Local Military Veterans Proud of Service
Armstrong County Veterans (L-R) Deb Lemley, Chris Kough, Robert Smeltzer and James Fleming encourage local residents to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day this holiday weekend.
By Jonathan Weaver
Originally known as “Decoration Day,” Memorial Day activities throughout the area are prompting local veterans to continue pleading for community support.
American Legion Western Pennsylvania Vice Commander Chris Kough, originally from Elderton, volunteered for service in the U.S. Army and spoke to residents at the Elderton Senior Center last week.
Kough, who had brothers in the Air Force, Marines and Army, has taken part in senior center activities before and was asked by Senior Center Manager Deb Lemley to speak.
Kough read from a speech he prepared for this week’s Memorial Day activities, encouraging residents to remember soldiers who paid the ultimate price, and more than just once per year.
“Our fallen heroes are not just statistics – they are real people, with real families, who lived in real communities,” Kough read. “We can best remember their sacrifice by remembering their families who lost so much – long after the battlefield guns have been silenced and the bombs stop exploding, the children of our fallen heroes will still be missing a parent.
“Nobody can replace these fallen heroes, especially in the eyes of their families – but we can offer shoulders to cry on, assistance with educational expenses and the assurance that their loved ones’ sacrifice will not be forgotten.”
Kough retired after 20 years in the U.S. Army, serving in Fort Bliss, Texas, New Mexico, and several tours in Germany. He now lives with his wife, Anna, in Indiana, Pa.
Kough will also speak during a ceremony Sunday at the Cowansville American Legion
Elderton American Legion Post 918 Commander James E. Fleming served October 1962-October 1966 with the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Florida. An aircraft machinist, he enlisted after graduating from Shannock Valley High, but said he does not meet a lot of students willing to enlist anymore.
“We had a duty, to serve our country,” Fleming said. “It’s a whole different ballgame now.”
Fleming, who also had brothers that served in the U.S. Army and Navy as well as the Air Force, served and then worked as a machinist at Pittsburgh Glass Manufacturing in Irwin, Pa. for 36 years.
It’s hard for Lemley, of Kittanning, to talk about her six years of service as a U.S. Army Nurse during the Vietnam War after she lost many fellow nurses and soldiers during the war and after coming home.
“It got rather crazy at times. I’m proud that I did what I did, a lot of my girls were – they gave up their lives for our country,” Lemley said.
Lemley said, as she leaves flowers on veteran grave markers, local residents should dedicate this Monday to remembering the freedoms promised in America because of those sacrifices.
Local News | jweaver May 22, 2015
