GDELTWashington
Goldstein: 2.8Tone: 0.6
PHOTO GALLERY | 'A lasting tribute': Family of Lilly soldier awarded Purple Heart
LILLY, Pa. – The World War I military service and sacrifice of a Lilly man, which was nearly lost to time, will live on in history, his family said Saturday during a Purple Heart ceremony.
The event at the Memorial Community Center of Lilly-Washington was the culmination of a multinational effort to honor U.S. Army Pvt. John J. Andrews, who died Sept. 29, 1918, at Bazoilles Hospital Center's Base Hospital No. 116 in Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France.
His service record lists his official cause of death as lobar pneumonia, however, the reverse side of that document states he was wounded in action.
"This is such a monumental occasion," Melissa Gaffney said.
The Tennessee resident is the great-niece of John J. Andrews and her father, Thomas Andrews, served as the official next-of-kin to allow her family to receive the medal.
Gaffney said there "really are no words to describe" her great-uncle's sacrifice for the nation, but said, "Our family is immensely proud of this honor."
The Purple Heart is awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after April 5, 1917, was wounded, killed or has died of wounds related to any action against an enemy of the United States.
Andrews was born May 5, 1890, and raised in Lilly Borough.
According to a Johnstown Tribune article, he was a member of the St. Michael Sokol, the United Mine Workers of America and the American Federation of Labor, and was treasurer of District No. 5 of the Catholic Sokol.
Andrews was drafted in 1917 and served with U.S. Army Company G, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment.
He was likely injured in the early days of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which started Sept. 26, 1918, and that's why he was hospitalized.
"I am thrilled that after 108 years our great-uncle John is being recognized," great-niece and Mississippi resident Marie Jenner said.
Susan Johnston agreed and thanked the more than 100 people in attendance at the Memorial Community Center of Lilly-Washington for helping celebrate their family member's sacrifice.
She's the great-niece who worked with retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Craig Minnick to get Andrews the Purple Heart, which was presented to the family during the ceremony, along with a certificate and flag that flew in Washington, D.C., on July 4.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Jeffrey Pounding presented the Purple Heart to the family and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick's regional director of southwestern Pennsylvania Sam DeMarco provided the flag and certificate.
The great-nieces said they were overwhelmed by the honor and announced their intentions to donate the items to the Lilly-Washington Historical Society for permanent display.
Gaffney added that the entire experience gives her goosebumps and is unbelievable.
"What really excites me and makes me so grateful is the name Andrews will be in military history now," Johnston said.
The journey to this moment was anything but ordinary or simple and it starts with the August 2022 search of U.S. Military Cemetery No. 6, Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France, by Netherlands residents Dr. Peter Wever and his son, Haye Wever.
During a two-day search of the former burial site, Haye Wever discovered Andrews' grave marker 1021.
A search of documents digitized by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration revealed peculiarities surrounding Andrews' interment.
Peter Wever discovered the American had been buried in a German section of the cemetery for three years before the error was discovered and corrected when the graveyard was evacuated after the war.
A mix-up occurred during the Oct. 1, 1918, burial of Andrews and German prisoner of war Sgt. Maj. Vizefeldwebel Hermann Nossig, who died the day after Andrews.
It was Wever's research into those circumstances that led to the effort to honor the Lilly soldier's service.
Minnick, who served as master of ceremonies Saturday, orchestrated Andrews receiving the honor after roughly two years of consultation with Wever and others, including McCormick's office.
While writing his story, Wever sought a photo of Andrews and asked his Pennsylvanian friend Bernadine Lennon for help.
She ultimately contacted Minnick through the Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship website because it had the photo.
Minnick's son, John Minnick, had created the website and digitally cataloged all Cambria County military monuments and memorials for an Eagle Scout project in 2012.
With the help of the Lilly-Washington Historical Society, Minnick tracked down Johnston, who hails from Lilly but now lives in Florida, and the effort to receive a Purple Heart was in progress.
Within nearly a year of starting, Minnick received word from McCormick's office that the mission was accomplished.
Andrews' family expressed their deepest gratitude to Minnick for the lengths he went in helping honor their great-uncle.
"I did nothing more than what any of my fellow veterans would do," he said. "We do it because it comes right from our hearts."
When he heard the family members intentions to donate the items, Minnick said that act would serve as "a lasting tribute to a great American patriot and hero."
Andrews is interred in Plot C, Row 39, Grave 5 in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France, a site adopted for care by the Wever family.
