Parade of Heroes Coming: Muncie County to Host Annual Lycoming County Veterans Day Parade | News, Sports, Vacancies

A prayer is said before the start of the Lycoming County Veterans Parade in the Jersey Shore on November 5, 2022. Hundreds of people came to watch the hour-long parade, which was held this year in the Jersey Shore center. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Don’t miss the annual Lycoming County Veterans Day Parade in Muncie, which begins at 2:00 pm on November 9, featuring a retired Army Staff Sergeant as the Parade Grand Marshal and a US Marine as the Parade Ambassador. It is held two days before the official Veterans Day holiday.

This year’s parade will begin on Musser Lane at 12:30 p.m. According to Doug Lane, president of the Lycoming County Veterans Parade Commission, the parade takes place in different communities each year and will end promptly at 2 p.m.

“We invite everyone to come out and show their support for our country’s veterans,” – he said.

This year’s parade will feature military contingents, bands led by the Muncie and Hughesville high school bands and other guest bands from area high schools, he said.

Viewers can look for floats, fire companies, police and first responders, antique cars and motorcycle clubs.

The Nittany Highland Pipe Band, made up of musicians from central Pennsylvania, will also take part in the parade. Founded in 1973 near Pennsylvania State University, the group maintains an active schedule of parades and performances to promote and perpetuate the skills and traditions of Highland piping and Scottish drumming.

The parade will be led by the Pennsylvania State Police, followed by Veterans of Foreign Wars Color Guard Post 3428 Edward J. Smith, Parade Staff Sergeant Grand Marshal. Charles E. Schreck and parade ambassador Sgt. Barron L. Zimmers, USMC.

The inspection stand will be located at Brelsford Motors and the inspector will be Staff Sgt. Martin Payne, a Vietnam War veteran, will be flanked by two judges, Anne Marie Baker and Alivia Tagliaferri.

An honor guard from the Jersey Shore Veterans Council will be present at the event. After Father Bert Cozen offers a prayer and invocation, the National Anthem is played, the Honor Guard fires a 21-gun salute and drums are played in honor of deceased veterans.

“Muncie is proud to host the Lycoming County Veterans Day Parade.” said City Council member Bill Scott.

“The city proudly honors and recognizes our nation’s veterans and military personnel,” he added.

“We are thrilled that the Muncie area will host a Veterans Day Parade this year…and look forward to you joining us in honoring our veterans.”

The parade route runs from Masser Lane down Main Street to Mechanic Street. It’s not too late to be part of the parade, Scott noted.

Schreck grew up in the Watsontown area and graduated from Warrior Run High School.

He joined the Navy on January 9, 1961, and went to basic training at Great Lakes, Illinois, and then to Memphis, Tennessee, for Class A Aircraft Mechanical Engineer School.

From there he went to the 31st Airborne Anti-Submarine Squadron at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The squadron was stationed aboard the USS Wasp CVS-18.

“We were on the Atlantic station for John Glenn’s space flight in 1962, and then we left there for President John F. Kennedy’s Goodwill Tour to the North Atlantic.” – said Shrek.

In 1963, Schreck was part of a squadron aboard the aircraft carrier USS-Wasp during the Cuban blockade.

From there he returned to Memphis, attended Aircraft Machinist School B and Naval Air Station Beeville, Texas, where he was assigned to Training Squadron 26 in the Airframe Maintenance Division, repairing F-11 and F-11s. 9J.

Recovery of Apollo 12

In 1969, Schreck was transferred to the aircraft carrier USS Hornet CVS-12, which was flown to Long Beach for the Apollo 12 recovery team. He was discharged from the Navy on January 9, 1970 as an aviation construction mechanic 1st class.

In 1977, Schreck joined the U.S. Army Reserve as Specialist 5 and trained as a supply specialist.

He then received the rank of staff sergeant.

In September 1980, Schreck transferred to the 3rd Battalion, Company B. 35th Infantry Regiment, Worcester, as a supply sergeant, on December 30, 1980, he was transferred to the USAR Control Group, St. Louis, and was discharged on October 30, 1984. .

In November 1990, Schreck joined the F-728th Maint of the US Army National Guard. Bn. in Lock Haven as a staff sergeant. He then trained at Indiantown Gap to maintain the M-1 tank. The division changed its designation to Co. D 728th Main Support Bn. and he retired in January 1999.

Schreck was a lifelong member of the Muncie VFW, where he served as commander three times and was quartermaster for the past 28 years.

He is also a member of American Legion Post 268 and past president of the Lycoming County Veterans Council.

Zimmers was born on June 14, 1947 in Somerset and grew up in Berlin.

A 1965 graduate of Berlin Brothers-Valley High School, Zimmers originally planned to enlist in the Air Force, but had to wait six months due to a spinal meningitis quarantine at Lackland Air Force Base.

In March 1966, he enlisted in the Marine Corps at Johnstown and a month later was stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon completion of boot camp, Zimmers was sent to Camp Lejeune, Camp Geiger and Camp Stone Bay in North Carolina for infantry training.

After a short vacation, he received orders to the C&E school in San Diego. He received his first MOS in 2533, radiotelegraph operator, and was ordered to 1st ANGLICO, 1st Marine Division, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, to be a forward observer.

Due to the injury, Zimmers returned to the United States, and after recovering, received a second MOS degree as a fire control radar specialist on the F4-B Phantom II aircraft.

He was then stationed at Beaufort, South Carolina, at an airfield assigned to Headquarters Maintenance Squadron 32.

His next series of assignments took him to Okinawa, then to Iwakuni, Japan, where he was assigned to VMFA-122, Phantom Squadron, and then to H&MS-15.

His next stop was Chu Lai, Vietnam, and with his tour of duty coming to an end, he returned home on the aircraft carrier USS Ogden, LP-5, anchored off Del Mar, California.

He received an honorable discharge in 1970 and went home.

Zimmers was a former commandant and current adjutant of Det. No. 388, Williamsport.

He is currently the Junior Deputy Commander of VFW Post 3428, Muncie, as well as a member of American Legion Post 268, Muncie, and a delegate to the Lycoming County Veterans Council, living in Muncie.

After the parade, all parade participants are invited back to VFW Post 3428 for a small lunch.