Central Command ? General David Petraeus. From Wikipedia: Petraeus was born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, the son of Miriam (n?e Howell) and Sixtus Petraeus. His mother was American and his father was a sea captain who had emigrated to the United States from the Netherlands during the initial phase of World War II.[19] Sixtus settled in Cornwall on Hudson, where David Petraeus grew up and graduated from Cornwall Central High School in 1970. Residents called him 'Peaches' in reference to his often-mispronounced last name and the nickname stuck with him as a cadet. Petraeus then went on to the U.S. Military Academy in nearby West Point. Petraeus was on the intercollegiate soccer and ski teams, was a cadet captain on the brigade staff, and was a "distinguished cadet" academically, graduating in the top 5% of the Class of 1974 (ranked 43rd overall). In the class yearbook, Petraeus was remembered as "always going for it in sports, academics, leadership, and even his social life."
Mr Meyer - playing Taps - leaves not a dry eye in the crowd. The children singing really made the event special.
Proud to be an American - Thank you to ALL that serve our Great Nation. God Bless the United States of America!!
posted by Patti Spaulding on 11/11/08 at 10:14 PM
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