{"id":31380,"date":"2025-11-11T20:27:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/31380\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T20:27:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T20:27:18","slug":"chilly-veterans-day-ceremony-honors-those-whove-served-saucon-source","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/31380\/","title":{"rendered":"Chilly Veterans Day Ceremony Honors Those Who’ve Served \u2013 Saucon Source"},"content":{"rendered":"

Local elected officials and members of the Hellertown American Legion to honor those who have served as part of a Veterans Day ceremony at Union Cemetery Tuesday.<\/p>\n

The weather was unusually cold, with gusty winds making it feel more like January than November, but that didn\u2019t deter residents from coming out to thank their fellow community members who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.<\/p>\n

Veterans Day is about recognizing the \u201ccourage\u201d and \u201cdedication\u201d of America\u2019s servicemen and women, Hellertown Mayor David Heintzelman said.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransHellertown Mayor David Heintzelman commented that \u201ceach veteran has a story\u201d that includes more than just their period of service. <\/p>\n

Originally known as Armistice Day, Veterans Day has evolved over time to have a broader scope, he noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey face dangers most of us will never know,\u201d Heintzelman said. \u201cThank you for your service, your sacrifice and your steadfast devotion to country.\u201d<\/p>\n

A special highlight of the ceremony came when Legion Post 397 Commander Eric Medei recognized a 102-year-old World War II veteran, local resident and \u201cliving legend.\u201d<\/p>\n

William \u201cBill\u201d Diehl enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces as an airplane engine mechanic and later became commander of the Hellertown Legion, where he has been a member for 80 years.<\/p>\n

Medei also noted that he is a former Hellertown Borough Manager and Engineer.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransHellertown American Legion Post 397 Commander Eric Medei recognized 102-year-old veteran William \u201cBill\u201d Diehl (seated) for his World War II service and service to the Hellertown community. Pictured at right is Legion Chaplain David Pearson.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so fortunate to have met you,\u201d he told Diehl, who was also presented with a proclamation from Heintzelman proclaiming Nov. 11, 2025, William L. Diehl Day in the borough of Hellertown.<\/p>\n

Diehl, who sat bundled up on the stage due to the bitter cold, thanked both men for the recognition bestowed upon him.<\/p>\n

The ceremony also included prayers, the placement of a wreath on the war memorial, a military salute by an honor guard, patriotic music performed by the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Chorus and recognition of veterans in the audience.<\/p>\n

Following the event, attendees were invited to a luncheon at the Hellertown American Legion.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransPatches of fall color punctuated the scenery at Hellertown\u2019s Union Cemetery, which was the location of Tuesday\u2019s Veterans Day ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransAttendees at the Veterans Day ceremony listen to the speakers at the event.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransLegion Chaplain David Pearson offered prayers at the ceremony. Seated is 102-year-old World War II veteran William \u201cBill\u201d Diehl.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransA stiff wind that at times gusted close to 40 mph kept flags snapped at attention.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransThe Veterans Day ceremony was attended by members of the Hellertown American Legion Edward H. Ackerman Post 397.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransMusic was provided by the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Chorus.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransWith temperatures in the 30s and wind chills in the 20s, attendees at the ceremony were bundled up.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransDue to the unusually cold weather, the ceremony was kept to about half an hour.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransFormer Hellertown Mayor and Korean War veteran Richard Fluck (center) attended the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransLadies Auxiliary President Connie Quier carries a wreath to a stand in front of the cemetery\u2019s Veterans Memorial.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransA floral wreath is placed in front of the Veterans Memorial in Union Cemetery by Legion Ladies Auxiliary President Connie Quier.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransThe Legion Honor Guard performs a military salute during the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransLegion officer Kim Medei performs \u2018Taps\u2019 during the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransA few four-legged friends were in attendance.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransAlthough the sun was out, it did little to warm temperatures Tuesday. Legion Commander Eric Medei thanked attendees for braving the cold, blustery weather to honor their local heroes on Veterans Day.<\/p>\n

\"VeteransThe Legion Riders\u2019 motorcycles were lined up near the entrance to Union Cemetery during the ceremony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Local elected officials and members of the Hellertown American Legion to honor those who have served as part…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31381,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,11810,5503,204,19907,4424,19908,4237,895,2349,15041],"class_list":{"0":"post-31380","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news","11":"tag-cemetery","12":"tag-ceremony","13":"tag-hellertown","14":"tag-legion","15":"tag-military","16":"tag-observance","17":"tag-saucon-valley","18":"tag-service","19":"tag-veterans","20":"tag-veterans-day"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}