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May 15, 2015
Serving the mid valley & upper lackawanna valley
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Times-shamrock communiTy newspapers 149 Penn Avenue Scranton, PA 18503 Phone: (570) 348-9185 Fax: (570) 207-3448 E-mail: advantage@ timesshamrock.com
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County-wide veterans organization plans Korean War Memorial by Stephanie Longo
ABINGTON SUBURBAN EDITOR
Every May when Memorial Day rolls around, we, as a nation, pause to remember veterans and the sacrifices they made for this country. One Lackawanna County-based veterans group is continuing its efforts to make sure that no local soldier who made the supreme sacrifice is lost in the annals of history. The Friends of the Forgotten, Northeast Wing, is planning to erect the county’s first and only Korean War monument on the Dunmore tank grounds, located at the intersection of Blakely Street and Wheeler Avenue. Comprised of members from throughout Lackawanna County, the Friends of the Forgotten is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise awareness of all of the nation’s veterans. Members of the group are both veterans and non-veterans, many joined to honor their parents or grandparents who served. Group spokesperson Dee Faatz explained that the group’s name, in essence, speaks for itself and that’s part of the reason why they are now focusing on the Korean War. “The Korean War did not receive as much news media as World War II, which came six years before,” she said. “The little that was reported was censored and the people who were interested didn’t really know what was going on. When coming home, the military were not looked upon as heroes, maybe because of the great loss of lives during World War II.” “When we decided to erect a monument to the Korean War, it was decided to dedicate it not only to those who served, but to honor those who never returned home,” she continued. “When we started to research the names of those who were killed in that war from Lackawanna County, we had 58. Today we now have 71 names inscribed on the memorial.”
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Many of the 71 names come from the City of Scranton, but all area municipalities are represented. To date, local casualties include Harry T. Fowler and Floyd Mott Jr. from Archbald; William Glenn Jones, Francis Richard Jurkovic and Michael Krutty from Blakely; James G. Delaney, Leonard Charles Hull and Raymond Thaddeus Plevyak from Carbondale; William Buraczewski, Joseph Miezejewski and Leonard T. Selenski from Dickson City; Edward Sylvester DuchnevMembers of the Friends of the Forgotten, Northeast Wing, reich from Fell Township; Basil cently gathered at the site of their proposed Lackawanna County Keklak and Joseph J. Socha Korean War Memorial on the Dunmore tank grounds, located at from Jermyn, Beaumont Ben- the intersection of Blakely Street and Wheeler Avenue. The mejamin Bell Jr. from Jessup, Eu- morial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 30, at noon, and the gene Brophy and Edward Onze Friends of the Forgotten plan to continue to beautify the area. From left: Ed Faatz, Jim Ashman, Angelo Benedetti, Don Knight from Olyphant; and Frank A. and Patrick Williams. Yablonski from Throop. said that the organization is still accepting donaSince the research into tions to help fund the monument and the group who was killed in the war has been done entirely by volunteers from the Friends of the Forgotten, plans to continue work on the tank area in the Faatz is urging members of the community who future, including replacing the current flagpoles might have had a family member or friend killed and gravel, as well as other beautification efforts. “We are so appreciative of all the help we in Korea to let them know so the name can be have received so far and all of the community’s inscribed on the monument. “We want them remembered,” Faatz said. “If it support for this memorial,” she said. “As an orwas not for the sacrifices our veterans made for us, ganization, we want to do whatever we can to we would not be able to enjoy the freedoms we make sure all veterans are remembered and we have in this great country we live in. We should will continue to do so.” Anyone attending the dedication may park at honor our veterans in any way possible, either by a simple handshake or even saying ‘thank you’ to La Cucina Restaurant, 600 S. Blakely St., Dunmore. To submit a name for the memorial or to them for their service.” The Friends of the Forgotten will host a dedi- make a donation, write to Friends of the Forgotcation service for the monument in Dunmore ten, Northeast Wing, Attention: Korean Memoon Saturday, May 30, beginning at noon. Faatz rial, P.O. Box 4175, Scranton, PA 18505.
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