State legislators host Veterans Recognition Breakfast

The day after Dave McCormick was declared the official winner of his race for the U.S. Senate, he was having breakfast in Upper St. Clair.

McCormick’s first official act as Senator-elect was to serve as the featured speaker for a Nov. 22 Veterans Recognition Breakfast hosted by two state legislators whose districts include Bethel Park.

Rep. Natalie Mihalek, R-Peters, has hosted the event for six years, since her election to the state House. This year, she partnered with Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, to present the breakfast, which more than 100 veterans attended at St. Clair Country Club.

Army veteran McCormick, a combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

He told those attending the breakfast that after not having visited the academy for many years, he decided to return with his brother and parents. While there, he walked past a statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur that bears an inscription from a speech he gave in 1962 emphasizing the importance of duty, honor and country:

“Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you want to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems little cause for faith, and to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.”

MacArthur’s words resonated with McCormick, he said, to the point where he decided to run for the Senate again after narrowly losing the Republican primary in 2022.

The recognition breakfast’s hosts are veterans, as well. Mihalek served in the Navy from 1997-2001, carrying on a family tradition that includes military members during the World War II, Korea and Vietnam eras.

Robinson served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the Marine Corps, requesting to join the infantry and fight on the front lines in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Another former Marine, Robert Fragasso, spoke at the breakfast about Animal Friends for Veterans, the program he started to provide companion dogs and cats — rabbits, too — at no cost to veterans encountering physical and emotional challenges. Details are at www.thinkingoutsidethecage.org/our-programs/veterans-services.

Army veteran Joe Podolinsky, chairman of the Pittsburgh Veterans Day Parade, informed guests about plans for next year’s 106th annual event, which will honor those who served in Vietnam with “Welcome Home” as the slogan.

“I think that’s long overdue,” he said, encouraging visits to pittsburghveteransparade.com for more information.

Each veteran who attended the breakfast received certificates acknowledging his or her service. Mihalek acknowledged that two of the guests served with her branch of service during World War II: Betty Digby, 100, in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and Joseph Jacobs, 95, aboard the USS Saipan.

“Betty and I had a conversation, and I said, ‘Thank you for your service.’ And I just want to share what she said to me. She said, ‘Don’t thank me. It was a privilege,’” Mihalek reported.

“And I think that is just an incredible testament to not only what she did, but a lot of good people in this room feel that way. They don’t need to be thanked or have any special recognition because they saw it as a privilege and their duty to serve this country.”