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Happy birthday Michaela Elizabeth Shillabeer!

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Edwardsville police arrest Luis Ortiz on child sex crimes charges

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; They are everywhere. Some live on your street. Some may live next door.</p><p>They go about their daily business without seeking to be noticed. They are all members of the same club. They are men and women. They are all brave.</p><p>They are veterans.</p><p>Today we pause to remember and honor all veterans of all wars. We honor those, especially, who gave their lives for all of us. We take time this day to remember, honor and thank those who still walk among us.</p><p>But this should not be an annual observance. We should not reduce recognizing and acknowledging the magnitude of their service to one day.</p><p>Every day should be Veterans Day.</p><p>When we see a veteran, we should smile. When we meet a veteran, we should offer a sincere thank you. When we hear a veteran speak, we should listen.</p><p>Those veterans who survived their time in battle still wear the scars of war. Some you can see &#8212; a missing limb, an altered gait, a hidden struggle. Many came back whole, their bodies and minds intact, not as affected by the sights, sounds and realities of war.</p><p>Those of us who have never worn a military uniform can never truly understand. We can only offer our deepest gratitude every day.</p><p>I grew up with a veteran. My Dad, William O&#8217;Boyle, was a young man when he went off to war in the early 1940s. He was known for being a good athlete, an accomplished swimmer and roller skating champ. He loved to play baseball, football and basketball.</p><p>He returned home without his right leg. The story he told me was he ran onto a beach in northern France and stepped on a land mine. He went one way, his leg went the other.</p><p>He woke up in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital and was told his right leg was gone. He was taken to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he recovered.</p><p>He returned home to his family and friends. He never felt sorry for himself. Like all veterans, my dad accepted what had happened and went about his life.</p><p>He got a job that he worked for 30 years. He got involved in the community. He and his friend co-founded the Plymouth Little League. He married and had a son &#8212; me.</p><p>He made a life for us. He attended every game I ever played in and he always offered good advice.</p><p>When my mother died in May of 1968, just a month before my high school graduation, Dad was always there as I navigated through my early life.</p><p>He was not unlike most veterans I have known. These are men and women who proudly served their country and never once questioned why. They did their jobs and they accepted the consequences.</p><p>And collectively, through 12 wars in our history, they preserved our freedom.</p><p>That&#8217;s why I was so proud to see the old 12th Ward Memorial Honor Roll restored in my old neighborhood in Plymouth. That&#8217;s why the three people responsible for that &#8212; Son Ae Filchak and Charles and June Steinhauer &#8212; will forever be in my thoughts and prayers.</p><p>That Honor Roll contains the names of the veterans who served in World War II who lived in the 12th Ward. But it also represents the souls of every veteran who ever served our country. It represents what made this country strong and who kept it free.</p><p>We should attend those ceremonies that honor veterans. We should pause and say thank you to all who have served.</p><p>But don&#8217;t stop there. Keep all veterans in your minds and in your hearts. Remember and respect what each has done. They are all heroes who walk our streets, our shopping malls and our health care facilities.</p><p>Veterans don&#8217;t seek attention, but they sure enjoy recognition, even if it&#8217;s only a handshake and a thank you. It&#8217;s the least we can do for these brave men and women who risked life and limb to assure we live in a free country.</p><p>I often think of what was going through my Dad&#8217;s mind when he was on that boat about to hit the beach and he and his fellow soldiers were about to rush out to meet the enemy. I wonder what all of them were thinking. I wonder how they gathered the courage to put their personal safety aside for the sake of us back home.</p><p>All of them knew of the reality that some &#8212; make that many &#8212; would not return home alive. They knew many of them would never see their loved ones again. They knew many of them would never live out their lives to get married, have children, buy a new car, a home, or see the smile of a grandchild.</p><p>And they still charged that beach. They still searched those jungles. They still crossed those deserts.</p><p>God bless America and God bless all veterans.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-6.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_warmemorial031.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The 12th Ward World War II Honor Roll in Plymouth was refurbished earlier this year. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_warmemorial031.jpg</photo1><caption1>The 12th Ward World War II Honor Roll in Plymouth was refurbished earlier this year. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></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: How different would Wyoming Valley and beyond be if veterans didn’t valiantly serve?