Military Magazine 2025 by Lewistown Sentinel

We honor the ultimate sacrifice and all who served

BY TOM LAUB Lifestyles editor tlaub@lewistownsentinel.com

“It is for us the living, rather, to work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us,that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

— President Abraham Lincoln Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Nov. 19, 1863

As we recognize Memorial made by so many to establish, preserve and protect our freedom. Parades and other ceremonies nationwide pay tribute to those, who in President Abraham Lincoln’s words, “gave the last full measure of devotion.”

As America nears its 250th birthday, we honor not only those who gave their lives, but all who have served our great Nation. There are countless heroes, from the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 to current day active duty.

Our military veterans deserve recognition for their service, courage and sacri-

Thousands who did still carry the scars of war.

In the 1990s, as plans for the World War II Memorial in

Washington, D.C. were being drawn, I made arrangements to interview local WWII veterans to hear their stories. Sev-

but as the interviews drew closer, all politely declined. I respectfully accepted their decisions, fully aware of the reason. After more than 50 years, the trauma of war was still alive. The scars never completely heal.

Luckily, there are support groups and organizations that offer assistance.

Nationally, Wounded Warrior Project, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, United Service Organizations, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, to name a few, offer programs, services and advocacy for veterans.

Local organizations are

available as well. There are several American Legion (https://mylegion.org/PersonifyEbusiness/Find-a-Post) and VFW (https://www. throughout the region. The near you.

Organization meets monthly. President Ed Mann can be reached at (717) 348-4832. You can also check the organization’s Facebook page.

For VFW Post 7011 in Lewistown, call (717) 543-5213 or email VFWpost7011@gmail.com. VFW Post 5935 Stroup-Alexander in Belleville can be reached at (717) 935-2297. Together With Veteransdon (TogetherWithVeterans.

See Honor / Page 4

Sentinel photo by LIV SUYDAM

Continued from Page 3

HMJ@gmail.com) works to reduce veteran suicide.

Peaceful Mind Veterans Adventures is a small non-profit organization in Reedsville that helps veterans connect with other veterans through outdoor therapeutic activities. For more information, call (717) 953-5543 or email peacefulmindveterans@gmail. com.

Amvets Post 122 in Thompsontown can be reached at (717) 535-5312. To contact

call (717) 436-9912. American is at (717) 436-9444. Contact information for the Juniata County Veterans Council is (717) 316-0084, admin@jcveteranscouncil.org and jcveteranscouncil.org. Information for DAV 49 Juniata and Perry

can be obtained at https:// davwebsites.dav.org/pa/49/ SystemPages/Home.aspx or by calling (609) 668-1539.

Sentinel photo by TOM LAUB

Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post 7011, Lewistown

Banners in honor of veterans to be hung in Lewistown

BY LIV SUYDAM Sentinel reporter osuydam@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN–Mifflin County is home to many vetcountry. To honor those veterans, Lewistown Borough haseran banners within the town.

“People have been askRauch. “Hanging the banners it is a nice way to honor our veterans.” been hung on Market Streeter, those banners will be taknew program.

Now, the Lewistown Borough will be partnering with the UPS store in State College banners.

The banners will start being hung on South Main Streetis no set limit to how many veteran banners can be subto approve which telephone

The cost of the banner is-

When submitting a form, preferably in a military unithe $90 payment that can beable to Borough of Lewistown. The turnover from submission for a banner to when it is hung is an ongoing process, of the crew as well as weather

To submit for a banner go to the Lewistown Borough webthe military banner submission also available in person at theing.

“We hope people visiting our town realize how much we town when they see these bancountry; it is important to honfree.

AP photo/Doug Dreyer

John Weber of Sioux Falls, a Korean War Veteran, smiles as he watches the Korean War Memorial Dedication parade, Sept. 18, 2004 in Pierre, S.D.

We Honor Those Who serve Our Country

PAST PRESENT & FUTURE

Missing Man Formation: Salute to fallen airmen

BY JOSEPH WALK

Special to The Sentinel

Continued from Page 8

Joseph Walk is a retired USAF Lt Col. He and his wife, Nancy, reside in Belleville.

Lewistown seaman lost on WWII flight to Pearl Harbor

BY CHRIS MOYER

Stories Behind the Stars Special to The Sentinel

LINDA VISTA, Calif. — It is impossible to know what Lewistown native Robert Earl Clair, Sr. was thinking when he boarded the PB4Y-2 Privateer patrol bomber on May 28, 1945. He was the only passenger among eleven crew members taking off from the Navy Auxiliary Air Station at Camp Kearny, Linda Vista, California. They were heading for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, over eight hours away and at the range.

