Rededication of the Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital Carbon County WWII K.I.A. Memorial Plaque
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| Wilbur Warner - Lehighton's most prolific citizen of record. |
War is spawned from hatred, the corruption of values, and greed.
War sends the young to fight with valor, devotion, and heroism.
War proves nothing is forever, nothing is perfect.
War is mankind’s most transformative event.
Harmon, bottom second from right.
War is a teacher,
war is a test,
war is cruel,
war takes both the willing and the unwilling, the strong and the weak.
War ruins.
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| Saturday 1 October 1949 - The cornerstone dedication ceremony with Sebastian S. Kresge, the Dutchman from Kresgeville and founder of Kmart Corp applies the mortar. |
Life places us on a journey to take in beauty,
War is man’s animation of hell.
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| Wargo in Afghanistan. |
Michael Wargo’s shadow lurks there to remind us that war can absolutely
ruin the strong and the willing.
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| Wargo's parents stand with the background of his monument's cutout. |
Wargo survived the war, to be killed by his survivor’s guilt here at home.
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| Wargo, left, with his pals who didn't make it in Afghanistan. His monument stands as a reminder of all our soldiers who could not survive the ruin of war and lost their battle at home. |
And for some, like Wilbur Warner & George Harmon, the bitterness of war
teaches to our strengths of what is possible,
Because I do believe we have something to learn from extreme bitterness,
that we can better taste life’s beauty and life’s sweetness.
War awakened a force in Wilbur Warner.
Born in 1899, he served in WWI,
He became Lehighton’s most prolific citizen of record.
He formed the first Last Man’s Club,
He was our postmaster,
state and local Elks exalted ruler,
Cancer Crusader chair,
worked to gain the funding for the construction of Lehigh Fire Co #1,
established Lehighton’s Memorial Library,
and spearheaded the construction of the
National Guard Armory in Lehighton.
And he is also the reason we are gathered here today.
Though he was listed as the co-chair, he alone
spearheaded the construction of Lehighton’s first hospital,
fulfilling James Blakeslee’s vision.
He raised $750,000 over 70 years ago, including $5,000 from the Legion,
and $100K from Sebastian S. Kresge of Kmart Corp.
(No small task, a frugal Dutchman from Kresgeville who only ate from
a bagged lunch everyday of his ragged poor and then throughout
his wealthy life - Wilbur’s enthusiasm touched Kresge to then give
$500K to established a hospital in his Monroe County homeland.)
Wilbur died 50 years ago yet we still feel him today, and I can still hear
his voice in the words inscribed on this marker.
I quote: Soon the sentiment crystalized in favor of building a memorial
hospital as a lasting, living, serving tribute.
Let present and future generations of Carbon County citizens ask
themselves, as they gaze upon this structure, “Are we worth dying for?”
I had to read that several times until I could hear him, until I weighed those
words and measured just what Wilbur meant.
“Are we worth dying for?”
Worthiness, what have we, the citizens of Carbon County, done to answer
his question?
Only you can measure what you have been given, only you can answer not i
n word but in deed, what action you must give in return .
I don’t know what worth I can say for myself.
But I feel Wilbur’s vision.
I feel his words,
And I not only feel his strength and willingness, but I also feel his devotion,
And I feel him calling us to action.
“Are we worth dying for?”
Engraved here are the names of almost all who died from Carbon County,
listed by town.
My own uncle name’s appears here: Ezra Kreiss, sunk by a German
S-boat in the English channel on a dry run toward Normandy weeks before D-day.
George “Gene” Semanoff & Willard Reabold are listed here too.
Gene Willard Semanoff was named for them. He’s the Vietnam Vet son of
Joe Semanoff. Joe was one of the bloodied bastards of Bastogne.
Gene lived most of his adult life right next to Gnaden Huetten Hospital,
and all 3 of his children served.
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| Last picture of two brothers off to war - Marine George Gene Semanoff, KIA on Saipan, June 1944. Joe Semanoff survived as one of the Bloodied Bastard's of Bastogne, broke his leg jumping into Belgium, giving him a severe limp his entire life, later became state representative for Carbon County, and is the father of three sons, including Gene Willard Semanoff, father of Jack, Alison, Pete, and Katie. |
Jack served in the Army, and so to did Bronze star Lt Col Pete Semanoff &
Career army physician, West Point grad Col. Alison Semanoff.
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| Mauch Chunk Times News 18 September 1945. Sadly, Cpl Paul Kutalek's name was missed on the memorial plaque. |
But I’d also like to focus on another piece of Wilbur Warner’s words, and I quote:
“To determine what type of memorial should be erected, numerous meeting
were held, participated in by representatives of all walks of life…”
George Harmon was the only African American of our WWI Last Man’s Club.
George was just a poor shoemaker.
Yet he too became a force like Wilbur Warner, and spearheaded efforts alongside
him.
He was Mr. Everything to Lehighton too.
He was an active Legionnaire,
a firefighter,
coached youth baseball,
and not only was Warner’s right hand man in establishing the hospital,
he served in many volunteer capacities there as well.
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| This sign affixed to Lehigh Fire Co #1 shows the sentiment from Lehighton's two fire departments, creating a fictitious Lehigh Fire #3 for Mr. Everything, everyman George Harmon. |
When south First Street burned in Dec 1955, he stayed up all night working
the dispatch radio coordinating emergency services.
In the 1955 flood of Weissport, he secured donations and worked around the
clock making 100 pairs of shoes, for free to help those victims who lost everything.
(George gave in WWI, gave to his town, and gave to his dying day.
Upon his death, he donated his body to furthering science, giving himself up
to be used as a cadaver for medical students at Jefferson Medical School of
Philadelphia.)
War is man’s animation of hell.
War ruins.
And yet war can build men like Wilbur Warner & George Harmon.
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| Wilbur Warner, back left, second full face seen at left & George Harmon, front right, 1950s WWI Last Man's Club Banquet Lehighton Legion Post #314. |
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| Col Alison Semanoff, Army physician, with kids in Afghanistan. |
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| Gene Semanoff with one of his dad's campaign posters at his nuclear missile silo around 1969. |
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| The original plaque from the Gnaden Hutten Memorial Hospital with almost all the names of all Carbon County's dead from WWII. One name missing is Cpl Kutalek who died in Okinawa. The project came as a result of much dedication of Jacob A. Shellhammer of Boy Scout Troop #187 and his Eagle Scout project, and with the help of Elwood Reed, constructed the massive concrete base. |
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| Sept 2019 - Lt Col Pete Semanoff salutes his pal, Clarence Smoyer, hero of the battle of Cologne, hero at Paderborn, after receiving the Bronze Star with Valor, the second highest medal in combat (had General Rose not met his untimely death shortly after, most are convinced Smoyer would have received the Silver Star). Smoyer is the subject of the NYT best-seller "Spearhead" by Adam Makos. (Should anyone like one of the few remaining signed copies of this book, contact me at rabenold@ptd.net.) The Army used this shot as their website banner for several years following this ceremony. |
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| 18 Sept 2019 - This moment almost didn't happen. If it weren't for the combined efforts of Palmerton native and Sgt Major of the Army Dan Daily (Sgt Major of the Army is the second highest position of the army, the highest for a non-commissioned officer, who served Joint Chief of Staff Mark Miley. Along with Kenneth Wong, the Civilian Aide to the Army, these three men were instrumental in making sure Smoyer finally received the recognition he so long deserved. |
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| The dedication ceremony was organized by Kevin "Spike" Long, UVO Commander, along with Dave Matsinko who played Taps.   |
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