Open article →GDELTTennessee
Goldstein: -5.5Tone: 0.6
PHOTO GALLERY | 'A lasting tribute': Family of Lilly soldier awarded Purple Heart
LILLY, Pa. – The World War I military service and sacrifice of a Lilly man, which was nearly lost to time, will live on in history, his family said Saturday during a Purple Heart ceremony.
The event at the Memorial Community Center of Lilly-Washington was the culmination of a multinational effort to honor U.S. Army Pvt. John J. Andrews, who died Sept. 29, 1918, at Bazoilles Hospital Center's Base Hospital No. 116 in Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France.
His service record lists his official cause of death as lobar pneumonia, however, the reverse side of that document states he was wounded in action.
"This is such a monumental occasion," Melissa Gaffney said.
The Tennessee resident is the great-niece of John J. Andrews and her father, Thomas Andrews, served as the official next-of-kin to allow her family to receive the medal.
Gaffney said there "really are no words to describe" her great-uncle's sacrifice for the nation, but said, "Our family is immensely proud of this honor."
The Purple Heart is awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after April 5, 1917, was wounded, killed or has died of wounds related to any action against an enemy of the United States.
Andrews was born May 5, 1890, and raised in Lilly Borough.
According to a Johnstown Tribune article, he was a member of the St. Michael Sokol, the United Mine Workers of America and the American Federation of Labor, and was treasurer of District No. 5 of the Catholic Sokol.
Andrews was drafted in 1917 and served with U.S. Army Company G, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment.
He was likely injured in the early days of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which started Sept. 26, 1918, and that's why he was hospitalized.
"I am thrilled that after 108 years our great-uncle John is being recognized," great-niece and Mississippi resident Marie Jenner said.
Susan Johnston agreed and thanked the more than 100 people in attendance at the Memorial Community Center of Lilly-Washington for helping celebrate their family member's sacrifice.
She's the great-niece who worked with retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Craig Minnick to get Andrews the Purple Heart, which was presented to the family during the ceremony, along with a certificate and flag that flew in Washington, D.C., on July 4.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Jeffrey Pounding presented the Purple Heart to the family and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick's regional director of southwestern Pennsylvania Sam DeMarco provided the flag and certificate.
The great-nieces said they were overwhelmed by the honor and announced their intentions to donate the items to the Lilly-Washington Historical Society for permanent display.
Gaffney added that the entire experience gives her goosebumps and is unbelievable.
"What really excites me and makes me so grateful is the name Andrews will be in military history now," Johnston said.
The journey to this moment was anything but ordinary or simple and it starts with the August 2022 search of U.S. Military Cemetery No. 6, Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France, by Netherlands residents Dr. Peter Wever and his son, Haye Wever.
During a two-day search of the former burial site, Haye Wever discovered Andrews' grave marker 1021.
A search of documents digitized by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration revealed peculiarities surrounding Andrews' interment.
Peter Wever discovered the American had been buried in a German section of the cemetery for three years before the error was discovered and corrected when the graveyard was evacuated after the war.
A mix-up occurred during the Oct. 1, 1918, burial of Andrews and German prisoner of war Sgt. Maj. Vizefeldwebel Hermann Nossig, who died the day after Andrews.
It was Wever's research into those circumstances that led to the effort to honor the Lilly soldier's service.
Minnick, who served as master of ceremonies Saturday, orchestrated Andrews receiving the honor after roughly two years of consultation with Wever and others, including McCormick's office.
While writing his story, Wever sought a photo of Andrews and asked his Pennsylvanian friend Bernadine Lennon for help.
She ultimately contacted Minnick through the Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship website because it had the photo.
Minnick's son, John Minnick, had created the website and digitally cataloged all Cambria County military monuments and memorials for an Eagle Scout project in 2012.
With the help of the Lilly-Washington Historical Society, Minnick tracked down Johnston, who hails from Lilly but now lives in Florida, and the effort to receive a Purple Heart was in progress.
Within nearly a year of starting, Minnick received word from McCormick's office that the mission was accomplished.
Andrews' family expressed their deepest gratitude to Minnick for the lengths he went in helping honor their great-uncle.
"I did nothing more than what any of my fellow veterans would do," he said. "We do it because it comes right from our hearts."
When he heard the family members intentions to donate the items, Minnick said that act would serve as "a lasting tribute to a great American patriot and hero."
Andrews is interred in Plot C, Row 39, Grave 5 in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France, a site adopted for care by the Wever family.