Clair probably already missed his wife, Marie, and his six-year-old son, Robert Jr., back in Montoursville, Pennsylvania. The Seaman First Class undoubtedly was assignment overseas would entail. Although the war in Europe was over, it continued against a desperate Japanese Empire.

Clair was born on Dec. 22, 1919 in Lewistown. He attended Lewistown schools and graduated from high school. He registered for the draft on Oct. 16, 1940 in Montoursville, where he worked for a Venetian blinds manufacturer. Clair enlisted in the Navy in Harrisburg on April 27, 1944 and reported to Camp Peary, near Williamsburg, Virginia. The camp was the primary location for the training of Seabees, the Navy’s construction battalion. The camp also provided instruction in over 60 vocational specialties. Clair completed his recruit training in San Diego, escort carrier USS Mission Bay (CVE-59).

and the drone of the engines caused Clair to doze off, he

may have dreamt about his parents, Mervin and Tressa, his younger sister, Doris, and his younger brother, Richard.

About an hour away from Pearl Harbor, something went wrong with PB4Y-2 no. 59425. Terribly wrong. The aircraft lost an engine. The decision was made to ditch the plane

miles from Oahu. It must have been terrifying as Clair and the crew prepared for the impact. The patrol bomber went down on May 29, 1945.

The destroyer tender USS Black Hawk (AD-9) was returning to Pearl Harbor from repairs at Alameda, California when she sighted a distress balloon on May 29 about 3,000 yards away at 12:05 p.m. Minutes later, the ship spotted a life raft and rescued the ten survivors it contained. Robert Earl Clair was not amonging body of Clair was retrievedvas, and stowed aboard the Black Hawk. The 12th man on the plane, Ensign H.G. Morris, was lost at sea.

Clair’s remains were transferred on May 30, 1945 from the USS Black Hawk to the U.S. Naval Hospital at Aiea, Hawaii. After a temporary local burial, Clair’s remains were repatriated to the United States on Oct. 31, 1947. Clair was laid to rest on Nov. 7, 1947 at Montoursville Cemetery.

Stories Behind the Stars memorials are accessible for free on the internet and via smartphone app at gravesites andnization is dedicated to honoring all 421,000 fallen Americans from World War II, including 31,000 from Pennsylvania. To volunteer or for more information, contact Kathy Harmon at kharmon@storiesbehindthestars.org or visit www.storiesbehindthestars.org.

photos courtesy of Stories Behind the Stars

Above: Robert Earl Clair, Sr.

Below: PB4Y-2 Privateer.

Military service ties brothers-in-law Family honored with banners

BY RAY WILDE Special to The Sentinel

[Editor’s Note: This article was previously published in the April 17, 2025 edition of The Sentinel].

REEDSVILLE — Three brothers-in-law were honored in April by the Reedsville Community Association when the military banners are hung on Main Street in Reedsville.

Harry Taylor, David Heimbaugh and Raymond Wilde are being honored for their service in the United States Military. All three men married women from the Reedsville area, who were the daughters of Frank O. Houser. Each served in the military at different times

during their lives.

Taylor was a lifetime resident of Reedsville. He was born in Lumber City and lived in Reedsville his whole life. He died in 2018 and is buried at Church Hill Cemetery. Harry served his country from 195153 while in the U.S. Army. After serving two years in the army, he joined the Army Reserves until 1957.

Taylor married the youngest daughter, Jane, who still lives in Reedsville. The Taylors had a son and daughter, who both reside in the Reedsville area.

“All three brothers-in-law got along,” said Jane Taylor, “I’m sure my two older sisters (who have since passed away) would be very proud.”

Heimbaugh lived in the Milroy-Reedsville area until he

joined the Army in 1947. He served in the Army until 1950,

County to work. Heimbaugh then joined the Air Force in 1951. He made the Air Force his career, retiring in 1970. He and his wife, Mary, (the middle daughter) made central Pennsylvania their home for six years.

In 1976, they moved to Knoxville, Tenn., where he worked for a hospital until 1992. He retired in 1992 and he lived the rest of his life in Knoxville. They both have since passed away and are buried in Tennessee. They had three daughters and they all

Wilde moved to Reedsville in July 1920, when he was four years old. He was the stepson

of Thomas N. Brown, who was the minister at the Reedville Presbyterian Church from July 19, 1920 to Dec.1,1931. Wilde was born in Trenton, New Jersey and his mother married 1918.

