Upper St. Clair ceremony acknowledges Armed Forces Day
Bernie Hoffman of Marine Corps League South Hills Detachment 726 stands at attention during the Upper St. Clair Community Day kickoff ceremony.
Bob Malley of Marine Corps League South Hills Detachment 726 participates in the ceremony.
Members of Marine Corps League South Hills Detachment 726 greet Mihir Gite, center, following the ceremony. From left are Joe Spinnenweber, Shawn Kane, Bob Malley, Bernie Hoffman and Joe Turba.
Joe Spinnenweber marches past an Upper St. Clair Veterans Park plaque.
Commandant Joe Turba of Marine Corps League South Hills Detachment 726 stands at attention.
Members of Marine Corps League South Hills Detachment 726 present the colors: from left, Joe Spinnenweber, Shawk Kane, Bernie Hoffman and Joe Turba.
Mihir Gite speaks during the ceremony.
Shawn Kane carries the U.S. flag.
Singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” are Upper St. Clair High School sophomores, from left, Riley Stevenson, Maggie Connors and Maggie Paul.
Ted Gialames speaks at the ceremony.
Karen East, who organized the kickoff ceremony, gives a thumbs-up.
Feel free to put Mihir Gite in the category of those who take nothing for granted.
“I emigrated to the United States at a very young age, and ever since I can remember, I considered America to be my home, and I am proud to call myself an American citizen,” the Upper St. Clair High School senior said.
He spoke Saturday during the kickoff ceremony for Upper St. Clair Community Day, which coincided with the national celebration of Armed Forces Day.
“As I grew up, I realized that I was given my rights and liberties through the service and sacrifice by members of our armed forces,” he said. “My family does not take those sacrifices lightly, and we feel the need to serve.”
His brother and sister-in-law already are serving as members of the Marine Corps, and Mihir plans to participate in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps during college.
He and others who braved the steady rain during the ceremony stood at attention at Upper St. Clair Veterans Park as members of Marine Corps League South Hills Detachment 726 presented the colors. Representing the detachment were Commandant Joe Turba, Joe Spinnenweber, Shawn Kane, Bob Malley and Bernie Hoffman.
A World War II veteran still active in the detachment at age 90, Hoffman said he joined the Marines when he was 16 and served in the Pacific, seeing action in such hot spots as Guam, Okinawa and the Marshall Islands. He recalls being in China for the Japanese surrender in August 1945.
As the nation continues to lose men and women who served in that era, Mihir Gite has contributed toward a program that ensures them of companionship. For his Eagle Scout project, he raised $3,500 toward No Veteran Dies Alone, which is administered through the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.
Mihir’s classmate Ted Gialames, a high school senior and student council president, served as emcee for the ceremony. He encouraged those in attendance to “pause and reflect on why we gather as a diverse community to enjoy the freedoms we have assembled to celebrate and express, openly, without fear of reprisal.”