Lycoming County dedicates Purple Heart Memorial

Williamsport, Pa. — Lycoming County dedicated its new Purple Heart Memorial Saturday with a ceremony led by a two-time Purple Heart recipient.

The ceremony took place at the Lycoming County Veterans Memorial Park on West Fourth Street at 11 a.m.

The Purple Heart Memorial honors those who have received the Purple Heart medal, which is awarded to members of the U.S. military who are wounded or killed in action against an enemy or die from wounds sustained in action.

Local officials also designated Lycoming County as a “Purple Heart County” and the City of Williamsport as a “Purple Heart City.”

They Keynote speaker was Robert H. Lauver, Commander of Chapter 656 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Lauver, a native of Lewistown, served in Vietnam, where he was a gunner, squad leader, and section chief. He provided escort duty for Marine Rough Rider convoys, fire support for Marine operations, and perimeter support at various locations throughout Vietnam.

For his actions during the TET offensive in Hue on January 31, 1968, Sergeant Lauver was awarded the Silver Star medal. In addition, during his 18 months of service in Vietnam he was awarded two Purple Hearts and the Army Commendation Medal. Decades later, in 2018, Sergeant Lauver was honored as a hero of the first 50 years of the Air Defense Artillery.

U.S. Army veteran Michael McMunn served as the Master of Ceremonies for the event, which included an invocation by Chaplain Frank Hartzel and the unveiling of the memorial by State Rep. Jamie Flick.