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In this Update:

• Memorial Day Events Across the District
• Veterans Assistance Available in Shamokin Dam Office
• Fourth Annual Women Veterans Day Commemoration
• Requiring Public Schools to Display the POW/MIA Flag
• Amputee and Paralyzed Veterans Pension Program
• Improving Veteran Access to Homeownership

Memorial Day Events Across the District

For many veterans, Memorial Day is deeply personal. It is a time to remember friends, fellow service members and generations of Americans who gave their lives in service to our country.

Across our region, veterans organizations and community partners continue the important work of remembrance through parades, wreath ceremonies, cemetery services, honor guards, flag placements and the playing of taps. These traditions help ensure the sacrifice of the fallen is carried forward with the dignity and respect it deserves.

Several local events are planned, including:

Lightstreet Memorial Day Parade
The Lightstreet Memorial Day Parade will be held Monday, May 25. The parade will form at 8:30 a.m. at the corner of Easy Street and Main Street and begin at 9 a.m. It will end at Lightstreet Highland Cemetery with a remembrance ceremony, guest speaker, flag ceremony and the playing of taps.

Mifflinville Memorial Day Parade and Ceremonies
Mifflinville’s Memorial Day events will be held Monday, May 25, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The parade begins at 8:45 a.m. and will be followed by a ceremony at Mifflinville Cemetery.

Danville Memorial Day Parade and Ceremonies
The Veterans of Montour County will host Memorial Day activities Monday, May 25, beginning with a bridge ceremony at approximately 10 a.m. near Riverfront Park to honor those lost at sea. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Mill Street and continue to Memorial Park, where a service will be held at 11 a.m. The rain location is the Danville Middle School Auditorium.

Catawissa Memorial Day Celebration
Catawissa’s Memorial Day celebration will begin at 11:30 a.m. Monday, May 25, at Christ Lutheran Church and continue at Union Cemetery. The program will include guest speaker William Stellfox, music by the Catawissa Military Band, participation from local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops and the Catawissa VFW Post 8306 Honor Guard.

Mount Carmel Area Memorial Day Services
The Mount Carmel Area Ministerium will hold a Memorial Day service Sunday, May 24, at 2 p.m. at the chapel in Mount Carmel Cemetery.

On Monday, May 25, Memorial Day activities in Mount Carmel will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a service at the monuments and flag pole at Second and Oak streets. The Mount Carmel Area Big Red Band will perform patriotic music, and the program will include the lowering of the flag to half-staff, a volley of shots, taps and the national anthem. Additional services will follow at the World War I plaque at Third and Oak streets, Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Beaverdale, Mount Carmel Cemetery and Saint Joseph’s Cemetery in Locust Gap.

To all veterans and families taking part in these observances, thank you for helping our communities remember with honor and purpose. The courage, sacrifice and devotion of those who never came home will never be forgotten.

Veterans Assistance Available in Shamokin Dam Office

Each month, a Veterans Service Officer is available in my Shamokin Dam office to help veterans navigate benefits and resources including:

• VA disability compensation and pensions 
• Education benefits 
• VA health care enrollment 
• Burial benefits 
• Survivor benefits 
• Other veterans’ programs and services 

This is a free service available to all veterans and their families to ensure they receive the benefits they have earned through their service. 

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call my district office at 570-743-1918.

Fourth Annual Women Veterans Day Commemoration

The fourth annual Women Veterans Day Commemoration to honor the service, sacrifice and contributions of women who have served in the U.S. military will be held at the Pennsylvania State Capitol June 10 at 11:30 a.m.

The virtual display will be available online here beginning June 8. Read more about this special commemoration.

Requiring Public Schools to Display the POW/MIA Flag

As chair of the Senate Education Committee, I was honored to help advance Senate Bill 835, legislation that would require Pennsylvania public schools that already display the American flag to also display the POW/MIA flag.

The POW/MIA flag is a solemn and powerful symbol honoring the courageous men and women of the Armed Forces who remain prisoners of war or missing in action. Displaying this flag in our schools is one way to ensure students understand the meaning of service, sacrifice and the lasting responsibility we have to remember those who have not returned home.

By displaying the POW/MIA flag, schools can help educate the next generation about the sacrifices made by service members and reinforce our shared commitment to never forget those who remain unaccounted for. Read more about Senate Bill 835.

Amputee and Paralyzed Veterans Pension Program

Qualifying veterans can apply through their County Director of Veterans Affairs to receive $150 per month through Pennsylvania’s Amputee and Paralyzed Veterans Pension program.

Applicants must have been a Pennsylvania resident upon entering the military; have received Honorable or Under Honorable Conditions discharge; have a service-connected injury or incurred a disease resulting in the loss or loss of use of two or more extremities; and have at least a 40% or higher disability rating compensation rating in each limb as determined and certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Find your County Director of Veterans Affairs here.

Improving Veteran Access to Homeownership

All veterans, service members and surviving spouses applying for a VA-backed home loan can now obtain their active Certificate of Eligibility (COE) in real-time through the VA: Health and Benefits mobile app. A COE verifies eligibility for the VA Home Loan Program to lenders.

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