SUNBURY, Pa. — There was a full house at this month's Northumberland County commissioners meeting in Sunbury, and in attendance were some of our nation's bravest.
On this day, commissioners announced a special proclamation: Northumberland County has designated the month of July as Veterans and Armed Forces Month.
"We need to appreciate them because if we didn't have them, all these other days that we celebrate during the year would not be possible," Commissioner Sam Schiccatano said.
Commissioner Schiccatano had the idea for the proclamation about a month ago. He decided that celebrating veterans for only a few days a year was not enough.
"But we didn't do it for us; we did it for those people because a lot of them were forgotten, and we're not going to forget them this month or July or forever," Schiccatano said.
More than a dozen veterans attended the meeting. Each vet introduced themselves at the podium.
"I served from 1970 to 1976," one veteran said.
"I think it's a wonderful thing they're doing. It couldn't have worked out better. It's nice, it really is. It's good for the vets. It makes us feel proud," Air Force Veteran Leroy Kaseman said.
"I think it's very nice because right now people are starting to understand what the veterans went through in Vietnam, and I'm very thankful for that," Army Veteran William Shrawder said.
The commissioners say they plan to do this every July.