Honoring Nearly 4,000 Veterans

A VFW Post in Pennsylvania is working hard to honor its veterans.

Members of VFW Post 7134 in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, through the past decade have worked with its town on a veterans monument. But Post member Joe Uhnak said that they couldn't have done it alone.

"The people in Palmerton have always helped us," said Uhnak, an Army veteran. "The Palmerton borough officials were kind enough to approve our request to erect this memorial in the Palmerton."

To honor its area's veterans - living and deceased - with a monument, Uhnak, a Vietnam War veteran, said the Post's goal was to raise $100,000. He added that the Post has raised about $200,000 since 2012 thanks to residents of Palmerton. The monument consists of 24 large stones.

"It contains the names of all those [from Palmerton] who served, from the Civil War to present time," Uhnak said. "As of today, 3,959 names have been engraved on the stone monuments. A special memorial monument dedicated to 'those who gave all' is included."

The town of Palmerton also has a marker to commemorate a July 2016 event where Post 7134 and other organizations hosted the Vietnam Memorial Moving Wall.

Furthermore, the town also is home to a U.S. flag dedicated to former Sgt. Major of the Army, Daniel A. Dailey, located at the entrance of the town near the "Welcome to Palmerton" sign. Uhnak said the 80-foot-tall flagpole, with a 60-by-30-foot flag "can be seen for miles."

More recently, VFW Post 7134 began a program in 2019 to install "Hometown Hero" banners throughout the Palmerton area. The banners feature photos, names and military information listed of the veterans.

"To date, 500 banners are displayed throughout the town," Uhnak said.

This article is featured in the 2021 November/December issue of VFW Checkpoint.

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