After the song ended and the silence was broken, the 40-or-so people who attended a plaque unveiling ceremony crowded around the flagpole to read the new plaque, which honors World War II veterans.

“Dedicated in grateful memory of local WWII veterans to commemorate 50th anniversary of WWII armistice,” the plaque reads.

SLFAGC board member Ralf Hartmann said this new plaque is actually a recreation of an old plaque, initially installed at the 50th anniversary of the armistice. But the old plaque was rusty, corroded and hardly legible. It was installed in 1995 and had seen nearly three decades of the elements on the flagpole outside the clubhouse.

One day, Hartmann was talking with SLFAGC Vice President Jimmy Jones by the flagpole when the idea to replace it came about.

David Staszak, left, honors Shirley Hosler, right, for her service to veterans and the community during the annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Harrietstown Town Hall Saturday. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

“I said, ‘This is really crappy looking.’ You could hardly read it,” Hartmann said. “We had to decipher it, that’s how bad it was.”

He busted open the plastic box the plaque was in and brought it up at the club’s next board meeting. It was decided that they would cast the new plaque in stainless steel and they thought it fitting to unveil it on Veterans Day.

Jones remembered on that 50th anniversary in 1995, the fish and game club partnered with the Department of Defense to bring in a WWII veteran from around the area once a month for the whole year, to speak about their experience — one who was shot down over Germany and another who witnessed the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor while in a dinghy out on the water.

There’s not many WWII plaque unveilings these days, said Joe Fisher, of Bloomingdale, a decorated retired Sergeant Major from the New York Army National Guard with combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. He gave the club kudos for recognizing the significance of this.

“The fact that our World War II veterans have pretty much all passed beyond us, is also significant,” Fisher said.

Members of the Saranac Lake High School Ensemble, directed by Drew Benware, sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Harrietstown Town Hall on Veterans Day. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

He said it is important to recognize them now, before it is too late. He told the crowd gathered there to take time to thank the aging veterans they know, whether of WWII, or the Korean or Vietnam wars. Fisher said a simple “thank you” is enough.

Jones said he also wants people to remember the Korean War veterans. The Korean War is also referred to as “the forgotten war.”

–

Veterans Day ceremony

–

Keith Kogut performs “Taps” at the Harrietstown Town Hall on Veterans Day. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

Following the plaque unveiling at the SLFAGC, a crowd filled the auditorium at the Harrietstown Town Hall for the annual Veterans Day ceremony.

The ceremony began with a brief moment of silence, a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by select members of the Saranac Lake High School ensemble directed by Benware, the pledge of allegiance and an invocation by Chaplain James Law.

Fisher, commander of the VFW Post 3357, was the master of ceremonies and thanked the audience for attending. He shared the history of Veterans Day, and how it originally marked the anniversary of the end of World War I, which formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when an Armistice with Germany went into effect. It was later expanded to recognize all veterans.

“Veterans Day is not just a day to recognize those who died in service, but to recognize those who served, and continue to serve today, in harm’s way, over 100 different counties and embassies, over the seas, the skies and in various areas of conflict,” Fisher said.

Hartmann served as the guest speaker for the ceremony.

Hartmann was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States in 1958. He didn’t know English when he arrived; he had to learn the language. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1968. He volunteered for Vietnam in 1970. Upon his return, he graduated as a computer systems analyst. He earned multiple awards and metals. He married his wife, Peg, in 1972 and traveled to bases around the world. He eventually landed at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base. He retired from the Air Force in 1988, and after that, worked for vice president of operations for Curtis Door Systems. In 1993, he and his wife moved to Bloomingdale.

As he stood on stage in the Harrietstown Town Hall auditorium, Hartmann spoke about his experience of returning home from war only to be met with hostility from members of the public who opposed the Vietnam War.

“I remember coming back and they told me, ‘Do not wear your uniform when you land back in San Francisco,'” he said. “Things have changed quite a bit.”

Hartmann spoke about the North Country Honor Flight and encouraged veterans in the audience who haven’t participated to consider finding out how to get nominated for a trip.

This year, Hartmann was one of 28 total North Country veterans — three Korean War veterans, four Cold War veterans and 21 Vietnam veterans — to take a trip to Washington, D.C. as part of a North Country Honor Flight. North Country Honor Flight is part of a nationwide effort by a nonprofit organization to make sure veterans can travel to the capital and see the monuments dedicated to them and their fallen comrades. Along the way they shake hands with thankful citizens, open letters from schoolchildren and have hordes of people at each airport cheering over bands playing patriotic tunes. North Country Honor Flight has now organized 50 of these flights for dozens of veterans.

As part of his trip, Hartmann said he was treated to breakfast and had an escort to the Plattsburgh International Airport.

“What’s really amazing is how many people come out early in the morning in Plattsburgh … and wave to you and salute you. Firemen, policemen, State Police. They line the streets,” he said.

Once the veterans arrive in Washington, D.C., they are taken on a tour bus to see the sights.

“They take you to every memorial in Washington, D.C.,” Hartmann said. “It’s a really, really good process.”

“You need to go,” he added. “I think you’ll enjoy it.”

David Staszak, a member of VFW Post 3357, honored Shirley Hosler for her service to local veterans and the community.

Hosler had “lowly beginnings,” Staszak said, losing her brother, mother and father when she was a child. She was sent to an orphanage at the age of 8. She came to Saranac Lake in 1962 with “nothing,” he said, quoting Hosler’s own words.

“She has grown to fill a special spot in the hearts of her neighbors,” Staszak said.

In 1994, Hosler was Winter Carnival Queen. Over the years, she has volunteered at local nursing homes, helped soldiers both locally and in the Capital Region, as well as children, Staszak said.

“Shirley … ran the local thrift shop for 38 years,” he said. “When she closed in 2007, she simply took her redistribution system private. Shirley is a one-person aid society.”

Hosler said she always loved helping people.

“Maybe it was a very hard life that made me strong,” Hosler said, “but God always gave me my strength and direction.”

Hosler said when she was in the orphanage, she was never alone because she had her faith. She also had her uncle, Paul. She remembers her uncle coming to visit her while wearing his military uniform. Her uncle died in the service while saving others, she said. Hosler added that her late husband was in the military.

“Thank you for the honor tonight and for helping me help others,” she said.

The staff at the VA clinic in Saranac Lake were also honored for their service to local veterans.

“These unsung heroes work tirelessly day in and day out, ensuring that our veterans receive the care, respect and support they deserve,” Staszak said. “They are the compassionate faces behind the scenes, the ones who go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of those who have served.”

“We’ve got a unique population base, great men and women who come to our clinic. We are honored to serve them,” said Gene Reynolds, who accepted the honor on behalf of VA clinic staff.

The ceremony was closed out by the playing of “Taps” by Benware and Keith Kogut and a benediction.