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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; The young girl sang her heart out because it was from her heart.</p><p>Madison Dompkosky, Miss Pennsylvania&#8217;s Outstanding Teen 2017 and a volunteer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, stood proudly before about 25 veterans, some in wheelchairs, on Thursday as she sang them a song.</p><p>Dompkosky, 15, Mountain Top, sang Sailor Jerri&#8217;s version of Leonard Cohen&#8217;s &#8220;Hallelujah&#8221; &#8212; it&#8217;s known as &#8220;Veterans Hallelujah.&#8221; Sailor Jerri is a Navy veteran who sings her own version of &#8220;Hallelujah.&#8221;</p><p>With the veterans, family members, VA employees and members of the public crammed into the room, Dompkosky sang:</p><p><em>&#8220;You packed your bags and shut the door. You crossed the sea to fight a war. You didn&#8217;t know just what would happen to ya. </em></p><p><em>&#8220;Stepped in the dirt, boots on the ground and gunfire was the only sound and to yourself you whispered Hallelujah.&#8221; </em></p><p>After the familiar chorus, Dompkosky continued:</p><p><em>&#8220;Every day and every night, you walked the walk, you fought the fight. You never saw the end in sight, now did ya? </em></p><p><em>&#8220;The days awash in a haze of red, the blood, the mud, too many dead. Your weary soul was crying, Hallelujah.&#8221; </em></p><p>After another chorus, Dompkosky went on:</p><p><em>&#8220;Too late to help, you hear a shot. You know you&#8217;re in a deadly spot. You never thought this day would come now did ya? Your brother falls down to the ground. The enemy is all around. From your lips you scream a Hallelujah.&#8221; </em></p><p>After another chorus, Dompkosky sang the final verse:</p><p><em>&#8220;You fought the fight till it was done, you have the strength to carry on. You thought it&#8217;d be much better back home did ya? </em></p><p><em>&#8220;You try each day, keep pushing through. But the battle lives inside of you. It&#8217;s a cold and it&#8217;s a broken Hallelujah.&#8221; </em></p><p>It was an emotional moment &#8212; the song hit home with everyone in the room. The audience knew exactly what Dompkosky was singing about &#8212; the message that Sailor Jerri wanted to send, not just to veterans, but to all Americans. Dompkosky said she couldn&#8217;t wait to sing it.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m honored to be able to sing a patriotic song to these veterans,&#8221; said Dompkosky, a 10th grade student at Wyoming Seminary. &#8220;They have sacrificed so much for my life and all our lives. We all should do everything we can to honor our veterans for all they have done for us.&#8221;</p><p>Fred Starles, 86, of the East End section of Wilkes-Barre, served in Korea and he said the song and the ceremony were &#8220;great&#8221; for the veterans.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s terrific to see this appreciation shown from the public for all veterans,&#8221; Starles said. &#8220;It&#8217;s great to see this support and to thank us for our service.&#8221;</p><p>Sam Greenberg, 90, of Kingston, is chairman of the VA&#8217;s Volunteer Service Board of Directors. Greenberg said honoring veterans is always appreciated.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s all about remembrance,&#8221; Greenberg said. &#8220;Just saying thank you to a veteran goes a long way.&#8221;</p><p>The keynote speaker for the event was David Eisele, Lackawanna County director of Veterans Affairs and a retired corporal in the Marine Corps. Eisele said he is a disabled veteran, having been severely injured in a training accident. </p><p>&#8220;When it happened, there was some doubt if I would ever walk again,&#8221; Eisele said. &#8220;But thanks to this facility and the doctors and staff here, I&#8217;ve come back and I am proud to stand before you today to honor all veterans.&#8221;</p><p>Eisele, 39, thanked the veterans for their sacrifice that kept America free.</p><p>&#8220;These brave men and women who serve our country know the risk going in and they accept it,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Lt. Col. (Ret.) Valerie Boytin, associate director for patient care services at the VA, said there are 22 million veterans living in the U.S.</p><p>&#8220;Every day is Veterans Day,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Veterans have kept us free, but freedom is never free.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The colors are presented at a veterans ceremony at the VA Medical Center in Plains Township on Thursday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL111017veteransVA1.jpg</photo0><caption0>The colors are presented at a veterans ceremony at the VA Medical Center in Plains Township on Thursday afternoon. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL111017veteransVA2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Korean War Army veteran Fred Searles, 86, center, salutes during the veterans ceremony at the VA Medical Center in Plains Township on Thursday afternoon. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL111017veteransVA2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Korean War Army veteran Fred Searles, 86, center, salutes during the veterans ceremony at the VA Medical Center in Plains Township on Thursday afternoon. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL111017veteransVA3TONED.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Marine veteran Jerry Lowe puts his hand on Army veteran and VA resident Mack McQuillia during Thursday&#8217;s ceremony at the VA Medical Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL111017veteransVA3TONED.jpg</photo2><caption2>Marine veteran Jerry Lowe puts his hand on Army veteran and VA resident Mack McQuillia during Thursday&#8217;s ceremony at the VA Medical Center. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | 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>

Girl’s singing wows veterans during VA ceremony