Now that the holiday is over, it is worth taking some time to check out some local sites that deserve a look. Located at West Fourth Street and Wahoo Drive in Williamsport is the Lycoming County Veterans Memorial Park. The drive is named after the USS Wahoo, a submarine that was lost with all hands in an epic battle in the Sea of Japan on October 11, 1943. It had destroyed a Japanese freighter but was subsequently attacked, and though it fought bravely, the USS Wahoo was sunk after some 63 depth charges and 40 bombs were used against her. Robert B. Logue, a sailor from Lycoming County, lost his life that October day.

Fast forward to November 21, 1996, when the City of Williamsport accepted the deed to the land on which a submarine monument would be erected. Since that time, the Lycoming County Veterans Council, Inc. has added to the park memorials to those who lost their lives in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. There is even a M60-A3 Battle Tank on display at the park. It is not Arlington, of course, but it is a place to memorialize those who paid the full cost of what Abraham Lincoln spoke of as the “last full measure of devotion.”

The community of Montgomery is also doing its part in remembering those who have fallen to preserve our freedom. A small park located on the corner of Main Street and Houston Avenue has been cleared to make room for an exhibit being contributed by the Montgomery Area Historical Association. It is a small replica of a B-17 “Flying Fortress” that was shot down in World War II over Holland on February 21, 1944, costing the ten lives on board the plane. The aircraft was reported missing, and evidence of crash was not found until 2016. Families that had members on that plane were invited by the Dutch government to a commemoration service for those on that aircraft. The navigator was a Montgomery native, 2ndLt Delmar Decker, whose sister, Marion (Decker) McCormick along with other family members went to Holland for the service held in honor of those lost airmen. Her adventure has been made into a book that she donated to the Historical Society. The aircraft exhibit prepared by Chris and Kaydee Miller of Montgomery, will serve as the foundation for honoring all the Montgomery area residents who lost their lives in serving our country.

Fae Herb, borough council member of Montgomery and also a historical society board member, has been focused on local vets for months, originally becoming curious about a WWI monument at Fairview Cemetery in Montgomery. She made a presentation on that monument at a recent historical society meeting and has been featuring bios of fallen vets on the local community’s Facebook page.

Lycoming County is privileged to have so many who are working so hard to commemorate the memory of those who made this sacrifice for our freedom. This is especially important since we live in a day when many believe that this is not only unnecessary but even a dangerous attitude to hold. Yet the reason why the official language of our country is not German, or Japanese, or even Russian today is because of every person who chose to wear the uniform of the Armed Forces of the United States and fight for the values it stands for.

And some have had to die for.

For those who want to go beyond our local memorials, consider making the trip to the Medal of Honor Grove at Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge. The stories of those heroes is breathtaking. For those who cannot afford a trip, consider reading the new book by US Senator Tom Cotton. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Cotton joined the US Army in 2005 and did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In between those tours he served in the Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. His book has just been released, Sacred Duty: A Soldier’s Tour at Arlington National Cemetery (Marrow Press), and is a riveting account of the Old Guard and the history of Arlington National Cemetery and of the countless heroes on those nearby sacred grounds. Memorial Day may be over for this year, but we should not wait until next year to keep these heroes in our hearts.