Veterans Honored During Special Ceremony At Cemetery Of The Alleghenies
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Veterans Day is a time to pay respect to those who have served our country, both in the past and presently.
For people in the Pittsburgh area, it is an especially reverent time. Allegheny County has the largest population of veterans out of all the counties in Pennsylvania.
This morning, a ceremony was held at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Washington County to honor veterans.
The ceremony lasted just under an hour.
In addition to playing "Taps" and a rifle salute, the Canon-MacMillan High School Band performed. A ceremonial wreath was also placed in the cemetery to honor all the prisoners of war and soldiers who went missing in action.
Dozens of veterans came to this morning's event to hear the keynote speaker, Brigadier Gen. Lawrence T. Luba, who retired from the U.S. Army and lives in Peters Township.
"Between my wife who has over 35, she had two tours in Iraq, my son had two tours in Afghanistan; so my wife, my son, and my daughter-in-law, we have 75 years of service," said Luba.
It was a time for personal reflections at a national cemetery much closer to home than Arlington.
It's just like Arlington here. When I first came here, it's just like Arlington, and of course, this is where I wanted our loved one to be laid," said Ercell Martin, the widow of a veteran.
"It means a lot. My father just passed on Aug. 31, and to be here with all the veterans that have served in this great cemetery, it means a lot," added Marlon Martin, a veteran's son.
As of September, 9,500 people have been buried at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies since the site was dedicated in 2005.
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