Penn State and NFL standout LaVar Arrington, others honor veterans and highlight needs at Springdale ceremony

Penn State football and NFL great LaVar Arrington has a long list of accomplishments and accolades from the field.

But what he wants to be remembered for is his advocacy for veterans and first responders.

In front of a group of veterans Friday morning at the Springdale Veterans Association, Arrington, a Pittsburgh-area native, spoke of his family members and the sacrifices they made by serving in the military.

He said his father and uncles taught him the importance of military service and how important it is for veterans to have programs available to them.

Arrington, on behalf of Pennsylvania Skill, which operates skill games statewide, donated $5,000 each to the Springdale Veterans Association; Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships for the families of fallen or disabled veterans and first responders; and It’s About the Warrior Foundation, which provides services for veterans.

It also made a $2,500 donation to PA VetPets, which trains service dogs.

“It’s so vital that we keep these places open, and keep them healthy and in operation, because if we don’t have one another to talk to, to handle some of the issues that we may go through, or just have someone who sees it … it’s so vitally important,” Arrington said.

Joining Arrington at the event was his uncle, Brad Arrington; Spring­dale Veterans Association Cmdr. Joel Anderson; and Ed Jackson, a former combat pilot and board member of Folds of Honor of Western Pennsylvania.

Jackson, who served as a pilot flying in Iraq and Afghanistan, said it can be difficult for veterans to reach out for help. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide per day, and more must be done to combat it, he said.

“That’s why the VFW and the American Legion, they’re so important,” he said. “Fortunately, fellow veterans aren’t the only ones who can help. Everyone can volunteer, donate. It’s important to support an organization that can make a difference.”

Those types of organizations also can provide veterans with an outlet to give back to the community, while meeting and spending time with other veterans, Anderson said.

“We should think about what we can all do to help the veterans in the Pittsburgh area that may be homeless and may be suffering from mental health issues and may be trying to find jobs. All of this is especially true of our disabled veterans,” Anderson said.

More than 150,000 veterans live in the Pittsburgh region. Most of them are Vietnam War-era veterans, followed by those who served during the Gulf War era.

Brad Arrington, an Army veteran, said he is glad people still pause and remember on Veterans Day each year. He told personal stories of his brothers’ services in the military and one of his brother Dan, an Army veteran, who has gone missing.

“We need to support one another. We understand one another. We identify with one another,” Brad told the Springdale-area veterans. “And each and every one of us has something that other people do not — we have skin in the game.

“We put skin in the game. We served this great nation. And I still strongly feel this is still the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.”