LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - NOVEMBER 7, 2021 by Lynne Belluscio As I was preparing a short presentation for the Veterans Day ceremonies at 11 am on Trigon Park this coming Thursday, I received a notice about a special state-wide initiative to reach out and support our veterans. Throughout the week of Veterans Day, everyone is encouraged to show support and to acknowledge the services of our military veterans by shining a green light in a window, or on a building. This initiative is a collaboration between the NYS Association of Counties and the NYS County Veteran Service Officers’ Association. It will help draw attention to the immense sacrifice of America’s service men and women. So, as you drive about this week, you will see many county buildings illuminated with green lights. Residents are asked to shine a green light on a porch or in a front window during the week. In LeRoy, theAmerican Legion will have a green light on their porch and the Historical Society will have green lights in the windows. (I just ordered green lights through Amazon.) Crockers hopes to have a few green bulbs on their shelves. The Village Hall will have some green lights and I suspect the Town Hall will also. If you have the Christmas electric candle lights, you might replace the bulbs with green bulbs. It would be great for LeRoy to participate in this state-wide program to show the veterans our support and appreciation. On Thursday, as the small group from the American Legion gathers in front of the veterans’ monuments on Trigon Park, it will be a time to remember a special World War I veteran from LeRoy, Earl Price. His unit, the 369th Infantry Division, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, was recently awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, by President Biden. Earl was wounded and honorably discharged, but he returned home to a very difficult life. He lived in Syracuse for a few years but on October 12, 1924 his body was found on the railroad tracks in Solvay, four miles from where he lived. He was brought home to LeRoy and a service was held at the Second Baptist Church. He was buried in the cemetery on Myrtle Street. Eventually, two of his brothers, who also served in World War I were buried nearby. It was noted recently, that there is no flag pole at the cemetery, so the Town of LeRoy will be placing a new flagpole near the entrance, and a short commemoration for all the veterans buried in the Myrtle Street Cemetery will be held. We will continue to pursue acquiring a Purple Heart for Earl, but that will be a difficult and long process. Through the years, Veterans Day - - originally known as Armistice Day, has unfortunately become an “unknown” holiday. The Armistice that ended World War I was signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, and consequently, in 1938, Congress set aside November 11 as Armistice Day. After World War II and the Korean War, it was decided that the holiday should recognize all veterans, not just those fromWorld War I, and Congress passed a bill in 1954 creating November 11 as Veterans Day. Confusion was created in 1968, when Congress created the Uniform Holiday Bill, that moved several holidays to the closest weekend, creating a three-day holiday. For Veterans Day, that ended in 1978, when Congress moved Veterans’ Day back to November 11. Which is correct? Veteran’s Day or Veterans Day? According to the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs, “Veterans Day is not a day that belongs to veterans, it is a day to honor veterans directly”, and so the apostrophe is not used. Memorial Day in May was originally called Decoration Day, and it was to honor all the soldiers who died in the Civil War. Traditionally, it was a time to decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers with flags. Today it still is the day that is commemorated by decorating graves with flags, but all military graves are decorated, not just those who died during a war, and the date fluctuates to keep a three-day holiday. So, join the small band of brothers on Thursday, November 11 at 11 am on Trigon Park as this community honors and remembers its veterans. Veterans Day –Operation Green Light