The Woods at Cedar Run to sponsor Veterans Day Ceremony

CAMP HILL, Pa. - Nov. 4, 2015 - PRLog -- Paul Sheaffer authored a poem entitled, “Oh, God, Why Must It Be?” during a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1944, when he was in the U.S. Army.

   Married a year earlier and with a 7-month old daughter back at home in Harrisburg, Sheaffer wrote, in part:

“And then came the war, with its grief and sorrow,

And postponed my ambitions of my future tomorrow.

They trained me, fed me, and taught me a skill,

To seek out the enemy, to strike and to kill…

There is no profit or gain in war, I can see.

I ask, ‘Oh, God, why must this be?’”

    Now 99 and the oldest member of the Camp Hill Lions Club,  Shaeffer never will forget his time in the  Army during World War II.

    Neither will Henry Heim, 90, who as an Army Air Corps enlisted man was stationed at Hickam Field near the naval base at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

    Then a 20-year-old, Heim was in his barracks penning a letter to his brother when he heard the planes flying overhead. He actually complained about the noise in the letter to his brother. That complaint was cut short by an explosion.

    Not realizing what was occurring in the quiet of that morning he ran to the window of the barracks and saw many planes flying overhead, dropping bombs.

    Heim attempted to reach his duty post three times, and each time he had to turn back as he was strafed by machine gun fire. When he finally reached his duty post in the hanger on base, Heim suffered wounds when a bomb dropped through the ceiling and blew him against the wall.

    Their stories originated worlds apart seven decades ago, but Sheaffer and Heim were members of what has been termed The Greatest Generation. The Woods at Cedar Run seniors each will be among the 33 residents – 28 men and five women – who will be honored during a Veterans Day Pinning Ceremony and dinner held at The Woods at Cedar Run.

    The event is co-sponsored by The Woods at Cedar Run, Senior Helpers and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Mechanicsburg. Mike Warner, the proprietor of this Carrabba’s stated that he is honored to provide the dinner for this event. His father served our country, as well, and Mike desires to give back in this small way. Hors d’Oeuvres will be served at 4 p.m., with the event to begin at 4:30.

   “The men and women who serve our country are heroes and they all deserve to be recognized,” said Chris Fuchs, Executive Director of The Woods at Cedar Run. “It is our privilege to honor our veterans for their service to our country. We humbly thank our veterans for the freedom we enjoy today.”

    Sheaffer grew up during The Great Depression and eventually became a mail carrier/clerk in Camp Hill. He served in that role for 17 years, and was appointed postmaster by the Postmaster General out of Washington D.C., the last one in the U.S. to have that honor. He and his wife, Audrey, were married on June 9, 1943 and soon after welcomed daughter Nancy, who was seven months old when Paul was drafted into the U.S. Army.

    He served in Italy, where he was involved in intelligence with the 10^th Mountain Division. When World War II ended, Paul went back to the postal service, first as a mail carrier, then as the postmaster for 32 years.

    Heim went on to earn his pilot wings on Nov. 25, 1942, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1944. He flew 78 combat missions during World War II and 51 combat missions during the Korean War. He piloted both the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress bombers. He later flew for the Strtegic Air Command.