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Veterans Day will be celebrated nationally this week, and in our local area it will have special significance with the grand opening coming soon of the newly formed Central Pennsylvania American History Museum located in the former 4,500 square foot Milanak Family Vision Center on the 6000 block of Sixth Avenue in Altoona.
David Scott, an Altoona CPA, is president of the museum's board of directors that has guided this local patriotic initiative from inception to reality.
"I think it is important to remind present and future generations of the heroism and sacrifice of our forebearers, men and women, to keep America safe and prosperous," he said.
Not only does the museum honor the past, but it has a special section that recognizes the contributions of local residents who have served honorably in the military -- including myself.
I am a 27-year Navy veteran (1957-84) who was ordered to a military post ashore during the Vietnam war and at-sea during naval operations in South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Those deployments involved the Middle East war of 1973 and Suez Canal mine clearing of 1974, along with the first operational naval visit to Leningrad, Russia, later renamed St. Petersburg, in the Soviet Union in 1975.
Much more notable were the extraordinary combat achievements of area Medal of Honor recipients, Cpl. Harry Harr of Claysburg (WWII), Sgt. William Sitman of Bellwood (Korea) and SSG Glenn English Jr. of Williamsburg (Vietnam).
Also praiseworthy was the promotion of the only known local to achieve four-star status, full Admiral James Loy, USCG of Altoona, who capped his service career as Commandant of the Coast Guard.
Veterans Day was originally supposed to recognize veterans at the time and date that marked the end of World War I, which was 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918.
Educators tried to make it easy for students to remember the time and date by reciting, "WWI ended in 1918 at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month."
England and France began the tradition in 1920 of pausing on Nov. 11 to honor the sacrifices of veterans who served in WWI. In 1926, the U.S. Congress officially dubbed Nov. 11 as Armistice Day. But it was not until 1938 that it became a legal national holiday.
In his first Veterans Day proclamation, President Eisenhower called on all Americans to "solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly on the seas, in the air and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage and freedom."
In 1968, the historical significance of Nov. 11 took a back seat in creating three-day holiday weekends.
It took just four years to reverse that ill-advised decision. With the support of all major veterans support organizations, President Ford signed legislation in 1975 that returned the Veterans Day observance to Nov. 11. The historical significance of the date was preserved and attention was focused where it belonged, on honoring American veterans for their patriotism and willingness to sacrifice for freedom and liberty.
This local museum initiative shows that basic grass-root patriotic feelings are still alive in parts of heartland America, in contrast to the extremist turn of American conservatism.