Mar. 20, 2024
HARRISBURG – A resolution recognizing March 25, 2024, as “National Medal of Honor Day” in Pennsylvania, sponsored by Rep. Dane Watro (R-Luzerne/Schuylkill), today was unanimously approved by the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.
House Resolution 347 will next be considered by the full House of Representatives.
Watro, who is a member of the committee and an Army veteran, spoke in support of his resolution prior to the vote:
“Over 3,500 individuals have received the Medal of Honor since its establishment on March 25, 1863, of which 63 are alive today. Pennsylvania has a rich history of Medal of Honor recipients, with 379 having been born and raised in the Commonwealth, meaning that over one in 10 of those heroes have come from our state.
“There currently exists a segment of highway running through Pennsylvania from the Ohio to New York borders named the ‘Pennsylvania Medal of Honor Highway’ in honor of these brave heroes.
“It is critical to recognize the bravery, valor and achievements of those amazing individuals who sacrificed so much for the safety and continued prosperity of our great country and Commonwealth, and in turn to wholeheartedly support the ideals and goals of ‘National Medal of Honor Day’ in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
To view or download Watro’s comments during the meeting, visit here.
One of those Pennsylvania-born Medal of Honor recipients attended the meeting and the breakfast that followed. Retired Army Colonel Walter Joseph “Joe” Marm Jr. received the medal in 1966 for his heroic actions in a battle during the Vietnam War.
Representative Dane Watro
116th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Andy Briggs
717-260-6474
abriggs@pahousegop.com
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