B TED POTTS
BLANDBURG — This small northeastern Cambria County town near the Blair County border swelled with pride Saturday as residents held Operation Welcome Home to pay tribute to six area Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers who returned in September from Iraq.
The soldiers are Joseph Brown and Walter Fiedor, both local residents; Christopher Baum and Stephen Ponish, both of Coalport; and Jacob McGarvey and Chad Montgomery, both of Fallentimber.
All are graduates of Glendale High School, Flinton.
Brown, Fiedor and Montgomery attended. Baum, McGarvey and Ponish could not attend because of previous commitments, said DeeDee Miles of Fallentimber, who organized and co-chaired Operation Welcome Home with her husband, Terry.
DeeDee Miles credited William Chilcote of Fallentimber, a neighbor, for coming up with the idea for Operation Welcome Home. Chilcote, a Korean War veteran, introduced the honored soldiers Saturday.
DeeDee Miles noted that the event also was held to pay tribute to all veterans returning from foreign soil.
About 500 people attended the program at Reade Township fire hall here and the picnic that followed, also at the fire hall.
Before the program, a parade was held through Blandburg featuring Brown, Fiedor and Montgomery.
Brown said he was surprised and pleased to see the large numbers of people who turned out for the parade and program. He noted he would be returning overseas in January, this time to Afghanistan.
“It’s such a small town to show such a big outpouring of support,” Fiedor said.
“It makes coming home that much better.”
Montgomery termed Saturday’s celebration as “above and beyond.”
“It’s such an honor to see how the community came out to show support for the troops,” Montgomery said.
Brown, Fiedor and Montgomery were presented with plaques as were family members of Baum, McGarvey and Ponish.
A Girl Scout troop from Glendale presented each soldier with a flag inscribed with the soldier’s name and the name of the Scout troop.
State Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Blair County, was among those who made remarks at the ceremony.
“It’s such an honor to be here with these young men,” he said. “Duty, honor and country mean so much to our soldiers.”
Continued Eichelberger:
“We are free today because of what our military has done for us in the past and is doing for us today.”
Frank Mills, state Veterans of Foreign Wars commander, thanked the six honorees for their service as well as all of those serving in the military.
Gary Anders, chairman of Veterans of Foreign Wars District 22’s Department of Homeless Veterans, was master of ceremonies.
Clinton Howard, 90, chaplain of Coalport Veterans of Foreign Wars, gave the invocation. He is a World War II veteran.
David Reffner and his brother, Richard,
70-year-old twins and residents of Coalport, were among those in attendance.
“We came to celebrate the six soldiers who came home. By the grace of God, they made it back home,” David Reffner said.
“Coming here today made me feel good,” Richard Reffner said. “We wanted to honor the soldiers who made it home; a lot didn’t.”
Both are members of the Coalport-based Gospel Light Ministry and rode in the parade with other ministry members.
