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For Immediate Release Township supervisors have committed to building a memorial and have appointed a committee whose collective resume reads like a history of the U.S. military. The project, which will be done with no tax dollars, is intended to honor township residents, who in the words of Board of Supervisors Chairman LeBlanc, "have courageously volunteered and dedicated their lives in service to our country". Kurt Minnich, the chairman of the committee, said the township wants the memorial to "inspire future generations to serve their local and national communities". A design competition is underway and open to anyone who wants to try and honor the community's veterans. Information and design applications are available at the committee's Web site, www.sstveteransmemorial.com or at the township Web site, www.silverspringtwp-pa.gov. Designs are being accepted until Sept. 16. The memorial is scheduled to be commissioned in July 2011. With its military background, the committee should have a clear picture of what the memorial should include. Take a look at its members: Clarence Bouchet, a U.S. Air Force graduate, spent 26 years in the Air Force flying RF-4 and F-111 planes and served in Korea and Operation enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He also taught at the Air Force Academy and the Army War College in Carlisle. Kurt Minnich, the committee chairman, is a master sergeant in the Army Reserve and his nearly 20 years of active and reserve service. He served in Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. Dennis Sheppard, a Vietnam War veteran, served with the Military Assistance Command at Vinh Long and was awarded a Purple Heart. He also served in the Pennsylvania Army Reserve and the Air National Guard. Deborah Snyder is a U.S. Army veteran who was attached to the Task Force Refugee Cuban Resettlement program as a military police officer. She is a member of the township's police department. Byrd Troutman served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Korea and Japan. Jennifer Eck joined the committee to honor the memory of her father, who served in the U.S. Army in Europe in WWII and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. Supervisor Vince DiFilippo originated the idea for the memorial. Members of his family served in World War I, World War II and Vietnam. A congenital heart condition prevented him from entering military service. With this kind of commitment, township veterans will be well served. |