Upper St. Clair headlines Veterans Day commemorations
With temperatures hovering at 24 degrees and wind chills making it feel colder, state Rep. Natalie Mihalek kept her remarks brief during a Veterans Day commemoration on Nov. 11 in Upper St. Clair.
Her five-minute discourse, however, proved powerful as she addressed her fellow veterans, families and community members crowded together at the Veterans Memorial Park to recognize those that took an oath to protect and defend the nation.
Long before she began her political career in the 40th legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mihalek served in the Navy’s elite nuclear program, of which only 1% of sailors admitted are women.
Mihalek said that when she left the Navy, she learned what so many already knew – there is no real line that separates the then from now and that most veterans never truly take off the uniform.
“When you raise your right hand and take that oath for the first time to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, you make a promise that doesn’t expire when the enlistment is up. For many of us, that oath becomes part of who we are. And though we may hang up the uniform, that sense of duty stays stitched into us. It just takes on a quieter form.”
Mihalek called this the second oath. “That quiet continuation of service. It’s not written down anywhere. There’s no ceremony when you take it. There’s no signing bonus, nothing of note to post on Facebook, but you can see it every single day.”
She noted the veteran who coaches the Little League team and teaches players about teamwork and accountability; the veteran volunteering at the food bank, the ones serving on the township boards of commissioners or those checking on their veteran buddies and organizing community events.
“The service doesn’t come with medals or ribbons, but it’s just as honorable,” Mihalek said. “In some ways, it’s even harder, because you’re drafting your own orders. No one is telling you what must be done, but you instinctively know what to do. You do it. You keep serving.”
She noted that every generation of veterans from World War II to Vietnam; from Iraq to Afghanistan, continue to do this.
Mihalek said Veterans Day is not a day to thank a service person but rather a day of recognition for that enduring spirit of service.
“Veterans know something about this country that not everyone experiences first hand. We’ve seen what it takes to hold it together. We’ve seen just how fragile freedom can feel when you’re far from home and how strong it becomes when people stand shoulder to shoulder to defend it. We know that America’s strength isn’t measured by what divides us, but the shared purpose that finds us.”
Mihalek thanked her fellow veterans who keep serving “without a rank on their collar” to the community.
“Service doesn’t stop after we’re discharged,” she said.
Long after he served as a pilot in the Air Force, Brian Schill is one of those veterans of which Mihalek spoke. After working as the public relations director for Military Affairs Coalition of Western Pennsylvania, he was the executive director of the Peters Township Chamber of Commerce and a board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals. A past president, he is involved with the Rotary Club of Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park.
Schill also served as the master of ceremonies for USC’s annual Veterans Day Observance. He acknowledged and thanked patriots like Mihalek who are the voices of thousands of brave men and women who serve or have served. He noted the numerous dignitaries in the audience from politicians to township employees, including the police and fire departments.
The ceremony opened with an invocation by Pastor Kelly Black from Christ Church. She also closed with a benediction.
Members of the Marine Corps League Detachment 726 and members of Scout Troop 366 served together as the honor color guard. Luke and Abel Rademaker-Dolan lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Upper St. Clair High School Chanticleers sang the national anthem while the trombone quartet of Colin Burns, John Whitman, Blake Davis and music teacher Nicholas Deutsch played an armed forces medley. Ella McIntyre and Max LaSalle distributed letters to the present. They were crafted by Steams Elementary students.
The ceremony also included a flyover, featuring a UH-IN Huey helicopter.
According to Schill, the chopper was “flown quite a bit” during the Vietnam War and was courtesy of RS Aviation in Washington, PA. Ron Carrado and Marion Clemens coordinated.
“Carrado was fortunate enough to purchase one of these,” Schill said. “He refurbished it. We’re very fortunate this year because of the shutdown.”
Due to the budget issue in the federal government, Air Force or Navy flyovers were unable to be performed.
Ched Mertz gave the ceremony a salute. He and his wife, Rachel, were on the committee that helped create the event and the memorial park. Mertz has not missed a Veterans Day commemoration.
“This country should and does go all out for veterans,” Mertz said. “They laid their future plans, everything they wanted to do in the future, on the line for this country. All gave some and some gave all,” he said. “This day really tells the story of what these brave men and women have been willing to do.
“They should be placed in the highest place in the country for what they’ve done and still are doing,” said.
Mt. Lebanon, Bethel Park pay tribute
Upper St. Clair was not the only community to honor its veterans.
Mt. Lebanon held a commemoration that featured former Navy Seal Brian Loughridge as its keynote speaker and Bethel Park held an open house at the Schoolhouse Arts and History Center.
The Schoolhouse displayed photos of veterans submitted by citizens and a book that contained letters to loved ones from veterans from the trenches.
In addition, a room dedicated strictly to the military was open for tours. The Veterans Room contains a plethora of information on wars in which Americans participated as well as uniforms, weaponry, pictures, badges and medals.
“Anything related to the military,” said Ron Werkmeister. “People are continuously donating to this room. It keeps growing and is really a very interesting place. There’s a lot of history here.”
The room is open on special occasions such as Veterans Days. The Bethel Park Historical Society also does tours on a regular basis. “They also can be scheduled,” noted Werkmeister.
Bethel Park is also taking orders for the Wreaths Across America program. Wreaths cost $17 each. Checks made payable to Bethel Park Historical Society should be addressed to 2600 South Park Road, Bethel Park, PA, 15102.
Bethel Park High School will lead a formal ceremony at noon Saturday, Dec. 13, when wreaths will be placed at Bethel Cemetery.
Visit historicalsocietybp@gmail.com for further details.