Open article →GDELTMississippi
Goldstein: 2.9Tone: 0.6
PHOTO GALLERY | 'A lasting tribute': Family of Lilly soldier awarded Purple Heart
LILLY, Pa. – The World War I military service and sacrifice of a Lilly man, which was nearly lost to time, will live on in history, his family said Saturday during a Purple Heart ceremony.
The event at the Memorial Community Center of Lilly-Washington was the culmination of a multinational effort to honor U.S. Army Pvt. John J. Andrews, who died Sept. 29, 1918, at Bazoilles Hospital Center's Base Hospital No. 116 in Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France.
His service record lists his official cause of death as lobar pneumonia, however, the reverse side of that document states he was wounded in action.
"This is such a monumental occasion," Melissa Gaffney said.
The Tennessee resident is the great-niece of John J. Andrews and her father, Thomas Andrews, served as the official next-of-kin to allow her family to receive the medal.
Gaffney said there "really are no words to describe" her great-uncle's sacrifice for the nation, but said, "Our family is immensely proud of this honor."
The Purple Heart is awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces who, after April 5, 1917, was wounded, killed or has died of wounds related to any action against an enemy of the United States.
Andrews was born May 5, 1890, and raised in Lilly Borough.
According to a Johnstown Tribune article, he was a member of the St. Michael Sokol, the United Mine Workers of America and the American Federation of Labor, and was treasurer of District No. 5 of the Catholic Sokol.
Andrews was drafted in 1917 and served with U.S. Army Company G, 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment.
He was likely injured in the early days of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, which started Sept. 26, 1918, and that's why he was hospitalized.
"I am thrilled that after 108 years our great-uncle John is being recognized," great-niece and Mississippi resident Marie Jenner said.
Susan Johnston agreed and thanked the more than 100 people in attendance at the Memorial Community Center of Lilly-Washington for helping celebrate their family member's sacrifice.
She's the great-niece who worked with retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Craig Minnick to get Andrews the Purple Heart, which was presented to the family during the ceremony, along with a certificate and flag that flew in Washington, D.C., on July 4.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Jeffrey Pounding presented the Purple Heart to the family and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick's regional director of southwestern Pennsylvania Sam DeMarco provided the flag and certificate.
The great-nieces said they were overwhelmed by the honor and announced their intentions to donate the items to the Lilly-Washington Historical Society for permanent display.
Gaffney added that the entire experience gives her goosebumps and is unbelievable.
"What really excites me and makes me so grateful is the name Andrews will be in military history now," Johnston said.
The journey to this moment was anything but ordinary or simple and it starts with the August 2022 search of U.S. Military Cemetery No. 6, Bazoilles-sur-Meuse, France, by Netherlands residents Dr. Peter Wever and his son, Haye Wever.
During a two-day search of the former burial site, Haye Wever discovered Andrews' grave marker 1021.
A search of documents digitized by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration revealed peculiarities surrounding Andrews' interment.
Peter Wever discovered the American had been buried in a German section of the cemetery for three years before the error was discovered and corrected when the graveyard was evacuated after the war.
A mix-up occurred during the Oct. 1, 1918, burial of Andrews and German prisoner of war Sgt. Maj. Vizefeldwebel Hermann Nossig, who died the day after Andrews.
It was Wever's research into those circumstances that led to the effort to honor the Lilly soldier's service.
Minnick, who served as master of ceremonies Saturday, orchestrated Andrews receiving the honor after roughly two years of consultation with Wever and others, including McCormick's office.
While writing his story, Wever sought a photo of Andrews and asked his Pennsylvanian friend Bernadine Lennon for help.
She ultimately contacted Minnick through the Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship website because it had the photo.
Minnick's son, John Minnick, had created the website and digitally cataloged all Cambria County military monuments and memorials for an Eagle Scout project in 2012.
With the help of the Lilly-Washington Historical Society, Minnick tracked down Johnston, who hails from Lilly but now lives in Florida, and the effort to receive a Purple Heart was in progress.
Within nearly a year of starting, Minnick received word from McCormick's office that the mission was accomplished.
Andrews' family expressed their deepest gratitude to Minnick for the lengths he went in helping honor their great-uncle.
"I did nothing more than what any of my fellow veterans would do," he said. "We do it because it comes right from our hearts."
When he heard the family members intentions to donate the items, Minnick said that act would serve as "a lasting tribute to a great American patriot and hero."
Andrews is interred in Plot C, Row 39, Grave 5 in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France, a site adopted for care by the Wever family.
Open article →