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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Daylin Leach
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Leach hosts trip to Gettysburg for local veterans and family members
HARRISBURG, May 20 - State Rep. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, recently hosted a trip for more than 300 local veterans and their families to the national park in Gettysburg in honor of the sacrifices made by Pennsylvania’s veterans.
The trip included a bus tour led by National Park Service guides, a buffet lunch, and an appearance from James Getty, an internationally acclaimed Lincoln impersonator. They were also among the first veteran groups to tour the newly opened visitor center.
"Many Americans are preparing to celebrate Memorial Day this weekend, and I hope they will pause to remember the sacrifices of all Pennsylvania veterans," Leach said. "Gettysburg was the site of the largest battle waged during the Civil War, and arguably the most crucial. I felt that it was very fitting to bring our veterans there to reflect on their own service and listen to unique perspectives of others about our nation’s wars. This weekend, we reflected at a battleground where many perished for the fusion of this once-divided nation. It was truly a memorable day."
Leach has organized veterans trips in the past to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
According to the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum, 1.3 million Pennsylvanians served in World War II, 300,000 in Korea, 400,000 in Vietnam, and 35,000 in the Gulf Wars. There are more than 1.2 million military veterans in Pennsylvania today - approximately 10 percent of the state's population.
Gettysburg National Military Park includes some 6,000 acres, including 26 miles of roadway and more than 1,400 monuments, markers, and memorials. The Gettysburg cemetery contains more than 7,000 graves, including more than 3,500 from the Civil War.
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