Armstrong County Veteran of the Year Celebrated

Annual awards were presented last Saturday at a special dinner at the American Legion in Cowansville.

Awards included the Armstrong County 2014 Veteran of the Year Award and also a Lifetime Achievement Award for a veteran for their service and past service to our veterans and our county.

The winner of the 2014 Veteran of the Year was introduced by Ralph Fahlor. The recipient was Harry Miller of Kiski Township.

“Harry Miller has always been dedicated to serving Armstrong County veterans in any capacity necessary to promote the veterans cause,” Fahlor said. “He is equally dedicated to his local community as witnessed by his past membership with the Apollo Lions Club, the Avonmore Ambulance Service, and six years as township supervisor , and membership in the Kiski grange. It is because of his dedication to the county veterans and his work with the local community that Harry Miller gets the 2014 Armstrong County Veteran of the Year.”

Miller served three years in the U. S. Army during World War II – from February 1943 until February 1946. Two of those years, he served as a Medic at the James A. McCloskey General Hospital in Temple, Texas attending to amputees in the critical care unit. After the Army, he served 16 years with the Avonmore Ambulance Service. In 1954, he joined American Legion Post 631 and has been a continuous active member for over 60 years, holding most offices at the Post many times, doing all he could do to keep the Post viable in his community.

He is a member of the Kiski Lions Club, Kiski Township Grange, and the Avonmore Ambulance Service. He belongs to the American Legion Post 631 Kiski Township, where he has held almost every office including Post Commander for numerous times during his 60-year tenure. He is also a member of the Armstrong County American Legion County Council, American Legion District 27 Vice Commander, and the American Legion Honor Guard Finance Officer, where for many years. He also served for one year as the Honor Guard Commander.

His military awards include the Good Conduct Medal, the World War II Victory Ribbon, and the World War II Ruptured Duck.

Miller took a personal interest each Memorial Day making sure that the township veterans graves were decorated with flags. He was instrumental in training local boy scouts to carry on this tradition when it became too strenuous for him. He is the only original member of the Honor Guard still in active participation today.

A Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed on Robert Edwards of the Worthington American Legion.

Born in 1931 in Kittanning, he attended the Furnace Run School and Kittanning High School. He entered the military on January 14, 1949 at Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training with the 7^th Regiment, First Battalion, 3^rd Infantry Division. Edwards then went to Fort Lewis, Washington for advanced infantry training. In July 1950, he was assigned to Korea. With the Company A, and then Company K, 1^st Battalion, 2^nd Infantry Division – the Indian Head Division. Bob served in Korea from July 1950 until June 1951.

Bob is a member of the American Legion, where he is presently the Commander and Service Officer. He also belongs to the Chicora VFW. He is a member of the Purple Heart Association, and one of the original founding members of AmVets. He is also a member of the Korean War Veterans Association. He served as County Commander of the American Legion for three years. In all these organizations, he holds the distinctive title of being a “life member”. He was Deputy District Commander of the American Legion and was instrumental in starting the Armstrong County American Legion Honor Guard. He also started the Palomino Baseball League which currently is the Worthington-Kittanning.

He has been a member of the St. Patrick’s Catholic Church at Brady’s Bend for the past 50 years, serving on the church council and donated his time to working odd jobs at the church. He is married to Mary Jane Edwards and they have three daughters.

The Edwards family showed dedication to our country’s military. His brother Harold – who on January 1, 1945 was wounded in action in Luxemburg, Germany. Another brother, Bill, served 21 years in the U.S. Army, serving two tours in South Viet Nam. His nephew, Robert, served 22 years in the U.S. Navy – mostly on a submarine.

Miller has earned many medals, including the Good Conduct, Korean Defense Medal, two Bronze Stars with “Valor”, the Silver Star, Combat Infantry Badge. Revisiting Korea in 1995, Edwards received a 60-Year Anniversary Medal and one for Outstand Service and Bravery from the South Korean government.

Edwards was presented with a Life-Time Achievement plaque commemorating his service and dedication to fellow veterans by VFW Post 4843 Trustee Daryl Ray.