'You honor us with your presence here today,' veterans at event in Orwigsburg told

Nov. 5—ORWIGSBURG — When the honor guard presented the Navy colors, and the sound of "Anchors Aweigh" echoed Friday morning through Veterans Community Memorial Hall, 100-year-old Carl Hafer waved his WWII baseball cap in honor of his fellow sailors.

Though he was unable to stand, the Tamaqua native's gesture, which went largely unnoticed, captured the spirit of the event.

"This is wonderful," Hafer said, his voice heavy with emotion. "We should never stop honoring our veterans."

The breakfast, a week before Veterans Day, marked the beginning of events to honor veterans across the county.

About 200 people, including 125 veterans, attended the breakfast sponsored by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.

"The very freedom we enjoy is because of you," chamber President and CEO Robert S. Carl Jr. said in his opening remarks. "You honor us with your presence here today. We graciously thank you for your service."

As veterans dined on heaping plates of eggs and bacon from Hess Catering, a video of local troops who made the ultimate sacrifice streamed on a wide screen above the podium.

In camouflage uniforms, the Veterans of the Vietnam War Post 29 honor guard presented the colors.

In the invocation, Jamie Barton said that veterans have preserved freedom, safety and the country's heritage.

"Watch over these special people," said Barton, a member of the Veterans Community Memorial Hall executive committee.

Joe Cesari, of Veterans of the Vietnam War Post 29, asked veterans to stand as the song of their respective service was played. He singled out Vietnam veterans for special recognition.

At a table in the back of the hall's spacious basketball court, Cindy Fedak stood quietly as the Army's song played.

She joined the Army after graduating from Blue Mountain High School in 1971 and was trained as a medical technician. Between 1971 and 1978, she tended soldiers wounded in Vietnam at a hospital in Okinawa and at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.

"You did triage on soldiers who were then sent to hospitals in Hawaii," Fedak, a resident of Middleport, recalled of her overseas service.

Dave Moyer, 94, held his WWII hat over his heart as the national anthem was played. He served aboard a Navy LST in the Pacific theater during WWII, and later in Korea.

"It's a nice thing they're doing for the veterans," said Moyer, a Pine Grove resident. "It's a great feeling to see how many of us are still here."

The event drew a host of elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-9, Dallas; state Sen. David G. Argall, R-29, Rush Twp.; state Rep. Tim Twardzik, R-123, Butler Twp.; and retiring state Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-124, Rush Twp.

Schuylkill County commissioners Barron L. "Boots" Hetherington and Gary J. Hess also attended.

Meuser wondered what the world would be like if the "greatest generation" had not lived up to the challenge of World War II.

"It would be a terrible place — constant war, no stability, no peace," he said. "We owe you eternal gratitude."

Retired Lt. Col. John J. McGeehan, keynote speaker, recounted details of his service during 28 years in the Army.

As a Green Beret, he served in the Delta Force, one of the most decorated units during the Vietnam War.

His unit captured 150 tons of ammunition stockpiled by North Vietnamese forces. Late in his military career, he served in special units combating drug cartels and terrorists in Central America.

Serving with the 84th Division Ranger Battalion in Vietnam, McGeehan was awarded three bronze stars and four combat medals.

"Veterans, I pat you on the back," said McGeehan, who lives in Bethlehem. "I salute all of you."

Donald Kleckner, who served in the Marine Corps from 1959 to 1963, recounted a secret Cold War operation in which he participated.

Aboard the USS Rankin, an attack cargo ship, Kleckner was in a 74-ship convoy that sailed toward Cuba in 1961. Reaching the island, the convoy anchored for 21 days.

"We were keeping an eye on Fidel Castro," said Kleckner, 82, an Orwigsburg resident. "We were ready to go in."

A year later, in October 1962, the world stood on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Joe McDemus, who repaired aircraft damaged in combat with Air Force's 8th Tactical Fighter Wing during the Vietnam War, compared the esteem in which veterans are now held with how they were treated by Vietnam War protesters.

"There has definitely been a welcome change between then and now," said McDemus, of Ringtown, a principal in Tri-Vet Design & Fabrication in Ashland.

As the roughly 90-minute program wound down, Hafer displayed the modesty typical of the World War II generation.

"I'm proud of what I did," Hafer said, "but I don't consider myself a hero."

His son, retired state trooper Ted Hafer, sitting next to him, disagreed.

"He's a hero in our book," the son said, "and a hero to the whole country."

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007