PITTSTON — “This is for the Army,” said Ronald Voveris after making his way over to the piano at the Pittston Active Adult Center.
He then played “The Army Goes Rolling Along.” After that he said, “This one is for the Marines,” and began playing the “Marines’ Hymn.”
The Yatesville resident also played the branch songs of the Coast Guard, Air Force and Navy to round out his performance at the center as military veterans were honored during a special program and lunch Wednesday, Nov. 9.
He was one of 11 veterans honored during the event as they all said who they were and what military branch they served in.
They then sat on the center’s small stage to be recognized by all in attendance.
“It’s very heartwarming,” said Connie Kokinda, director of the Pittston Active Adult Center. “I really enjoy having them come up, state their name and what part of the service they were in. You don’t realize because they just come in to the center it but to actually hear their, stories, it’s amazing to hear what they’ve been through. Because of them, we are where we are today.”
At the beginning of the event, Jenkins Township resident Ronald McAdarra sang, “My Country Tis of Thee” and his wife, Sharron, read a poem called, “They Did Their Share.”
McAdarra was drafted into the Army in 1968. After completing a physical in Wilkes-Barre, he said he called his wife to tell her he was leaving to go to basic training.
“It was sad,” he said of telling her the news.
A few months into his basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey, McAdarra said he returned home for leave when his mother said he wasn’t looking well.
“She said, ‘Ronnie, you look awfully sick,’ and I said ‘No, I’m fine and I’m OK,’” he said. “I went in for exams and it turns out my aortic valve was busted. They put me in medical hold and I was in medical hold for almost a year.”
During his time in medical hold back in Fort Dix, McAdarra said he helped tend to patients who were fighting in the Vietnam War.
“I did what I had to do and took care of guys,” he said. “I helped heal wounds and things like that.”
After his medical hold was up, McAdarra was given a general honorable discharge and returned home to the Wyoming Valley and worked as a baker until his retirement in various business in Wilkes-Barre, Kingston and Scranton.
He and his wife have three grandchildren living in New Jersey.
While McAdarra tended to soldiers returning home from war, Voveris was training them to go overseas.
Serving in the Army from 1964 to 1966, Voveris was stationed in Fort Ord in California in the infantry, training soldiers how to use firearms.
After some time there he went to Fort Hunter Liggett, also in California, and trained soldiers how to handle a desert climate.
“It was a 120 degrees during the day, and at night it was very chilly, probably in the 40s,” he said. “We had open huts, and there was no protecting yourself from the elements — it was all open.”
Voveris trained soldiers in California, at Fort Polk in Louisiana, back to Fort Ord, then to Fort Gorden in Georgia and eventually made his way back again to Fort Ord.
“I moved 20 times in 24 months,” he said. “You keep moving to different companies and these other companies are shipping people to Vietnam, so now you go to another company. It was just me and a couple of other guys.”
After his stint in the Army, Voveris stayed in California working in the postal system as a delivery man, but the state’s earthquakes prompted him to transfer back home to Greater Pittston.
He retired from the postal service and then worked at various convenient stores such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart and the now-defunct Sunshine Market.
Now, Voveris is retired and lives with his wife, Mary.
Having been out of the military for 50 years, Voveris said he likes how the military has changed and hopes to see it continue to work as a cohesive unit.
“They’ve come a long way,” he said. “They’ve treated you better and I think they’re trying to be more understanding of the military person. But one thing we always had was a loyalty to the commander-in-chief and I’m hoping this new president will be a good commander-in-chief. We have that loyalty to him and to every military man we worked with — they’re brothers and sisters.”
