Toomey’s Take: Pennsylvania and the First Memorial Day

The town of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania is in Centre County and has a population fewer than 4,000. It sits in a beautiful valley in the shadow of Mt. Nittany.

Boalsburg claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day - as do about two dozen other towns across our country.

Having visited and met with the people of Boalsburg, I know they are right. Legend and scholarship tell us that in the fall of 1864, three local women visited the cemetery to lay flowers on the graves of a father and son who had died in the Civil War.

As the women left, they agreed to return the next year to remember not only their loved ones, but others.

The following July 4, friends accompanied them. Prayers were offered. Graves were tended. No headstone was left unadorned. Their tradition continued. And in 1868, May 30 was declared Decoration Day across the country. But it wasn't until 1971 that the U.S. officially celebrated Memorial Day on the last Monday in May.

The three Boalsburg ladies are the mothers of a rich American tradition and fitting tribute to those who gave their lives in defense of our country. This year, we will celebrate Memorial Day on May 25.

That tradition of remembrance still exists in the community today, as Boalsburg is home to the Pennsylvania Military Museum that honors all the Pennsylvanians who have fought in every one of our nation's wars.

On Memorial Day - really every day -- it is also appropriate to honor and thank the men and women who fight today to defend our freedom and our way of life.

They are the heirs of a heroic history. Brave Americans - including many Pennsylvanians -- have sacrificed their lives and put themselves in harm's way so our country and our families can live in peace and security.

As much or more than any other state, Pennsylvania has been the backdrop for critical moments in American history -- Fort Necessity, Valley Forge, the Battle of Lake Erie, Gettysburg. And let us never forget the heroes of Flight 93, who sacrificed their lives, enabling other Americans to live.

Our state is the birthplace of heroes; it is the final resting place of heroes.

Pennsylvania has produced some of the greatest examples of courage, fortitude, and heroism in the history of mankind.

Our country and the world are safer and more free because of them.

Sherwood Hallman of Spring City in Chester County landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.

On June 7, 1944, "Sherry" as he was known, was injured but returned to his company about two and a half weeks later.

That September in Brittany, France, Sherry told his men to give him covering fire, and then leapt a hedgerow and advanced alone returning enemy fire and throwing grenades.

After running out of ammunition, he ordered the Germans to surrender, threatening them with an empty M1 carbine. The next day, Hallman was shot and killed by a sniper.

Corporal Michael Crescenz was a Philly kid. He is the city's only Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient.

On Nov. 20, 1968, Corporal Crescenz gave his life when - according to his Medal of Honor citation -- he, "left the relative safety of his own position, seized a nearby machine gun and, with complete disregard for his safety, charged 100 meters up a slope toward the enemy's bunkers which he effectively silenced . . . As a direct result of his heroic actions, his company was able to maneuver freely with minimal danger and to complete its mission, defeating the enemy."

Then there is Private First Class Ross McGinnis of Knox in Clarion County. Ross threw himself on a grenade in Iraq in 2006. He saved the lives of four of his fellow soldiers and friends. He was 19.

Each of us owes a debt of gratitude to the veterans and heroes - like Sherry Hallman, Mike Crescenz, and Ross McGinnis. It is a debt of gratitude we can never repay.

Part of honoring our veterans and acknowledging our gratitude is our obligation to, as Abraham Lincoln said, "...care for him who shall have borne the battle...."

Since joining the Senate, taking care of veterans has been one of my top priorities. I've supported legislation to boost funding for the VA, hold VA officials more accountable, and give veterans more health care choices. I've helped enact legislation that encourages employers to hire veterans. And this month, Senator Bob Casey and I introduced bipartisan legislation to help reduce the VA disability claims backlog.

I will continue fighting for veterans and advocating for commonsense ways to improve how we take care of them. It's the least we can do to show our appreciation for their service.

Memorial Day is coming up soon. Enjoy the time with your family but please remember what the holiday is all about - those who fought and died for our freedom. May God bless our veterans who gave the "last full measure of devotion," the troops that protect us today, their families, and may God bless the United States of America.