Connellsville
Honisek among veterans honored by Elks Lodge CONNELLSVILLE – In 1943, the U.S. had troops in nearly every corner of the world, battling the Japanese and Germans as World War II raged on. It was that same year Mary Judith Wiedl Honisek answered the call to duty.
Educated at Seton Hill College, she served as a dietician in the U.S. Army Hospital Medical Corps in the U.S., England and France during her four-year stint.
“I felt it was my duty to serve,” she said.
Recently, the Connellsville Elks Lodge 503 honored Honisek and approximately 50 others that heeded the same call to duty during World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Gulf War and the Iraq War.
Our freedom, said keynote speaker U.S. Army Lt. Col. Craig Minnick, an Iraq War veteran, is due to the commitment of many.
“The freedom we have enjoyed as Americans since the founding of our great nation has been paid for by the selfless sacrifices of our brave men and women who have proudly worn the uniform,” he said. “During the Revolutionary War over 200,000 Americans made extraordinary sacrifices against a better-trained and better-equipped enemy to establish our freedom.”
All tolled, nearly 1.3 million Americans have given their life since the Declaration of Independence was signed 230 years ago.
“And, today, the brave men and women of the armed forces continue to make sacrifices not only for the freedom of Americans, but also for the freedom of people in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world,” said Minnick.
The U.S., he said, should never stop honoring her veterans or fail to remember their heroic sacrifices.
“President John Kennedy said that ‘a nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers,'” said Minnick. “If Americans continue to remember our great veterans and if President Kennedy was correct, we will continue to be a truly great nation.”
Retired U.S. Army Col. Gregory A. Ritch, Elks Lodge member and event chairman, said that the American heroes should be honored for their willingness to defend freedom and preserve the republic.
“Each individual’s willingness to sacrifice the needs of the one for the needs of the many is an integral part of the American spirit,” he said. “It is one of the things that make us the greatest nation on earth.
“We salute all veterans for their selfless service and recognize that their devotion to duty makes them a source of inspiration for all to emulate.”
Those taking part in the ceremony received a certificate and commemorative coin.