Leechburg honors fallen service members in ceremony scaled back by coronavirus pandemic

Bob Fiscus has been an eager observer of Leechburg’s Memorial Day celebrations honoring fallen service members since he was a young boy, long before he joined the Army and fought in two wars.

Pandemic or not, the 94-year-old veteran wasn’t about to give up on the tradition in 2020.

So on Monday morning, Fiscus put on a crisp white coat adorned with his military honors and a cap emblazoned with gold and red lettering that reads, “U.S. Army WWII Veteran.”

At Freedom Square along Market Street, Fiscus scored a front-row seat on the sidewalk to a brief courtyard ceremony in lieu of the community’s usual Memorial Day parade, which was canceled to thwart the spread of the covid-19 disease.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” Fiscus said shortly after the ceremony ended, smiling and greeting young families as well as old friends.

Fiscus, a former master sergeant who served in the Philippines during World War II and was called back to service in 1950 for the Korean War, was grateful the community still managed to find a way to come together to celebrate Memorial Day — albeit in a briefer, different form than usual.

“Usually, we have the high school marching band and some units, but being with the virus we couldn’t do that,” Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos said. “I wasn’t going to let it go by without honoring those who made (the country) what it is today.”

An estimated 100 to 150 people gathered along the sidewalks and parking spaces on either side of the street. Some watched from the balconies and windows of nearby residences. Many kept their distance or stuck close to their families, with about half wearing masks.

The event included brief remarks from Dobos, followed by a prayer, rifle salute and rendition of the bugle call taps by a local student.

“We can never be grateful enough for the sacrifices made for our country, and we are humbled by their willingness to put their own lives aside for the benefit of others,” said the Rev. Gary Lyon of Cross Roads Community Church.

The formal ceremony lasted less than 20 minutes. A Leechburg police officer who participated in the event said there were no issues with social distancing rules being broken.

The Wolf administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to discourage gatherings of 25 or more.

Later in the day, an equestrian team decked out in red, white and blue planned to trot on horses through the residences in the nearby hills, Dobos said.

At least 1.2 million people have died fighting for the U.S. during wars over the past 241 years, federal data show. The casualties include more than 291,000 deaths during World War II.

Fiscus, a 40-year Post Office clerk who used to give historical walking tours in the area, said Leechburg has demonstrated some showing of support for veterans who lost their lives every year since the late 19th century, not long after the first reports of such celebrations in Waterloo, N.Y., in 1866.