Military Appreciation Month
Centre recognizes military families
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BELLEFONTE -- The Centre County Commissioners have proclaimed November as Military Appreciation Month in the county.
Brian Querry, Director of Veterans' Affairs in Centre County, Zack Moore, Vice President of Government and Community Relations at Penn State, and Eugene McFeely, Senior Director of Veterans Affairs and Services at Penn State University, were in attendance on Tuesday to talk about the importance of Military Appreciation Month and the partnership between State College Borough and Penn State.
McFeely briefly spoke about the theme this year, "Military Family."
"While our military families don't wear the uniform, they certainly serve alongside our service members and make a lot of sacrifices along the way," said McFeely.
The festivities will be kicking off in State College Borough on Nov. 3, with the unveiling of this year's Veteran Banners. This will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Avenue, State College.
Immediately following the event, the Penn State Military Appreciation Committee will be kicking off the month with a showing of "Top Gun -- Maverick" and encourages you to dress as your favorite "Top Gun" character. Cocktails will begin at 7 p.m. with the movie beginning at 8 p.m. The cost for this event is $18 for an adult and $14 for students.
All proceeds from the event will support the Penn State Military Student Fund.
More information on Penn State's plans for Military Appreciation Month can be found at militaryappreciation.psu.edu/
"Penn State does a lot of interesting things in the community. We get some praise occasionally and some criticism occasionally. We understand that and appreciate that. In my mind, this is the best of Penn State. This is about the best that we can do. I'm so proud to be associated with this event and to work with Eugene on this. He's done an amazing job of ramping it up to the level that it is. Military appreciation -- we're building it into the culture of Penn State over the last decade or so -- it's a really important part of who we are and what we do," said Moore.
"Throughout the county we have a long, rich history of military service... it demonstrates that we have a large population of veterans and their families that reside here in Centre County. The work that Penn State, and the outreach that you folks have done and that the county Veterans Affairs office has done and, of course, the federal folks... Just a huge shout to all service members past, present and let's throw the future in there, too, because we do have a volunteer force that provides the safety and security that we all enjoy," said Commissioner Steven Dershem.
Querry had a quick reminder for the Commissioners and those listening.
"In Bellefonte, (events) are usually in front of the courthouse but this year because of the construction we'll be down at Talleyrand Park at the gazebo. It's still on 11/11 at 11 a.m., but down at the gazebo in Talleyrand Park. Also the courthouse will be lit up with green lights in honor of our veterans from the 5th to the 12th of this month," said Querry.
Chair Mark Higgins complimented Querry and all that their office does.
"Thank you very much Brian. Your office does a great job and usually has some of the best statistics in the entire state for how much you help veterans and how much additional money you recover for them from the military service... Centre County has a long history of volunteering for the military dating back to the war of 1812, which is the first war after the founding of Centre County in 1800," said Higgins.
Querry also reminded veterans that the PACT Act is still "out there."
"Obviously there's a big push before August, yes that date ended but you can still put claims in. For those vets -- Vietnam vets that maybe have high blood pressure and a few other things -- if they haven't claimed, that we want to do those kinds of claims for them. Contact my office. For those vets that were in the Middle East -- Afghanistan, surrounded by the burn pits -- pretty much any respiratory issues or cancer associated with that they can put a claim in," said Querry.
He encouraged those who haven't contacted him yet to call his office at (814) 355-6812.
"With Veteran's Day coming up, it’s such an important time for everyone in our community to reflect on the sacrifices that have been made by our veterans. And for those who have these ongoing health impacts from their service, it's an ongoing sacrifice. We really appreciate you bringing these topics to light and giving us the opportunity to express appreciation for our veterans," said Commissioner Amber Concepcion.
In other news:
-- Deadline to request a mail-in ballot was Oct. 31, 2023 for the 2023 Municipal Election.
-- Ballot drop box locations will be closing on Nov. 6 at 9 a.m. for the 2023 Municipal Election.
-- Anyone interested in becoming a Poll worker or assisting with the counting of ballots should contact the Elections Office at 814-355-6703.
-- Centre County Government Offices will be closed on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023, in observance of Veteran's Day.
-- The Board of Commissioners meeting for Tuesday, Nov. 7, is canceled due to the Municipal Election.