Ceremony honors nation’s fallen heroes
SCHUYLKILL >> Several dozen residents and military members gathered at the Medal of Honor Grove near the Valley Forge National Historical Park for a ceremony remembering the nation’s fallen heroes and calling on the public to lift the grove out of a state of disrepair.
Starting shortly after 10 a.m., residents sitting on a lawn near the Henry Knox building witnessed members of the armed forces post the colors and listen to several speeches made by politicians and military members.
Retired Col. Walter Marm Jr., was the keynote speaker for the ceremony. Marm is currently the only living Pennsylvania resident with a Medal of Honor, which he received following the battle of La Drang during the Vietnam War.
Marm received the Medal of Honor after attempting to rescue a friendly platoon of soldiers trapped by enemy fire; Marm attacked enemy positions by himself, getting shot through the jaw in the process.
About 13 months after the battle, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in December of 1966.
“I wear the medal for those men whose actions go unsung,”
Marm said prior to the start of the ceremony.
During the ceremony, he recounted the battle where he earned his medal of honor.
The ceremony, organized by state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, of West Whiteland was intended to honor the nation’s fallen heroes and show support for the military.
Dinniman is a current incumbent running for reelection in the state senate. Jack London, a Republican, is challenging him for his seat.
Wally Nunn, the current chairman of Free- doms Foundation at Valley Forge, described the sacrifices made by the Medal of Honor recipients as acts of love for their fellow soldiers and for their country
In order to impress upon the public the importance of this time period in the nation’s history, pamphlets handed out prior to the start of the ceremony noted that the time between 20152017 marks the 100th anniversary of World War I, the 75th anniversary of World War II, 65th anniversary of the Korean War, the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, and the 25th anniversary of the Gulf War.
Throughout the ceremony, speakers including Dinniman made repeated calls for the public to help maintain the 52-acre Medal of Honor Grove.
The grove has one acre for every state in the union,. and one for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Each state has an obelisk, and every Medal of Honor recipient has a marker on site with the name of the recipient and a description of the act that earned him or her the medal.
“Today, more than ever, this nation needs heroes,” Dinniman said.