thedrifter
09-29-08, 07:31 AM
Philharmonic honors veterans
By AMANDA SMITH-TEUTSCH Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: September 29, 2008
WARREN - Local veterans were honored Sunday with a special performance given by the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra at the W.D. Packard Music Hall.
"I think it's super," Ernest Hyyti of Cortland said of the honor. Hyyti, a retired Marine Corps sergeant, served for 19 years with the Marines, having joined out of high school. He was serving in China when World War II broke out. He fought in Saipan and Okinawa, and became a gunsmith after he left the military.
"Lately the community has been doing so much for veterans," he said.
Philharmonic music director and conductor Susan Davenny Wyner led the orchestra in "Celebration and Remembrance: A tribute honoring our veterans and those who lost lives and loved ones in service of their ideals."
The program opened with the Trumbull County Honor Guard presenting the flags of The United States, the state of Ohio, the POW/MIA flag and the flags of all the branches of the military. The orchestra played the national anthem while the curtains opened to reveal a large American flag hanging on stage. Music selections included the Light Cavalry Overture, the "1812" Overture and a medley of songs from the different branches of the U.S. military.
"It was an honor to serve, and I'm honored to be here," said William Grove of Mecca, who served in WWII and the Korean War.
George Hart of New Wilmington served in the Navy and the Merchant Marines in WWII and was drafted as a physician for the Navy in Korea and Vietnam. He said he appreciated the efforts by local communities to honor those who serve, and thanked the VFW in his hometown for decorating the graves of veterans for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
He did not, however, have compliments for some in the national bureaucracy.
"Look at what happened at Walter Reed," he said, referring to the revelation last year of substandard conditions and improper treatment of some soldiers at the Washington, D.C., hospital.
"Our bureaucracy bungled that." The scandal was a disservice to the nation's soldiers, he said.
ateutsch@tribtoday.com
Ellie
By AMANDA SMITH-TEUTSCH Tribune Chronicle
POSTED: September 29, 2008
WARREN - Local veterans were honored Sunday with a special performance given by the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra at the W.D. Packard Music Hall.
"I think it's super," Ernest Hyyti of Cortland said of the honor. Hyyti, a retired Marine Corps sergeant, served for 19 years with the Marines, having joined out of high school. He was serving in China when World War II broke out. He fought in Saipan and Okinawa, and became a gunsmith after he left the military.
"Lately the community has been doing so much for veterans," he said.
Philharmonic music director and conductor Susan Davenny Wyner led the orchestra in "Celebration and Remembrance: A tribute honoring our veterans and those who lost lives and loved ones in service of their ideals."
The program opened with the Trumbull County Honor Guard presenting the flags of The United States, the state of Ohio, the POW/MIA flag and the flags of all the branches of the military. The orchestra played the national anthem while the curtains opened to reveal a large American flag hanging on stage. Music selections included the Light Cavalry Overture, the "1812" Overture and a medley of songs from the different branches of the U.S. military.
"It was an honor to serve, and I'm honored to be here," said William Grove of Mecca, who served in WWII and the Korean War.
George Hart of New Wilmington served in the Navy and the Merchant Marines in WWII and was drafted as a physician for the Navy in Korea and Vietnam. He said he appreciated the efforts by local communities to honor those who serve, and thanked the VFW in his hometown for decorating the graves of veterans for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
He did not, however, have compliments for some in the national bureaucracy.
"Look at what happened at Walter Reed," he said, referring to the revelation last year of substandard conditions and improper treatment of some soldiers at the Washington, D.C., hospital.
"Our bureaucracy bungled that." The scandal was a disservice to the nation's soldiers, he said.
ateutsch@tribtoday.com
Ellie