MAHANOY CITY — The Memorial Day program in the borough Sunday reminded everyone to never forget the men and women in uniform who made the supreme sacrifice.
The traditional program on the Sunday afternoon before Memorial Day was held by the Mahanoy Area United Veterans at Veterans Memorial Park near the M60-A3 Patton tank. Some members of the public sat in the hot sun on North Catawissa Street, while many more watched from the shade of buildings and also from under trees across Centre Street.
“Today is a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers, those deployed and everyone else in service,” United Veterans President David Bickowski said in his opening remarks as the program began.
Prior to and during the program, the Upper Schuylkill Marching Band performed patriotic songs, including the national anthem. The invocation was offered by the Rev. Christopher Wollyung, pastor of First United Methodist Church, Mahanoy City. Wollyung also gave the benediction at the program’s closing.
“Almighty Father, we gather this day to remember the many who have given all to preserve our freedom and to rescue others from tyranny,” Wollyung prayed. “We pray your blessing on this congregation of your faithful. Help us to never forget the sacrifices made on our behalf. Be with us this day as we celebrate the cherished memory of the valor and selflessness that they have shown, and let your hand of protection continue on all gathered here as we lift our voices of prayer to you. Amen.”
The next speaker was Mayor Patricia A. Schnitzius, who spoke on the sacrifice of the nation’s heroes.
“Memorial Day is a day that we as a country come together to honor and remember our service men and women who answered America’s call to service and paid the ultimate price. We say thank you,” Schnitzius said. “We remember you. We are grateful to you. The service members that we honor came from all walks of life, but they shared several fundamental qualities. They possessed courage, pride, determination, selflessness, dedication to duty and integrity, all the qualities needed to serve us cause larger than oneself. They were ordinary people who responded in extraordinary ways in extreme times. Millions of Americans have fought and died in battlefields here and abroad to defend our freedoms and way of life, including people from Mahanoy City and our surrounding communities. Local families experienced the loss of a loved one in war, a pain that I can’t imagine. Our gathering today in Mahanoy City is one spark in the flame of pride that burns across our nation today, but it is one small way we can honor the fallen.”
Bickowski introduced Mahanoy Area seniors Jennifer Neifert and Nolan Fegley, who presented different readings. Neifert read “Happy Memorial Day,” a poem by author Edwin Hofert, while Fegley read the “Gettysburg Address” by President Abraham Lincoln,
The guest speaker was Navy veteran Steve Hanerfeld, having served from 1998 to 2007. Born in Los Angeles in 1979, he moved to Mahanoy City in 1985 and graduated from Mahanoy Area High School in 1997. After one year at Pennsylvania State University, Hanerfeld enlisted in the Navy in September 1998, where he enrolled in the Navy’s Naval Nuclear Power School and then served as an electrician’s mate aboard the USS Memphis SSN-691, stationed out of Groton, Connecticut, from July 2000 to December 2004, after which he became a staff training instructor at the Naval Submarine School in Groton until the end of his second enlistment in December 2007 and received many awards during his service.
After leaving the Navy, Hanerfeld graduated from Excelsior College in Albany, New York, in April 2015 after completing his Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering technology with a 4.0 GPA.
“Memorial Day is a day that has special meaning to me and not just because of my own service, but because unlike Veterans Day, today is not just a celebration of service for those who have served, but a celebration of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today,” Hanerfeld said.
Hanerfeld spoke of his tour of duty aboard the USS Memphis in its travels in the Arabian Gulf and under the ice in the North Atlantic, performing vital missions.
“We learned the importance of training, spending hours upon hours drilling and practicing for events that we hoped we would never have to deal with in real life,” Hanerfeld said. “We also learned the importance of camaraderie and brotherhood, the ability to place your life in someone else’s hands and to trust them to place theirs in yours and rely on the training you both received so you can complete the mission and return home to family and friends.”
Hanerfeld spoke of the many things he learned that helped him during his time in uniform and later in civilian life. He spoke of experiences in different countries, being able to serve on a nuclear submarine and having the opportunity to instruct future submariners.
“My time in service allowed me to do a great many things,” he said. “Perhaps the most important is that it allowed me to understand truly what it means to be a serviceman and later a veteran. As a young man growing up, and hearing my father tell stories about his time in the Army, you get a sense of what it’s like to live that life, but until you put on the uniform and stepped into that world, that’s when you get a full sense of the pride, the tradition and the legacy that comes with wearing that uniform. It’s a legacy and a tradition that carries on with the next generation of service men and women serving today and with each and every veteran in attendance here today.”
Hanerfeld said 143 local residents have died in service to the nation and that Memorial Day provides a perfect time to honor and remember those who served admirably and died with honor in service to the country.
Hanerfeld said, “President John F. Kennedy once said, A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors and the men it remembers.’ And with all due respect to President Kennedy, I believe the same can be said about the communities of our nation that come together to celebrate the sacrifices of their communities in service to our nation. Mahanoy City and this area, an area intertwined in the fabric of our nation and our military, and an area that is as much a part of the celebration of Memorial Day as any other in this country.”
A salute to fallen comrades included the placing of the wreath at the memorial by Mahanoy City American Legion Post 74 Commander Neal Pascoe and United Veterans member Louis Huber, a veteran of the Vietnam War. After the rifle volley and the playing of taps, there was the release of doves provided by Doves of White, Mahanoy City.
Grand Marshal Chairman and borough Councilman Francis Burke introduced state Rep. Neal P. Goodman as this year’s parade grand marshal. In addition to his many years in local and state government, Goodman served in the Marine Corps and was discharged with the rank of sergeant and is serving his seventh term in the 123rd Legislative District.
Goodman spoke of being humbled by the honor of being selected as grand marshal. He spoke of his time in state government and his working with veterans during those years after being asked to work with former state Rep. Edward J. Lucyk in his office.
“When he asked me to become his executive director, little did I know what an impact that would have on my life going forward, and what an honor and privilege it would be to meet so many brave men and women from our area and hear their stories of where they served, how they came together in time of need, and how they answered the call,” Goodman said. “We have a lot to be proud of.”
Burke thanked the following sponsors: Service Electric Cablevision, Mahanoy Automotive, Mahanoy Highrise, Carini Pizza, DJ Lou, Fabcon and the Mahanoy Area Education Association. He also thanked Louis and Rose Huber for placing wreaths at the veterans memorial and the GAR Cemetery.
The program ended with the band playing “God Bless America.”
The Memorial Day parade will be held at 11 a.m. today, beginning from the Mahanoy Area School complex.