Happy Independence Day – Giving Thanks to our Veterans
It’s easy to turn on the news any day of the week and see plenty of opinions as to the state of our political landscape, moral compasses and even our country. It is easy for so many of us to forget that beyond most of the talking heads loudly voicing what they think is important and how we should react to it, there are hundreds of thousands serving in the various branches of the US military and sacrificing every single day to protect our freedoms.
“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”
It’s easy to turn on the news any day of the week and see plenty of opinions as to the state of our political landscape, moral compasses and even our country. It is easy for so many of us to forget that beyond most of the talking heads loudly voicing what they think is important and how we should react to it, there are hundreds of thousands serving in the various branches of the US military and sacrificing every single day to protect our freedoms.
Members of the US military, for the most part, they don’t take credit for being a hero, but say they are “just doing their jobs.” It is for the sacrifices they make and their family’s make that they deserve the title HERO.
Rich-Tomkins is pleased to have three former members of the military within our ranks. Company founders Stu Rich, who passed away in 1992, and Stew Tomkins, and Tom Pancrazio have all proudly served.
Thank you to Stu, Stew, Todd and Tom for your service and thank you to all who are reading who have answered the call and served our country.
Stu Rich:
At the age of 16, Stu Rich was one of the youngest people in Pennsylvania to earn their pilot’s license. Stu and his brother ran the Rich Airport between Easton and Bethlehem, Pa. The two eventually sold the business, but Stu put that flight experience to use when he became a cadet in the Army Air Corps in 1941 following high school. During World War II Stu flew large transport/transfer planes across the battlefield moving assets around as needed and returning damaged planes to U.S. bases. Additionally, he earned his wings as a pilot in the Royal Air Force because he trained so many British pilots.
Stew Tomkins:
Drafted, as he said “right off of the stage” following high school graduation, Stew joined the Army. Don’t let the term “drafted” make you think he didn’t want to go. He wanted to join the Marine Corps with his friends but being color blind disqualified him for the Corps and Navy at the time.
He spent basic training at Camp Grant in Illinois then shipped to England attached to a medical unit that worked with the “litters” as Stew said, but for us non-military people, the stretchers for injured personnel. At first, he was concerned as to why he was attached to the medical unit since he was young and athletic, but after witnessing the wounded guys coming back from the front lines he wasn’t so concerned he didn’t get to the battle field.
In 1946 he returned stateside and was prepared to deploy to Japan, but America dropped the nuclear bombs and ended the war before he was sent.
Stew used the G.I. bill to attend LaSalle University and shortly thereafter joined Bradford-White, along with Stu Rich, and 10 years later formed Rich-Tomkins in 1961.
Tom Pancrazio:
When we asked Tom about his service he sent over his experience. We will let him speak for himself:
In March of 2005 I signed up to join the Army National Guard. Men my age were going off to war and I felt as though I should be a part of that in any way that I could. They’d sent me out to Ft. Sill in Oklahoma, the home of artillery, for basic and AIT training. I’d heard a lot of things about basic training that at the age of 22 scared me a little bit. Looking back on it, I’d say that it was the most fun that I’d never want to have again.
When I’d completed basic I reported to my home unit in Lawrenceville, NJ to be a cannon crew member. My military occupational specialty (13B cannon crew member) was a lot of fun. We’d tow around cannons all day and got to operate Palidin tanks. Sometime during 2006 the Army had made the decision to start phasing out many of the artillery units. Given that the war in Iraq was becoming a war of occupancy, there wasn’t much need for it. Guys were no longer shooting rounds at enemy lines. Now they were clearing buildings in teams.
As my unit was disbanding we were given the opportunity to become reclassified. Always being interested in cars and general mechanics, I chose to go to school to be a 63B Diesel Mechanic and to switch my unit to Delaware City.
Vice President Joe Biden’s son Beau Biden was a Lieutenant down there and had the opportunity to meet him a few times. Our unit was never called up to go overseas though. They assessed that our time would be best spent by getting Humvees ready to be sent to Iraq. I got to rebuild quite a few engines and learned a lot about mechanics that I didn’t already know.
The general experience really taught me a lot about the work ethic I have today and mostly about respect. Spending time in the military can teach someone how to take orders and not take things personally. I attribute a lot of the man I am today due having military experience.
I think it is a privilege to be able to serve our country in any capacity and recommend that anyone should do it. If I could do it all over again, I probably would have gone into the regular Army and seen if I had what it takes to make it through Ranger school.
