Bridgeville American Legion memorial dedicated at Cemetery of Alleghenies

The dedication ceremony for Bridgeville American Legion Post 54’s memorial stone at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies brought back memories for Bob Milliken.

“Many years ago, when this first came here, I worked for an asphalt company in Bridgeville, T.A. Robinson,” the post commander said. “There were just a couple of stones here, and we paved all these roads. As you stand here today and you see everything that’s here in front of us, I’m in awe. I’m really at a loss for words.”

Since its 2008 opening, the 292-acre cemetery in Cecil Township has served as a burial place for members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and Bridgeville Legionnaires are proud to have added a marker in honor of Post 54 inscribed with the words “All gave some … some gave all” plus emblems of all branches of the military.

On June 4, post members joined local officials and well-wishers to give the memorial an official welcome. Among the morning’s speakers was Bridgeville Mayor Betty Copeland.

“I’m thankful for the vision that our American Legion members had, to have this memorial stone here to represent Bridgeville and those who gave their lives so that we might be able to be here today in peace,” she said. “May God bless us all, and please remember these few words: Do your duty that is best; leave unto the Lord the rest.”

The Rev. Dennis Yurochko, pastor of Bridgeville-based Corpus Christi Parish, offered opening and closing prayers, and the vocal trio Voices for Christ — Jonathan McMiller, Rick Young and William D. Hawkins III — provided musical accompaniment, starting with an a cappella version of the patriotic anthem “America.”

“We’d like to dedicate this next song to all of the fallen soldiers’ families, to those who are serving and to those who have already served, for making yourselves available for us to have and enjoy the freedom that we have today,” Young said before the singers launched into a version of “I’m Available to You” by the Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers.

Tony Vercek and son T.J. added further solemnity by their bugle performance of “Taps,” and state Sen. Devlin Robinson, a Bridgeville resident, spoke about the significance of stone markers in cemeteries.

“Why do we choose stones? I guess we all wish our lives and the deeds we do on earth can have a permanence to them,” he said. “Although we look out at these beautiful stones and these markers, each stone is a marker for the body that lies beneath.

“It’s also a marker of what they did in life. They were able to get their birth date and death date. There was just that little dash in between that was supposed to represent our lifetimes.”

The deceased in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies receive some extra recognition.

“Take a look. You’ll see World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Cold War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and some of them even get extra beyond that: Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star,” Robinson said. “Those markers that come up from the earth are more than just marking the bodies. They’re marking the souls, what we have done on earth.”