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Legion pays tribute to veterans' sacrifices

Jun-12-2005 » Filed Under: Homefront

By Ivonne D'Amato
Link to Full Article

CENTRE HALL -- A simple retreat into an air-conditioned room on a muggy day serves as a reminder of the little things to be grateful for as American soldiers battle scorching heat in Iraq, state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff said Saturday.

Benninghoff, R-College Township, spoke to a group of about 50 people who gathered to honor military members and veterans past and present at the Armed Forces Tribute at American Legion Post 779.

During the ceremony, post commander Carol A. Clark-Baney acknowledged post members who served in World War II and the Korean War and conducted a remembrance service for prisoners of war. Additionally, representatives from the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy recounted their war experiences.

"Our Stryker armored vehicle was hit by IEDs (improvised explosive devices) on a regular basis," Army Spc. Christopher Swales, 29, said of his recent experience in Iraq. "I had been hit several times and got scrapes and scratches. Each time I got hit and wasn't injured, I got more confident. I began thinking I was invincible."

Swales, of Centre Hall, was a member of the 25th Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade. In March, he was shot in the leg after his unit found a vehicle trafficking weapons during routine vehicle inspections.

Swales emotionally recalled the loss of his best friend that day as well as his own near-death experience. "I lost eight out of 11 pints of blood. I also went into cardiac arrest from all the blood loss."

What saved him, Swales said, was a fellow soldier helping him tighten a tourniquet on his leg when he became too weak to do it himself.[...]


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