Pa. veterans cemetery dedicated

[thedrifter]

Pa. veterans cemetery dedicated
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 17, 2008 6:37:32 EST

NEWTOWN, Pa. — Officials broke ground Sunday on a long-awaited veterans cemetery in suburban Philadelphia.

Sen. Arlen Specter told the crowd at the dedication ceremony that Americans owe their security and freedom to veterans, and the cemetery is one way of repaying that debt.

“This is not a favor. This is an obligation,” said Specter, R.-Pa., who introduced legislation to create a veterans cemetery in southeastern Pennsylvania more than a decade ago.

Former Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick said Bucks County is uniquely suited for a national veterans cemetery. The site a few miles from where Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware during the Revolutionary War is “hallowed and historic, pristine and pure and peaceful,” Fitzpatrick said.

Construction on the 205-acre cemetery is slated to start in the spring. Burials are expected to start there late next year.

Veterans have been pushing for a cemetery in the Philadelphia area for years. The closest veterans’ cemetery to the Philadelphia area now accepting casket burials is Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Lebanon County, 90 miles to the northwest.

Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Pa., said many World War II veterans are making plans for final resting places, so there was an urgent need to make the cemetery a reality.

Virginia Harman, 85, of Oakford, who joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1944, also attended the ceremony and said she hopes to be buried in the cemetery. So does her 83-year-old brother, John Harman, who served with the Navy in Europe and the Pacific.

“I just want to be among the people I served with,” he said.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Cemetery dedication ‘a long time coming’

By BETTY CICHY



At 86, Henry Apice has had his share of health problems lately, though nothing like the time when he was knocked out by an explosion during the Battle of Iwo Jima and didn’t come to until four days later.

After going through all that, the Marine Corps veteran wasn’t about to let his more recent infirmities keep him away from Sunday’s groundbreaking and dedication of the Washington Crossing National Cemetery.

“It’s such an honor and a privilege,” Apice said, making his way with his cane among the rows of folding chairs in the tent set up for the ceremony. Joining him were hundreds of other veterans and their families who’d come to celebrate another milestone in their long-sought goal of bringing a national veterans cemetery to Bucks County.

“Today was a long time coming,” said Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8, one of several public officials who addressed the crowd during the ceremony.

Since the Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to build a veterans cemetery in Bucks nearly two years ago, the project has been beset by controversy and litigation over zoning, development and other issues. Finally, in March, the VA completed purchase of 205 acres of farmland at Old Dolington and Washington Crossing Roads from its owner, local developer Toll Brothers.

“We cast partisanship aside and worked together as a community — a community that cares deeply for our veterans,” said Murphy, an Iraq War veteran. “We refused to quit in the face of setbacks, because our veterans refused to quit in the face of our enemy.”

Construction on the new cemetery is expected to begin next spring, with the first burials to come in late 2009. The first phase of construction will include about 15,500 gravesites and a public information complex.

“This cemetery will rival Arlington as we pay tribute to the veterans that have served our country,” said Dan Worden, chairman of the Upper Makefield supervisors.

Many different individuals and groups played a role in making the cemetery a reality, Worden said, including the Upper Makefield, Wrightstown and Newtown Township supervisors, the Council Rock school board and many local veterans groups. “We are here today demonstrating that it’s possible for diverse groups to work together,” he said.

Former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, an early advocate of the cemetery project, said Bucks County is uniquely suited to be home to a national veterans cemetery. The site, just a few miles from where Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware, is “hallowed and historic, pristine and pure and peaceful,” Fitzpatrick said.


“We do believe it is a perfect setting, and high enough to bring it, and those who rest here, a little closer to heaven,” he said.

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, who introduced legislation to create a veterans cemetery in Southeastern Pennsylvania more than a decade ago, told the crowd he believes all Americans owe a debt to veterans for their security and freedom. The cemetery, he said, is one way of repaying that debt.

“This is not a gratuity. This is not a favor. This is an obligation,” Specter said.

And it’s an obligation that officials are anxious to meet as quickly as possible. “A lot of our World War II veterans are making plans for final resting places, and that’s why we acted with a sense of urgency to make this a reality,” Murphy said. Oakford resident Virginia Harman, who joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1944, is 85 now, and hopes to stay around long enough that the cemetery will be there when she needs it. She came to the dedication with her brother John Harman, who’s 83 and served with the Navy in Europe and the Pacific.

He’d like to be buried at the veterans cemetery, too. “I just want to be among the people I served with,” he said.

The crowd at the dedication also included younger veterans like Ed Jasiewicz, of Lower Makefield, who retired from the Marines in 2005. At 49, Jasiewicz isn’t sure where he wants to be buried, but likes the idea that there will be a place nearby where veterans are remembered and honored.

“It’s comforting,” he said.

The dedication ceremony concluded with a symbolic groundbreaking by Specter and other officials. “Gentlemen, turn over your shovels,” said WPVITV newscaster Tamala Edwards, the master of ceremonies.

Henry Apice’s wife, Marjorie, felt her chest swell up as the ceremony came to a close with a rifle salute and a performance of taps. “I can’t even express my joy” about the cemetery, she said, looking over at her husband as he made his way to the aisle.

“I just hope he lives long enough to get there.”

Betty Cichy can be reached at 215-949-4171 or bcichy@phillyburbs.com.

Ellie