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Region set to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice over Memorial Day weekend

By Mark Maroney 4 min read

Memorial Day is about honoring those who died serving the country, making the ultimate sacrifice to defend freedom and liberty.

Unlike Veterans Day, on Nov. 11, the holiday was originally known as Decoration Day, becoming an official federal holiday in 1971.

Boy Scouts can be seen this week decorating grave sites of veterans and placing flags near their memorials. Area firefighters and police, many of whom served in the military, also participate in these tributes.

There simply is no shortage of ways to honor military deceased and their families this weekend and Monday.

Among the traditions is honoring veterans at the annual Lycoming County Memorial Day Service.

Sponsored by the Lycoming County Veterans Memorial Park Commission and the Lycoming County Veterans Council it is held at the county's Veterans Memorial Park at Wahoo Drive and West Fourth Street at 11 a.m. Saturday.

This year, the veterans organizations welcome special guest keynote speaker Maj. Gen. Mark J. Schindler, the adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Schindler holds a cabinet- level position in the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which is headquartered at Fort Indiantown Gap. This department oversees Army and Air National Guardsmen and women and six state-owned veterans' homes along with programs for 700,000 veterans.

Veterans of the Korean War of Lycoming County, and members of Veterans Affairs Williamsport Veterans Center will be on hand. The annual event includes patriotic songs, laying of wreaths on war monuments, a rifle salute, and playing of taps. Veterans Memorial Park Commission members are expected to provide an update on the park.

In preparation, the A6 was repainted in the fall and the commission is hopeful it can get vinyl markings installed in time for the ceremony, according to Don Young, a park commission member.

The Submarine Memorial was renovated last month, Young said.

That renovation consisted of sandblasting down to bare concrete, fixing deterioration and cracks and repainting.

A Purple Heart Memorial will be getting installed this summer, Young noted.

The dedication is scheduled for August, he said.

"We are still taking donations for that," he remarked.

The memorial cost about $12,000 and any donation is appreciated. Donations of $150 or more get a 4 inch by 8 inch brick in the section by the Purple Heart Memorial, he said.

To date, the commission has raised $3,500 toward the memorial, so it is short by $8,500 but the goal is to keep on moving closer toward the final cost.

On any given day of this week leading up to Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of American flags will be placed on the gravestones of the men and women who served in the United States military.

Sunday services and parades include:

• Picture Rocks -- Parade forms at 1:30 p.m. at Baptist Church on Center Street and proceeds to the cemetery for service. Lion member William Foresman is guest speaker.

• Cherry Grove Cemetery, Nordmont -- 101st Memorial Day service at 2 p.m. with speakers Greg Forsburg, and masters of ceremony Kathrine Prichard and Brian Hoffman, Cherry Grove Cemetery Association president. Ham dinner from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Paul Church. In case of inclement weather, service will be held inside Cherry Grove Chapel.

• Sonestown -- parade at 11 a.m., forms at Nittany Mart proceeds to Hillcrest Cemetery with guest speaker Darlene Fenton. Lunch at noon at Sonestown Legion for band and Legion members.

• Millville -- parade at 12:30 p.m. will form at the fire hall at noon and start a half hour later. The ceremony follows at Millville Cemetery at 1 p.m.

Memorial Day services and parades include:

• Muncy -- Parade, 11 a.m. Forms at East Mechanic and proceeds to Basil Restaurant parking lot. Services at Muncy Cemetery follow with guest speaker Capt. Aaron Ohnmeiss, who was a tank platoon leader and commander in Afghanistan. Light refreshments served at the American Legion Post 268 afterwards.

• Montoursville -- Memorial Day Service at Montoursville Cemetery, 10 a.m. with guest speaker Lt. Col. Dennis Norman, USMC. Afterwards, light refreshments will be served at the Eugene Grafius American Legion Post 104.

• Hughesville -- Parade forms at 8:30 a.m. at Hughesville Fire Hall, moves at 9 a.m. and ends at Hughesville High School. Ceremony, 10 a.m., Pleasant Hill Cemetery, with guest speaker Roger Bohner Jr., U.S. Army Ret. In case of rain, service will be held in high school auditorium.

• Montgomery -- Parade, 9 a.m. Forms at Bower Decker Post 25 American Legion and proceeds south on Broad Street to community park. Service in the park to follow.

• Turbotville -- Service at 11 a.m. at Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

• Williamsport -- Civil War Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Day Ceremony at Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Circle, Wildwood Cemetery, 9 a.m. The annual event is a tribute to local veterans who served during the Civil War.

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