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Waynesburg: VFW honors local first responders

By Mattie Winowitch managing Editor 5 min read

eir rifles into the sky, a short moment of silence was heard in the usually bustling town of Waynesburg. 

The crowd, made up of veterans, family members of local first responders and members of the community, was startled with each blow, but the men standing in uniform were as still as stones with their hands dutifully at their heads. 

According to Rick Black, the senior vice commander at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post #4793 and creator of the event, this was the second annual Patriot Day Commemoration held in Waynesburg. Black is a Vietnam War Veteran and has been a member of Post #4793 since 1969. 

The purpose of the event, Black said, was to recognize the first responders of Greene County.

“We want to be able to bond together and support people that all help us, so we can honor what they do,” said Black. “That gives us a chance to work together. 

The commemoration began with an introduction by Master of Ceremonies Terry Hoyle Jr. After an invocation by Zane W. Mitchell and the national anthem and pledge of allegiance, a wreath was laid to honor those who have fallen with the words, “Lest We Forget,” inscribed on a ribbon wrapped around it. 

The keynote address, given by retired Honorable Judge Terry H. Grimes, was dedicated to those who gave their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. 

“When we crawl into our beds at night, we have to keep in mind not only what happened 15 years ago, but also the tragedies that happen day in and day out,” said Grimes.

With veterans, those currently serving and first responders in attendance, the Master of Ceremonies asked everyone where they were when the world stopped turning. 

“I can remember watching it on TV,” said Black, as his eyes looked into the horizon. 

“It still makes me cry today.” 

The ceremony ended with a playing of “Taps,” and a benediction, along with dinner waiting inside, prepared by those who planned the event. 

According to Hoyle, the event has grown since it first began, and he hopes it continues to get bigger as the years pass. 

Other than the area’s first responders, the event was also held to honor members of the Civil Air Patrol, including squadrons 606/603 and local boy scouts in Troop 1280. 

More than anything, the members of the VFW want to become more instrumental in the community and be able to be somewhere for families to grow. 

In the past few months, VFW Post #4793 has helped with many community events including Memorial Day services, Waynesburg University ROTC graduates and funerals for local veterans of war. 

 “A lot of people think we’re just a bar, but we are far beyond that,” said 40-year member of Post #4793, Martin Wilson.

As the flag was slowly brought to half-mast, memories flooded in, whether they were of family members, friends, or those that lost their lives Sept. 11, fifteen years ago.

“We are still fighting through it,” said Black. “But we are better because of it.

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