After Brown retired from the Reedville Presbyterian Church, he and his wife and son moved to Belleville. Wilde served in the Army from 1941-45. He married Houser’s oldest daughter, Evelyn. Wilde passed away in 1981. They had one son, Ray, who lives in Belleville.

Both Raymond and Evelyn have passed and are buried in the Church Hill Cemetery.

Sentinel photos by LIV SUYDAM

Military banners on Main Street in Reedsville honor from left, Harry Taylor, David Heimbaugh and Raymond Wilde.

AP photo

Mifflin County organization steps up for veterans

BY SIERRA BOLGER Sentinel reporter sbolger@lewistownsentinel.com

LEWISTOWN — The Mifflin County Veterans Organization is a group that was started to help and support veterans. Support may be helping to pay bills or getting veterans in touch with the right resources or just giving them a safe place to come and talk about their hardships and their triumphs.

friends of veterans are also encouraged to come to these monthly meetings to discuss help that is available for veterans.

Local government has attended meetings showing their support.

For the last three Years theganization has been meeting at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lewistown with a meal and refreshments provided. The meeting usually begins with guest speakers followed by business matters and discussing new topics.

The organization has done many things for the local veterans, including a donation to the Scouts of America last month and helping a veteran restore power in his home.

The organization assisted a veteran with a gas card so he could travel to Pittsburgh to visit his son who was in hospi-

tal as the result of a motor vehicle accident; provided a gift card and cash to a veteran and his family who lost everything paid for home heating fuel for a veteran this past winter and will be providing the labor to repair a handicap ramp for a veteran.

The birth of the new organization came from necessity.

Veterans Association became inactive after several years.

Steve Burke, a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church and the Barnabas Brothers, had heard the veterans needed a meeting place and suggested the fellowship hall as sanctuary.

“Steve read an article in the paper that the informal group was having issues with meet-

Veterans Organization President, Ed Mann, said. “If Jim-

Director of Veterans Affairs] wasn’t available, they could not get into the courthouse annex. So, Steve and a few Barnabas Brothers approached Jimmy and discussed meeting at St. John’s Lutheran Church.”

The church council agreed and St. John’s became home for the last three years.

Burke and several other Barnabas Brothers are not veterans but had fathers who served, and they felt compelled to honor their fathers’

service by helping veterans.

Mann joined in 2023, stating that there was an average of about 50 to 60 veterans at each meeting. Now there are approximately 80. That total includes spouses who regularly attend with some veterans.

Due to the growth of the group, meetings will be moved to a larger venue. Beginning May 29, at 6 p.m., monthly -

ty Veterans Organization will be held at the Reedsville Fire Company.

“In the fall of 2023, I was asked if I would run for president,” Mann said. “I was reluc-

was relatively new to the organization.”

In November 2023, Mann was elected president with Chad Curry as vice president, Jim Peters as treasurer and Ken Wilt as secretary. Dan Bishop was appointed as the serve a two year term.

The organization initiated the process of adopting bylaws, selecting a name in December 2023 and by January 2024 began the process of obtaining their 501-C3 tax exempt status, getting approved by the Pa. Department of Revenue and the Pa. Department of State.

By July 2024, the process was complete, and the group County Veterans Organization.

They are a chartered non-profit 501 C-3 organization.

“Our primary mission is to support veterans and their families during a time of need when there are no other resources available to help them,” Mann said. “The monthly meetings provide a time for veterans to be with men and women who served their country during times of war and peace. We attempt to provide time for fellowship and camaraderie especially for our older veterans who in many cases live alone and have no family in the immediate area. Our meetings are also a time to provide information may qualify for or changes be receiving. In the end, it’s all about honoring all who served.”

On Friday, May 23, the organization will co-host a Memorial Day veterans picnic -

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. supplying a variety of food, fellowship and door prizes for all who attend.

On Sunday, May 25 at 2 p.m., another Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the Church Hill Cemetery. In case of bad weather, the event will be held at the East Kishacoquillas Presbyterian Church in Reedsville. Attendees should bring a lawn chair.

Left: Pfc. Paul Cecil of West Virginia holds a rocket launcher as Pfc. Junior Coram, right, loads the gun about two miles north of Chigong in Korea, July 23, 1950. (AP photo)

Right: U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, take cover after a mortar attack during a sandstorm on a road south of Baghdad, Iraq on Wednesday, March 26, 2003. (AP photo/Laura Rauch)