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LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER
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Valley salutes service members for first time since COVID-19 pandemic

Published May 26. 2022 02:54PM

By Douglas Graves

Special to The Press

A high-spirited annual dinner returned to the social calendar May 6 for the first time since the Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council canceled their premier social event during the pandemic years.

LVMAC hosted about 100 people at the Steel Club in Hellertown to support the U.S. military and to provide a free dinner for all active-duty service members who attended in uniform as guests of the military-oriented service organization.

Coast Guard Rear Admiral David W. Kunkel (retired) was the keynote speaker. He recounted his career as a Coast Guard pilot and flag officer. Kunkel described the Coast Guard as the longest continuous military service among the six services.

Considering the number of ships, aircraft, and personnel according to Kunkel, the Coast Guard constitutes the sixth largest navy in the world.

The 1967 Parkland High School graduate enlisted in the Coast Guard after graduating from Kutztown University and was commissioned, then sent to flight school where he became a helicopter pilot.

Kunkel entertained the room with some of the congruities of live in the service. When got a ripple of laughter as he told of the time he asked for service on the East Coast, the Coast Guard sent him and wife to Kodiak, Alaska.

Later, he again asked for duty on the East Coast, then ending up in Puerto Rico. More laughter.

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. and President of LVMAC Gerald “Jerry” Still and his staff organized the dinner followed by dancing.

Louis Dieruff High School Junior ROTC students provided a color guard for the event.

Press photos by Douglas Graves James G. Petrucci received a Patriot Award in recognition of his faithful and generous support of Lehigh Valley Military Affairs Council's military support and outreach programs. Air Force Maj. Gen. Gerald “Jerry” Still, president of LVMAC Board of Directors; U.S. Army Col. Shawn Welsh, J.G. Petrucci Company Inc. president and founder; and author and retired Morning Call journalist David Venditta.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral David W. Kunkel (retired) was the keynote speaker. He recounted his career as a Coast Guard helicopter pilot and flag officer in “the world's sixth largest navy.”
DeSales University was well represented at the gala, including Steve Badman and his wife, Wendy. She is the Office of Veterans & Military Affairs coordinator, Veterans Administration School Certifying Official at DeSales University. DeSales student leader Pa. National Guard Second Lt. Kiera McMinn and Lina Barbieri, DeSales' associate vice president for annual giving.
Dieruff HS Junior ROTC students provided a color guard for the event as they presented and retired the colors. Lisa Scheller, third from left, salutes the colors. She is president and chairwoman of Silberline Manufacturing Co. Inc. Silberline is an associate member of the LVMAC.
U.S. Army Capt. Andrew Scott, a mechanical engineer with the Naval Surface Warfare Center in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, with his wife Florence Brown. Brown is director of engagement for Klunk & Millan Advertising, Natasha Pelak, and LVMAC Board of Directors member Maj. Richard Hudzinski.