ARMED FORCES

ARMED FORCES

VETERANS

Rose ceremony

WEST MIDDLESEX, PA.

A Laying of the Roses ceremony is planned for 1 p.m. June 14 at the Mercer County Korean War Memorial located 3.5 miles west of West Middlesex, Pa., on state Route 318 near the Oak Tree Country Club, 48 State Line Road.

Col. Larry Sheetz from the Hermitage, Pa., Department of Veterans Affairs will be the main speaker. Guests are invited to lay a rose at the memorial to honor those lost. The master of ceremonies is Rod Husler.

All veterans organizations are invited to attend. For information, call Dave James at 724-962-1485 or John Pariza in Ohio at 330-782-1326.

Commission meetings

YOUNGSTOWN

Effective Tuesday, weekly meetings of the Mahoning County Veterans Service Commission will take place at 9 a.m. in the Oakhill Renaissance Place, 345 Oak Hill Ave., Building A, Suite 100.

Expanded options

WASHINGTON

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, applauded the Senate’s recent swift action to unanimously pass legislation he co-sponsored that expands veterans’ health care options under the Access to Community Care for Veterans Act of 2015.

The act allows more veterans to use the Veterans Choice Program, which enables veterans to access non-Veterans Affairs care using a Choice Card.

Veterans who live within 40 miles of a VA medical facility, including a community-based outpatient clinic, but require specialty care, cannot use their Choice Card to access care outside of the VA health system.

If the Access to Community Care for Veterans Act of 2015 is passed by the House, it would amend the program to allow these veterans to use their Choice Card at other medical centers, recognizing that some veterans require care that is not offered at their local VA medical facility. The bill would require the VA to calculate the 40-mile eligibility requirement to reflect driving distance instead of using straight line distance.

RETIREMENT

ELLSWORTH

Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer Frank R. Pater, a 1989 graduate of Western Reserve High School in Berlin Center, retired May 22 after 26 years of service that included multiple duty assignments in the United States and deployments around the world.

Pater, son of Marcia Pater of Ellsworth and the late Michael Pater, retired as senior chemical biological radiological nuclear at the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force, Indian Head, Md., to which he was assigned in February 2013.

During his career, Pater served in the first Gulf War in 1991 and had three deployments to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

In December 1992, Pater, then a lance corporal, was transferred to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 (VMFA-251), a F/A-18 Hornet unit known as the “Thunderbolts.” While assigned to VMFA-251, Pater deployed to Iwakuni, Japan, and Aviano, Italy, in support of operations in Bosnia, and also served aboard the USS America supporting Operations Southern Watch and Joint Endeavour.

In February 2005, Pater was promoted to warrant officer, attended the Warrant Officer Basic Course in Quantico, Va., and then received training at the CBRN course at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. In September 2006, he was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 7th Marine Regiment, and while deployed to Iraq, he was battalion CBRN officer, Headquarters and Service Co. executive officer and Anti-Terrorism Force Protection officer.

He served in similar positions of leadership with the 2nd Tank Battalion, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; Marine Air Group 14, Cherry Point, N.C.; and the United States Special Operation Command, Tampa, Fla.

Pater’s awards and decorations: a Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation (Gold Star in lieu of third award), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal (Gold Star in lieu of second award), National Defense Medal (bronze star in lieu of second award), Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (silver star and three bronze stars in lieu of eighth award), Navy and Marine Corps Over Seas (bronze star in lieu of second award), Marine Security Guard Award and the Combat Action Award.

He is married to the former Jaime Lee Cozzo of Greenford, Ohio. The couple lives in Gettysburg, Pa., with their children, Matthew, 11, and Chase, 8.

DEPLOYED

WARREN

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Thomas, a 1999 Warren G. Harding High School graduate, is an air crewman with a helicopter squadron that flies the Navy’s newest and most technologically advanced helicopter, the MH-60R Sea Hawk, as part of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 75, based out of San Diego.

The squadron deploys around the world aboard a variety of Navy ships.

As a naval air crewman for tactical helicopter, Thomas’ responsibilities are similar to that of a helicopter medic. He is a search-and-rescue swimmer, operates the sonar boom to locate submarines and is a door gunner for surface warfare.

“This is easily the coolest job in the Navy. I love the search-and-rescue mission and supporting humanitarian assistance. It’s very rewarding. I love defending my country, and am never ashamed to tell someone I’m in the Navy. My family is very proud,” Thomas said.

BASIC TRAINING GRADS

Air Force: Reserve Airman Alexis M. Cline (Howland High School, ’13), daughter of Kimberly L. Antonell of Leavittsburg and Floyd E. Cline of Canfield; Airman 1st Class Adam Chudnofsky (Youngstown State University, ’12), son of Carl and Marcy Chudnofsky of Villanova, Pa.; Airman Jesse R. Walmer (General McLane High School, Edinboro, Pa.), son of John Walmer of McKean, Pa., and brother of Corey Walmer of Canfield.

Army: Pvt. Deon L. Gilbert (Youngstown Christian High School, ’12), son of Kim Snyder and grandson of Patricia Mabry, both of Youngstown.

ROTC

GROVE CITY, PA.

Nicolas A. Ferrera has received an Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship to attend the University of Louisville, Ky.

Scholarship entitlements include tuition and fees, an annual allowance of $600 for textbooks and a monthly stipend for up to 10 months of each school year for contracted cadets at the host college or university.

Upon graduation and completion of the ROTC program, the student cadet receives a bachelor’s degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. All ROTC students incur an active-duty obligation of four years (10 years for pilots).

Ferrera is the son of Anthony G. and Jennifer S. Ferrera of Crestwood, Ky., and grandson of Darlene Shaner of Grove City, Pa.

ACADEMY NEWS

MINERAL RIDGE

Cole R. Palmer, a 2011 graduate of Mineral Ridge High School, recently graduated from the Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and was commissioned an ensign.

Palmer, the son of Robert and Shari Palmer of Mineral Ridge and grandson of Ed and Patricia Palmer of Austintown and John and Geri Tomko of Canfield, was nominated to the academy by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th.

While at the academy, Palmer was a manager of the men’s diving team for four years and had leadership positions as a training sergeant, physical missions sergeant, training officer and executive officer.

He also worked on projects for General Electric and NASA, and his rocket team sent a patch with their names on it on the test flight of Orion on Dec. 5, 2014, that will be on display at the Naval Academy Office of Aerospace Engineering.

Items of note for the Armed Forces Digest can be sent to The Vindicator, Regional Desk, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501-0780, or emailed to William Alcorn at alcorn@vindy.com.