Members of military inducted as Hampton Heroes

Each year, Hampton Township School District honors members of the military, past and present, as Hampton Heroes.

Traditionally, the ceremony for new inductees took place on an alternating basis at the high school, middle school or an elementary building.

“During the pandemic, we decided to move this outside,” Superintendent Michael Loughead said during this year’s event. “I don’t think we’re ever going to go back inside again. Every time we come out, the weather is beautiful. It allows us to celebrate together and to invite as many guests as possible.”

Indeed, clear skies and unseasonably warm temperatures greeted the Nov. 3 ceremony at Fridley Field, with members of the community joining the high school student body in welcoming the Hampton Heroes Class of 2022:

• Sgt. First Class Shawn Barber, a Hampton High School graduate who has served in the U.S. Army since 2002, including 14 years in Special Operations Command. He has deployed 13 times for combat and diplomatic missions in Iraq, Syria, Colombia and Honduras.

Barber, whose active status precluded his attendance at the ceremony, plans to retire from the Army in spring and relocate with his family to the Pittsburgh area.

• Sgt. Nicholas DiCaprio, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam from February 1967 through October 1968. A lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3945 and American Legion Post 785, he is mentioned in the book “Impact Zone: The Battle of the DMZ in Vietnam, 1967-1968,” a combat memoir by fellow Marine James S. Brown.

• Cpl. Robert Gettings, who joined the Marines in September 1970. He was stationed at the Guantanamo Bay military base and also served with a reconnaissance battalion at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

• Petty Officer 3rd Class John E. Myros, who was in the Navy Seabees from 1967 to 1969. He was wounded in action in July 1968 while serving in Vietnam.

• Sgt. Patrick James Peavornick, active in the Marine Corps from 1965 to 1968, served in Vietnam during the middle two years. He received two Purple Hearts

“Let me say how humbled and honored I feel to be at this podium with these incredible veterans,” Loughead said.

The ceremony’s guest speaker was Dr. Elaine Berkowitz, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and practicing dentist in the North Hills. She has written an autobiography, “Live Life … Love Country,” about her time in the military from enlisting in 1974 to retiring in 2012.

“In Iraq, I promised my friends here at home I wouldn’t volunteer to do anything dangerous,” she said about one of her deployments. “But I did. I went out as the only medical person in a caravan to treat the people in the villages, little in the way of dentistry, but big in the way of first aid.”

Twice, she was flown out of the country for treatment of injuries, including at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Berkowitz also served in the Republic of Kosovo, which last year presented her with a doctor honoris causa, an honorary title recognizing her work in helping to provide health care for the nation’s citizens and educating medical professionals.

“I taught physicians and dentists how to organize a forensic group to identify bodies with dental records,” she said as an example.

To open the Hampton Heroes event, high school band member Brooks Brady performed “Reveille.” Classmates Jason Andrews and Brittney Towers closed the proceedings by playing “Taps.”

In between, the Hampton High School Choir sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” under the direction of Ryan Meyer. The school’s wind ensemble, directed by Chad Himmler, performed “Marches of the Armed Forces” and “America, the Beautiful.”

Marlee Rudy, president of the high school history club, gave a brief overview of Veterans Day, which originally was called Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. In 1954, Congress changed the name to honor veterans of all wars.

Other students taking an active part in the ceremony included Molly Bernett, Kelly Gibson, Ben Ritz and Kai Suyama.

Following the event, six veterans visited the high school, bringing military memorabilia, for a “living museum experience.”

“Please take time during your lunch period to talk with the veterans and also to thank them for their service,” Rebecca Cunningham, school district assistant superintendent, told the students.

High school principal Marguerite Imbarlina expressed collective gratitude to the honored guests.

“On behalf of the faculty, staff and students of Hampton High School, I want to thank you for your service to our country, your unwavering commitment to freedom and your willingness to make sacrifice for others,” she said. “We recognize that your commitment to democracy does not come without a price, and we will forever be thankful for your service.”