South Hills events convey thanks to veterans
The end of World War I brought with it some thought that such a titanic struggle with so many millions of deaths would not be repeated.
Despite a conflict-fraught century since, a certain sense of optimism persists.

Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Matt Hornak plays “Taps” to wrap up the Upper St. Clair ceremony.
“Today, we gather to honor all of those who have served our country and with the hope for a future that has no war and only peace within it,” Mt. Lebanon Commissioner Kelly Fraasch said Nov. 11 in opening the municipality’s Veterans Day commemoration at the veterans’ memorial in Mt. Lebanon Park.
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Devlin Robinson echoed those sentiments as the featured speaker at Upper St. Clair’s observance the following day.
“We are hopeful that a better world shall emerge from the ashes of blood and carnage of the past, a world devoted to dignity of life and the deliverance of our Creator’s most precious gift, of liberty, tolerance, equality and justice.”
Whatever the future holds, the younger people who gathered at various events for Veterans Day can take with them a strong sense of what the men and women who served and continue to serve the nation mean to the history of the United States.

Harry Funk / The Almanac
U.S. Navy veteran Babcock gets ready to enjoy breakfast at Independence Middle School. He and the late T.J. McGarvey, who served in the Marine Corps, were instrumental in the construction of the Upper St. Clair Veterans Park.
“I always tell my students, ‘What you’re going to learn today, you will not find in a textbook,” Independence Middle School social studies teacher Jennifer Makel said. “You are hearing live, real history, and you will see the emotions go across the veterans’ faces on how it affected them.”
The Bethel Park school hosted its annual pancakes-and-sausage breakfast for veterans on Nov. 12, an event for which students start preparing each spring.
“For the veterans, I find that it’s important to them because they feel forgotten, and this is a way for them to see that we still care and appreciate everything you did,” Makel said. “I love to see the look on the veterans’ faces when the children sit down to ask them questions.”
The Upper St. Clair observance was the eighth at the township’s Veterans Park since its dedication on Nov. 11, 2011.
“The main reason that we built this park, in terms of honoring our veterans, is because these generations that are now growing up, they need to understand that we all stand on the shoulders of the men and women who sacrificed, sometimes everything, for us,” said Ched Mertz, a former township commissioner who has been instrumental in the park’s development.
“Our country wants every new generation to understand that the service and sacrifice of the veterans should never be forgotten.”
Mt. Lebanon resident Everitt Meer, who is serving as state president of the Pennsylvania Children of the American Revolution – following in the footsteps of his sister, Morgan – spoke at the ceremony in his municipality.

Harry Funk / The Almanac
U.S. Marine Corps veteran Devlin Robinson served as the featured speaker in Upper St. Clair.
“To all the veterans who are attending today, we thank them for their service. Make sure to show a veteran your appreciation for what they’ve done,” he said. “A short message showing your gratitude goes a long way.”
In Upper St. Clair, Robinson augmented that message.
“Today, as a hundred years ago, we have heroes returning home to the new struggle of assimilation. As these brave men and women took the oath to deliver us our freedom, we must take the oath to ensure their sacrifices do not dissipate in vain,” he said. “We must pledge to help the veteran, by visiting a VA hospital patient, donations to veterans’ charities and hire our nation’s veterans.”
Go online to www.thealmanac.net for more photos of the Veterans’ Day services in the South Hills.