On behalf of those who have served, buried here, in the
ground at our feet, I thank you for being here.
As Lehighton native, Major General Marvin Jay Barry reminded
us at a program at the Middle School: Freedom is not Free. Therefore it is incumbent upon us to hallow
this day, to remember those who have served this great country of ours.
Your presence here, honors them.
We cannot measure what each one of them did for us.
As a local historian, I have walked many of these grave yards for
years, trying to root out their stories, to make their presence known to the
students and in our community, and I have found that Carbon County has never
had a shortage of citizens willing to pitch in for the common good.
And this small community of Union Hill has produced many.
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| The Held home on Union Hill as it looked before World War II |
In World War I, Hal Hongen died in base hospital #17 in Dijon France .
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| Though his body is not there, his parents noted his life on their family tombstone in Union Hill Cemetery. |
In World War II, there are three among the KIA there of
particular note: Walter Haydt was a radioman on a B-24 Liberator. He and his crew crashed on Hinchinbrook Island, Australia on December
18, 1942. Elwood Miller was killed at
the battle of Guadalcanal
Island
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| The tail piece of Haydt's "Texas Terror" B-24 Liberator discovered in 1944 on Hinchinbrook Island Australia. The flight was carrying $100,000. |
Although neither Haydt’s or Held’s body was
ever recovered the remains of Haydt's crew was discovered a few years later on Hinchinbrook Island, Australia. The Air Force sent in a team and tenderly relocated the remains of the crew to North Platte, Nebraska. Haydt was a radiomen on the 90th Bomb Group crew.
The plane was carrying $100,000 in troop payroll. Discovery of the wreckage was helped after aborigines were found spending the US currency. There are several mysteries connected with the flight, one includes extra male personal that weren't originally accounted for. No women were known to be aboard but a red stiletto heeled shoe was found.
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| Memorial dedicated to the crash victims at the site. |
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| Close-up of site memorial. Walter Haydt was the radio operator in the "Texas Terror" B-24 Liberator. |
Reed Held was known to be on a secret Cold War flight also in the Pacific area when he was shot down.
Residents should remember these fallen sons each time they
drive on Held Street ,
where Reed was raised. The
Shoemaker-Haydt Lehighton Legion Post #314 is named for Walter and the Elwood M. Miller AmVets Post in Lehighton honors Elwood.
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| Another Union Hill son goes down in the Pacific - Elwood M. Miller. His death was commemorated with the naming of the Elwood M. Miller AmVets Post in Lehighton. |
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| And the Held home on Held Street as it looks today. Purchased shortly after the death of Reed's father Marvin in 1995, the home has been tastefully restored by Kelli and Steve Rex. |
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| John Penberth died at Iwo Jima in spring of 1945. |
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| After son John died at Iwo Jima in 1945, parents Edwin and Mary son followed. |
One can only imagine the strains a family must bear. Haydt’s parents agonized for months to know
his fate. One Marine buried here, John
Penberth, died at Iwo Jima , March 1945. His mother Mary died five years later. His father Edwin followed her in another five
years. All three are buried together in Union Hill
Cemetery
In Korea ,
Richard Whiteman died battling the Chinese on October 18th, 1952.
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| Andrea Beth Miller was murdered in her apartment in Germany on Christmas Day, 1984. To date, the circumstances are a mystery. |
The most recent soldier killed while in service buried here
is Sgt. Andrea Beth Miller. She was only
22 when she died in 1984 while stationed in West Germany . She was a 1980 Lehighton graduate and a
member of the bandfront.
So many men and women were unable to come home.
How can we measure their loss to their families? To their friends? To their community?
We too, must recognize the service of those who did
return. And their service often times
did not end there. Many came home and
served their communities.
Walter Haydt’s brother Earl was wounded twice in Europe . Struggling
with frostbite at the Battle
of the Bulge, he desperately took the boots of a dead soldier to save his own
feet. The Haydt’s nearly lost a second
son when Earl caught shrapnel from a bomb that killed many in his unit.
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| Clarence Getz, brother to Bob, served in WWII and Jacob's United Church of Christ in Weissport. |
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| Parents of Bob and Clarence Getz. |
Ray Haydt is now the last survivor of his family. He still lives on Union Hill and is the
oldest native resident there. Though he
was drafted and he tried to enlist, he was 4-F due to his irregular heartbeat
and ear issues. But still, he serves his
community in the Franklin Lions and at Jacob’s United Church of Christ.
Two other men of distinction who served in WWII and Jacob's United Church of Christ are Robert and Clarence Getz. They came to Union Hill from Albrightsville. Their father Issac died quite young in 1927 and their mother Lauretta did her best to hold her large family together. Bob still lives in Lehighton though his dear wife Jane recently passed away. His brother Clarence died in 1997 and was a major influence on the musical service at the church for many years after the war and is still kindly remembered there. Bob still sings on the choir.
Ernie Bauer came home from the Great War and lived a humble life here on Union Hill. I wish I had
appreciated then his service. He is one
who selflessly gave. Ernie lived in the old brethren church at the end of Fairview Street . I remember his tireless work in our church as
I was growing up, as with an unassuming smile, hiding his sacrifice in the
great war.
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| Ernest and Vivian Bauer's home as it looks today at the end of Fairview Street. It was built in 1894 by the Brethren Church that eventually became Salem Bible Fellowship Church. |
Harry Steigerwalt came home and became a Scout Leader like
so many other servicemen.
My dad Randy Rabenold ran the Jim Thorpe Summer Basketball
league for 50 years and also worked with the Volunteers for Literacy after
coming home from the war in Korea .
The list goes on and on.
Many stand as pillars in our community: Reds O’Donnell, Ray Koons, Mike Ebbert,
Jimmy Wentz, Kevin Long, Larry Ahner, Steve “Hogan” Ebbert…far too many to
continue to mention here.
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| Veteran Ernie Bauer's home was originally the first home of the Salem Bible Fellowship Church. I attended the Cypress Street Church and also the final succession out along the Mahoning Creek in Mahoning Township before joining Jacob's United Church of Christ. |
And some serve in unknown ways too.
Union Hill neighbor volunteers for the non-profit group
“Soldiers Angels.” He recently helped an
Iraqi IED survivor get his first adaptive computer. The vet, who lost both legs and an arm, was
ever so grateful to be able to interact with others and play video games with
this device. But most of all, he was
grateful to be simply remembered.
One Coast Guard veteran, who lives on Union Hill, has put in
uncounted hours honoring these dead and others by clearing out brush, filling
in sunken graves and much more. But he
didn’t tell me. I had to discover this from
his neighbors. I can’t mention his name
here. He, like so many people like him,
do so only if they can remain nameless.
Selfless dedication: Something for all of us to admire and
respect.
Thank you, to all who once served and to those who continue
to serve for those who no longer can.
It is for us to gather here to remember them, to ponder
their loss from their family, and the loss felt by this community as well. Their loss has become our loss.
Please continue to remember them.
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