Rep. Scialabba honors veterans at ribbon-pinning ceremony in Zelienople
ZELIENOPLE — The Lutheran SeniorLife Passavant Community hosted a ribbon-pinning ceremony for local military veterans on Friday afternoon, Nov. 10, one day before Veterans Day.
Veterans of wars back to World War II stepped forward to receive recognition for their courage and sacrifice.
One of those veterans was William “Dean” Peters, who served in both the Vietnam and Gulf Wars. During Vietnam, he performed photo intelligence.
“My job was basically to tell pilots where to go and how well they did their job,” Peters said. “And if they didn't, if they missed the target, I was responsible for telling them to go back and do it again.”
Seven surviving local veterans of World War II were on hand to receive their ribbons Friday: James Slingluff, August Liehr, Andy Szakelyhidi, Edward Sherman, Donald Wunnenburg, Maurice “Pete” Bish, and 101-year-old Joan Gill, who served in the Royal Air Force.
Upon receiving his ribbon, Bish, 100, related a story of how he lost his brother early in World War II. During the war, Bish served as a medic in the Pacific theater.
“I missed him so much,” Bish said. “We lost a good, good man.”
On hand for the event was state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th, who led off the ceremony by praising the assembled veterans for being “genuine, real-life embodiments of American exceptionalism.”
“My generation, and my parents’ generation, were lucky because we grew up at the feet of the ‘greatest generation,’” Scialabba said. “I grew up firsthand hearing of the horrors and tribulations of war and the insidious nature of humans. But I also grew up knowing that we have the ability, in our hearts and our minds, and as a people, to prevail.”
Also on hand for the event was Zelienople Mayor Thomas Oliverio, who led the group of World War II veterans in the formal placing of the colors at the start of the ceremony.
After the pinning of ribbons, the Passavant Community Singers performed the official songs of all branches of the United States military, starting with “When the Caissons Come Marching Along” for the Army and ending with the Navy hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”
Veterans were encouraged to stand, if possible, when the anthem for their branch of service began.
After the musical interlude, the community played a video montage of photos of local veterans from their days in the service, set to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Some in the audience could not hold back their tears during, including Frank Longobardi, whose father, Carl, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as part of a Construction Battalion, or “Seabee.”
The ceremony closed out with Jeffrey DeSantes playing taps.
A previous version of this story misidentified the Lutheran SeniorLife Passavant Community as the “Passavant Community Home.”
