Do you have a Veteran in your life, living or dead, that you would like to recognize as we head into Veteran’s Weekend?
Tell us about them in our 93Q Veteran’s Spotlight!
Fill out a brief entry form below, include a photo of the Veteran and a little information about their service.
Each weekday starting Monday October 28th through Friday, November 8th, Ted and Amy will choose one Veteran to spotlight and recognize.
And don’t forget to join us for the CNY Veteran’s Parade and Expo at the New York State Fairgrounds on Saturday, November 9th.
To all Veterans, thank you for your service. We will never forget.
Pamela Conner of Deerfield writes:
Ray Plevyak was my great uncle, my grandma’s brother, whom I unfortunately never had the honor and privilege of meeting. He was a First Lieutenant in the Air Force and was the pilot of an F-51D Mustang fighter with the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter Bomber Wing in the Korean War. On March 1, 1952, while on a combat mission with three other aircraft, their aircraft took anti-aircraft fire. Uncle Ray never returned and was listed as Missing in Action and eventually was presumed Killed in Action on December 31, 1953. His remains have never been found, nor was his aircraft. I heard all my life that he wasn’t meant to be flying that day, it was his day off. He had been asked to cover for someone else in his squadron and had agreed. I always wondered if that was true. I recently found out that in the official report from all members of his squadron after he went missing, this was indeed the case.
On August 9, 2024, the House of Representatives honored his life and sacrifice with an official entry in the Congressional Record. On October 23, 2024, more than 72 years after he was last seen, he finally received a full honors service, including a memorial headstone marker, honor detail, priest, military band, and gun salute at Arlington National Cemetery. Nearly 50 family members attended. Only 2 of Uncle Ray’s 10 siblings are still alive and the ceremony was held on his surviving sister Helen’s 105th Birthday.
The DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) works diligently to recover unaccounted Department of Defense personnel listed as prisoners of war or missing in action from designated past conflicts, from countries around the world. We continue to hope that one day Uncle Ray will be brought home.
Thank you 93Q for the Veteran’s Spotlight and thank you to all of our Veterans and their families. Freedom is not free and we must always recognize and honor our Veterans!
Here is a link to a short video news story about Uncle Ray that was on Fox5 News in Washington, DC the day of the ceremony: https://www.fox5dc.com/video/1536787
Shelly Revette Childers formerly of North Syracuse writes:
Both of my sons, Nik and Aaron Revette are veterans of the US Army. Nik served as a Medical Laboratory Specialist and Aaron as an Infantryman. Both were stationed at Schofield Barracks, HI, along with several others, but to have siblings stationed at the same base is quite unique.
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