Club dedicates ‘Welcome to Veterans Way’ sign
Veterans Day celebration included a dedication ceremony, ribbon cutting and wreath hanging
Kutztown veterans cut the ribbon dedicating the “Welcome to Veterans Way” sign at Kutztown Park during a Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11.
Members of the Kutztown Vietnam Breakfast Club hosted a ceremony at the brick pavilion in the Kutztown Park followed by a ribbon cutting and wreath hanging at the “Welcome to Veterans Way” sign located at the South Laurel Street entrance to the Kutztown Park.
About 50 to 60 community members came out for the dedication event. Eddie Gehringer, who took the lead in making the monument happen, served as master of ceremonies for the dedication. Jonathan Quier sang the national anthem.
Kutztown Mayor Jim Schlegel, a member of the Kutztown Vietnam Breakfast Club, thanked everyone who worked on the memorial from its very beginning, including the Kutztown Vietnam Breakfast Club, Eddie Gehringer, Rick Luckinbill Masonry, Scout Troops 101 and 101G, and borough officials.
“This is something we can all be proud of. The dedication ceremony is a time to set apart a particular place in order to honor and memorialize those veterans who serve our country in war time and in times of peace,” said Schlegel, who served in the Army Transportation Corps from 1968 to 1971. He served 14 months in West Germany and 11 months in Vietnam.
Schlegel noted that the American and POW/MIA flags fly above the monument.
“Our liberties and values stand safe today because of the brave men and women who have been ready to face the fire. We thank God for every one of them,” he said.
“Whether you’re related to someone who’s name and picture is on one of the many veterans’ flags throughout Kutztown, you share in the kinship of being an American citizen,” Schlegel continued.
“Veterans come from all walks of life, but they all share several qualities: courage, pride, determination, selflessness, dedication to duty and integrity. One needs these qualities in order to serve a cause greater than one’s self,” he said.
Schlegel noted that the saying “All gave some, and some gave all” applies to all who served in the United States military.
Concluding, he said, “When you lay your head down on your pillow tonight, thank God for the freedom you enjoy here today and ask God’s protection on all of those serving our country this very day all across our world.”
The event concluded with Rick and Tom Luckenbill hanging the wreath on the monument. Members of the Kutztown Vietnam Breakfast Club held the yellow ribbon as Gehringer cut it.