PA Bill Number: SB1198
Title: In plants and plant products, providing for plant and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture and ...
Description: In plants and plant products, providing for plant and pollinator protection; conferring powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture and .. ...
Last Action: Referred to AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Last Action Date: May 17, 2024
PA - After A Controversy, Memorial Day Ceremony Takes Place With No Problems :: 05/25/2015
Stroudsburg, Monroe County - Guns were fired on Sunday on Courthouse Square in Stroudsburg on Sunday as part of a 21-gun salute to help celebrate Memorial Day weekend.
For decades Memorial Day services in Stroudsburg have included the patriotic salute.
However, this year that was threatened when Stroudburg's Borough Manager told Memorial Day event organizers that an ordinance doesn't allowed guns to be fired in the borough.
"It's been on the books since the 1980's," Suzanne McCool, a Monroe County Commissioner, said regarding the ordinance. "However, every year when we've had a ceremony here people have shot blanks."
After upsetting a number of veterans, McCool said the borough council ultimately decided they wouldn't enforce the ordinance for Sunday's ceremony.
"It wouldn't have been the same without it," she told Eyewitness News. "It just made it so right."
Charles Eyer, a Navy veteran, said it was the right choice.
"I'm very glad that cooler heads prevailed and the Civil War re-enactors were allowed to give their 21 gun salute," he told Eyewitness News. "It's nice that Stroudsburg Borough Council exercised a little common sense in this regard. That doesn't always happen in politics, but we're glad it happened here."
With the controversy behind them a crowd gathered on Courthouse Square to remember those from Monroe County who died during the Civil War.
A list of names were read honoring the 45 soldiers who gave their all during our countries bloodiest war.
Staff Sergeant Richard Hoffman, who served in the Army Iraq during the start of the Iraq War, said the ceremony was beautiful.
"The way the guys did this was really unbelievable," he said. "It brings you back and makes you think about all the sacrifices that were made for this country."
Stroudsburg's Borough Council has said they will change the ordinance to allow guns to be fired for the ceremony for years to come.
