Veteran, 95, doesn’t let broken arm stop him

Suffering a broken arm Sunday night didn’t keep Norman Scheutrumpf from remembering his fallen brethren on Monday at Tamaqua’s Memorial Day ceremony and parade.

The 1942 Tamaqua High School graduate and longtime resident of Hometown has been through tougher times.

He was a surgical technician on the beaches of Normandy, in the battle for Bastogne, France, in 1944, guarded prisoners of war from the German Africa corps and was a machine-gunner.

Now 95 years old, he fell Sunday night and broke his arm. However despite a late-night stay at the hospital, he still led the parade as co-grand marshal along with Navy veteran Franklin “Pete” Pruett.

“He spent the night at the ER and insisted on still getting here today at 95 years old,” said master of ceremonies Eric Zizelmann.

Pruett, also a Tamaqua graduate, enlisted in 1951 and served over three years on the USS Leary, as part of the gunnery department.

Crowds lined up along Broad Street to see them leading the parade before the traditional Memorial Day remembrance at the Odd Fellows Cemetery.

Members of the American Legion’s C.H. Berry Post 173 and volunteers from the Odd Fellows had the cemetery decked out in red white and blue for the event.

During the ceremony, the Tamaqua Area High School Band performed the national anthem and “God Bless America.”

Kaitlyn Bender, Tamaqua Business and Professional Women’s Club Young Woman of the year, led attendees in the reading of the American Creed.

Zizelmann read the name of each Tamaqua veteran who died over the last year, each one punctuated by one of the band’s drummers. At the conclusion of all the names, two buglers played taps and Legion members fired off a gun salute.

Navy veteran Paul Corinchock was the guest speaker for the event, speaking about Memorial Day through his eyes. He served as an aircraft mechanic for more than 20 years between active duty and reserves.

He spoke humbly about the veterans who defended freedom, including those who were drafted and had no choice whether they served or not.

“I had a choice. Unlike the young boys and girls in the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s who were drafted to serve in the military,” he said.

“They packed their bags and said their goodbyes, and for many, it was their final goodbye,” he said.

Corinchock said Memorial Day is a solemn day which has been overshadowed by barbecues and picnics. It should be about remembering those who died defending freedom, whether they are interred at Arlington, Fort Indiantown Gap or lost in Pearl Harbor.

“Through my eyes, Memorial Day is defined as a solemn day, on which those who sacrificed and are lost are remembered,” he said.