Ten Luzerne County school district unions bargaining for contracts

web1_warmemorial03.jpg

A monumental effort to honor WWII veterans in Plymouth

<p>PLYMOUTH &#8212; Like the freedom they fought to preserve, the names of these World War II veterans will live forever.</p><p>Thanks to Charles and June Steinhauer and Son Ae Filchak, the 12th Ward Memorial at the corner of Second and Reynolds Street in Plymouth has been preserved for future generations.</p><p>This is smack dab in the middle of my childhood neighborhood. Ecky and Mary Kraynack lived there when I was growing up and we played in the shadow of this Honor Roll.</p><p>We played tag and up-against &#8212; throwing a rubber ball against the wall for a makeshift baseball game. We played hide and seek and sometimes hid behind the Honor Roll. We knew nobody would look there because Ecky would yell at us if we got too close.</p><p>We learned early on to respect the Honor Roll and all the people whose names were listed. Out of that grew a respect for all veterans. Those on the 12th Ward Honor Roll in Plymouth were special, but only as special as all veterans who fought for us to assure we lived in a free country.</p><p>My dad&#8217;s name is on that Honor Roll &#8212; William O&#8217;Boyle &#8212; as is the name of his brother, James, and those of my mother&#8217;s brothers John and Leo Kraszewski. And every WWII veteran from our neighborhood is listed there.</p><p>And now their names are in bronze, as resilient as each veteran&#8217;s determination to fight for their country &#8212; our country.</p><p>There aren&#8217;t enough words to properly thank Son Ae and Charles and June for all they did to ensure the Honor Roll was preserved. When the old, original Honor Roll deteriorated to the point that it couldn&#8217;t be saved, these three people stepped to the plate.</p><p>Charles and June accepted the responsibility of having the Honor Roll in their yard and Son Ae&#8217;s generosity guaranteed the Honor Roll would be permanent so that future generations would be able to see it and remember what all veterans did for all of us.</p><p>At the ceremony, state Sen. John Yudichak talked about family. He talked about the families of those listed on the Honor Roll, the families of all veterans, and of all families who appreciate and respect veterans.</p><p>He&#8217;s right, the Honor Roll does represent families. And families are what make this country strong. Restoring the 12th Ward Honor Roll was important because it keeps the spirit of family and patriotism alive. Neighborhoods like the one at Second and Reynolds Street were built and made strong by families.</p><p>Those neighborhoods grew into towns and made each strong. Towns grew into counties and counties into states and states into our country &#8212; the United States of America. So it is crucial that we remember the strength of those families, from the neighborhoods on up and that we remain thankful &#8212; that we are all one, big, patriotic family.</p><p>Before the ceremony, I sat in the Steinhauer&#8217;s kitchen petting Louie, their English bulldog. I grew up across the street from that kitchen, at 210 Reynolds St. It was that kitchen that I ran to on the morning of May 10, 1968, when I got the phone call that my mom had died.</p><p>I ran to Ecky and Mary Kraynack for comfort and guidance. Mrs. K. called my dad at work to tell him what had happened. The phone still rests on the wall in the exact same place that it did on that day.</p><p>Being in that kitchen again got me thinking about my parents &#8212; about my dad and his military service. My dad hit a beach in Northern France, stepped on a land mine and his right leg was blown off. He returned to Plymouth, to that neighborhood, and resumed his life.</p><p>He worked a full-time job. He co-founded the Plymouth Little League. He married my mom and he brought me into this world. He belonged to all veterans&#8217; organizations. He was a true patriot &#8212; a hero, a role model.</p><p>This poem just came out as I sat in the Steinhauer&#8217;s kitchen:</p><p>Just another name</p><p>On the Honor Roll</p><p>Just another soldier</p><p>Just another hero.</p><p>.</p><p>Just another boy</p><p>Off to fight a war</p><p>Just another boy</p><p>Doing a man&#8217;s job.</p><p>.</p><p>Just another sacrifice</p><p>Of bravery and valor</p><p>Just another life yet to live</p><p>Just another legacy.</p><p>.</p><p>Just another husband</p><p>A father to a child</p><p>Just another community leader</p><p>Just another voice.</p><p>.</p><p>Just another brick</p><p>In the community wall</p><p>Just another role model</p><p>Just like all the rest.</p><p>.</p><p>My dad was a great man. He served his country. He lived a good life.</p><p>He is just one story &#8212; just one name on this Honor Roll.</p><p>But his story has been repeated time and again. By fellow veterans, who served their country and community &#8212; who collectively made our country strong.</p><p>That&#8217;s why it was so important to keep that Honor Roll standing. To show all who pass by, all who stop and look, that these are just some of the men and women who represent all who fought for our freedom and who built our communities.</p><p>Like Sen. Yudichak said, we are all one big family.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_warmemorial011.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Son Ae Filchak, left, June and Charles Steinhauer receive certificates of appreciation for their work in restoring the 12th Ward World War II Honor Roll in Plymouth during Saturday&#8217;s dedication at the American Legion in Plymouth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_warmemorial011.jpg</photo0><caption0>Son Ae Filchak, left, June and Charles Steinhauer receive certificates of appreciation for their work in restoring the 12th Ward World War II Honor Roll in Plymouth during Saturday&#8217;s dedication at the American Legion in Plymouth. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_warmemorial021.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The 12th Ward World War II Honor Roll in Plymouth. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_warmemorial021.jpg</photo1><caption1>The 12th Ward World War II Honor Roll in Plymouth. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_OBoyle_Columnshot-1-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_OBoyle_Columnshot-1-.jpg</photo2><caption2>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption2><photoCredit2>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

In Focus: Plymouth Honor Roll restores more than names