Mercer pulls out all stops to pay tribute to veterans

Dozens of events throughout the area paid tribute to veterans.
MERCER, Pa. -- Present blended with the past and the recreated with the real as military men and equipment went on display on a field near the Mercer County Courthouse on Sunday afternoon.
The encampments were one of the features of the second day of the Mercer Memorial Day 500 celebration. It was one of several events in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys on Sunday honoring veterans.
In Austintown, Korean War veterans held a memorial "Laying of the Roses" ceremony at Austintown Veterans Park for Mahoning Valley soldiers killed in that war. Memorial services for veterans were also held at the VFW post in New Springfield and at Woodland Park in McDonald.
And at the Mercer encampments, the history of American soldiering was brought to life.
"We're portraying the veterans of 140 years ago, but we're proud to be honoring the veterans of today, too," said Doug Taylor of Union City, Pa., the leader of a 23-member Civil War re-enactment group, the Cushings'/Taylors' Battery.
Overlooking no one
Visitors to downtown Mercer on Sunday could also see uniforms, artifacts and equipment from the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm.
Members of a Grove City, Pa.,-based unit of the Pennsylvania National Guard were also there, a reminder of the fact that U.S. soldiers are currently at war.
"The National Guard sometimes gets overlooked, because people think this is only part time," Staff Sgt. Jacob Gatewood, a Mercer native, said.
"But a growing percentage of National Guard members are part of the force in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a different mission than the Guard had 20 years ago."
He said members of his unit, which is an artillery battalion, have been deployed as extra security at NATO headquarters in Brussels and that members of the Hermitage, Pa., unit have served in Iraq in the past year.
Significant accomplishments
Members of the re-enactment groups said the Memorial Day holiday made them think a little more about the significance of what the soldiers of present and past wars have accomplished.
"I think the World War II veterans are our greatest dying national resource," said Duane Siskey of Grove City, Pa. He's a member of a group which re-enacts the campaigns of that era's 101st Airborne Division.
"There aren't a lot of those guys left, and if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't be here holding a weapon."
The World War II Vehicle Museum, located near Hubbard, donated vehicles including a halftrack, a jeep, an armored car and a weapons carrier for use in the encampment.
Korean War recognition
In another corner of the encampment ground, Korean War-era veteran Charlie Brown, 72, of Hubbard sat at a table next to a "deuce-and-a-half," a 1952 Studebaker 2-1/2 ton truck used to carry both cargo and soldiers.
He said that people are now starting to recognize what Korean War veterans have long thought was the nation's forgotten war.
"In three years, the war took more of our GIs than were lost in Vietnam in 10 years," Brown said.
He and several other area veterans were instrumental in establishing the Mercer County Korean War Memorial in West Middlesex. Roses are laid at the memorial on Memorial Day each year in honor of veterans of the war, but this year's ceremony has been postponed to June 25 so that the organizers could participate in the Memorial Day 500.
Stars and stripes
Just a block or so away from the encampments, the streets around the courthouse square were decorated by the 500 flags that give the celebration its name. They were bought by residents last year to be used in future annual celebrations of Memorial Day, event organizer Mark Brown said.
The re-enactments were followed by a patriotic program on the field featuring music by local groups, and presentations about the origins of Memorial Day and other historical facts about the U.S. flag and the military.
The day also featured the running of the Mercer Mile, with a cannon shot from the Cushings'/Taylors' Battery serving as the starting gun. Tom Welsh, 40, of Meadville, Pa., won the race with a time of 4 minutes, 17.84 seconds. Andrew Brown, 18, of Hermitage finished second in 4:19.84.
The Memorial Day celebration today begins with a flag-raising by veterans, followed an 11 a.m. parade along Pitt Street. The parade route ends at Citizen's Cemetery, where a brief program will be held, followed by a community picnic at the encampment grounds from 1 to 3 p.m.