Wilmington Area School District and Westminster College to Host Veterans Day Program

The Wilmington Area School District and Westminster College will host a Veterans Day program Monday, Nov. 12 at 9:30 a.m. in Westminster's Orr Auditorium.

The event, which will be preceded by a parade from the high school to the College, is free and open to the public. The program has been planned since August by a committee comprised of representatives from the school district, community, and Westminster College.

Admiral Robert Shumaker, the second longest held prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, will be the keynote speaker. Shumaker was held captive for eight years, alongside Arizona Senator John McCain, after being shot down in 1965. He was recently featured in the PBS documentary, "Return With Honor." Prior to Vietnam, Shumaker was a finalist in the 1962 Apollo space program.

Local World War II veterans Harry Gerber and Paul McConnell will receive high school diplomas during the ceremony, and six area former prisoners of war will be recognized. The POW's expected to attend are: Abie Abraham, Charles Balik, Thomas Cody, William Fisher, Earl Parker, and Cyril Vrabel.

Attorney Charles Y. Mansell, a Navy Vietnam veteran and 1968 Westminster graduate, will provide welcoming remarks. Dr. Michael F. Hink, superintendent of Wilmington Area School District, and William C. Lyon, Wilmington High School principal, are also scheduled to speak.

Dr. Eugene G. Sharkey, professor of history at Westminster College and author of When Titans Truly Were: Westminster College and the Second World War, will provide additional remarks.

The Wilmington High School Marching Band and Chorus, and the Westminster College Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, and Men's Chorus will be performing at the ceremony. Wilmington High School and Westminster students, along with area Boy Scouts, will also participate.

The Pennsylvania National Guard will present the Colors at the conclusion of the program, which will include howitzers firing rounds as "Taps" is played.