MIFFLINTOWN — As America celebrates 250 years in 2026, reflections of history are certain to be part of the ceremonies. From Founding Fathers and gallant heroes to average citizens and townspeople, the nation was forged from the ground up. Not to be forgotten are the keepers of the books, ...
LEWISTOWN – When April Gable talks about food insecurity, she doesn’t begin with statistics or policy. She begins with dignity. “Food insecurity is not just about empty cupboards,” said the 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled as a Penn State graduate student. “It’s about ...
America: 250 years of Patriots and Patriotism I’m a flag waving patriotic Nephew of my Uncle Sam A rough riding, fighting, Yankee man I love mom and apple pie And the freedoms that we all enjoy across this beautiful land I worked hard, and I fight hard for the old red, white and blue And I’ll die a whole lot harder if it comes to where I have to I’m a flag waving patriotic Nephew of my Uncle Sam A rough riding fighting Yankee man And when I see old Glory waving I think of all the brave men Who have fought and died for what is right and wrong And when I see old Glory ...
JUNIATA TERRACE – On the boulevard at Juniata Terrace, the stone monument stands the way it has for generations — quiet, weathered and easy to pass without a second thought. For decades, it has watched over the rowhouses and the families who built their lives there, its granite face carrying the names of 11 local men who never came home from the horrors of war. Now, after over 60 years, a 12th resident lost in battle will be added to the monument this spring. What this monument does not do is carry their stories. For most people who grew up on the Terrace, the monument was ...
The following profiles honor the 12 servicemen from Juniata Terrace whose lives, service and ultimate sacrifice are documented in Rick Bodenschatz’s book, “The Juniata Terrace Monument: A Community’s Story of Service and Sacrifice:” Private William Platt Allen Jr. 3rd Army, 80th Division, 319th Infantry Regiment Died of Wounds – Jan. 18, 1945 Pvt. William Platt Allen Jr. was a Lewistown native whose service in the Battle of the Bulge ended in sacrifice. Born in 1915 in State College, Allen grew up in Lewistown where he worked at the Viscose before entering the Army in 1944. ...
LEWISTOWN – There are places in this country where patriotism is something you buy, flags printed in bulk, fireworks stacked high in the supermarket aisle, slogans on t-shirts made somewhere else. But in small towns like the ones tucked between the ridges of Mifflin and Juniata County, it still has dirt under its fingernails. It smells like diesel, wood smoke and coffee that’s been reheated too many times in the fire hall kitchen. It’s quieter here, maybe humbler, but no less fierce. Being a patriot in a place like this doesn’t always make the papers. It looks like the man who ...
