Verhovayak Lapja, 1945 (28. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)
1945 / Verhovay Journal
/ VOL. XXVIII. JULY 25, 1945 31 NO, 14. SADNESS AND DRAMA MARK ALLENTOWN PORTRAIT PRESENTATION BRANCH 90, ALLENTOWN, PA. JULY 15, 1945. Nature itself prodded a mournful setting for this occasion when from the low-hanging clouds a steady downpour drenched the people as they went to St. Stephen’s Hungarian Roman Catholic Church, to pay tribute to those heroic dead for whom the bells tolled. . . The Rev. Father Frank Nagy read the Holy Mass, supported by three assistant priests. Then he mounted the pulpit and spoke the soft words of comfort and faith asking the mourning familes to yield to the will of God. He mentioned the Verhovay and its Supreme President, Mr. John Bencze, who attended the Holy Mass, and praised the organization for having found a unique way for lending comfort to the sorrowing families by presenting to them the portraits of their loved ones who made the supreme sacrifice . . . The huge hall of the Hungarian Home was filled beyond capacity. On no other previous occasion did we observe such a crowd ... all seats were taken and people were standing four lines deep all along the walls.... At the speakers’ table we noted the Rev. Father Frank Na9ll, Hon. Brighton Diefenderfer, Mayor of Allentown, Pa., Hon. A.D. Helfrich, judge, Mr. John Bencze, Supreme President, Captain F. J. Quinn, President of the local chapter of the V. F. W. District Manager Mr. Victor Austerlitz was also present and made the notes on which this story is based. Joseph Kardos, President of Branch 90, opened the memorial mer District Manager, to act as Master of Ceremonies. Then Mr. Subits, the Master of Cereinonies introduced the Mayor of Allentown who expressed„ his appreciation for privilege Of attending the celebration. He emphasized that our young men fight for the future security of our country and that those who died in military service, gave their lives as the price of a lasting peace. Judge Helfrich followed. He mentioned how deeply moved he was by hearing the National Anthem sung in the Hungarian language. This, to him, demonstrates the unifying power of this country and he pointed out that we must be willing to make sacrifices in order to preserve the unity of our nation. Great applause greeted him when he emphasized that it is the little men and not the outstanding personalities who make a country great and that therefore, the sacrifices of the little people will never be forgotten. Captain Quinn, President of the local chapter of the V.F.W., spoke with sincere admiration of the immigrants who throughout the history of the United States of America, have proven their loyalty and patriotism. He particularly stressed the importance of American citizenship. An excellent program was presented on the stage. Valeria Kotzman, Irene Pomper, Steven Pomper, Olga Toth, Mrs. Toth Rose Bodis, Irene Toth and Irene Huyter gave excellent performances for which branchpresident Joseph Kardos expressed his thanks in behalf of the membership of the branch. followed introduced Supreme President John Bencze who, speaking with deep emotion, remembered the 6,000 Verhovay soldiers who fight for our freedom. Nearly 170 of them have given their lives in the defense of our country. He emphasized that this memorial celebration proves that the Verhovay is not a business concern, but a fraternal society the members of which share each others’ sorrows and joys. . . When he finished his address, the lights went out and spotlights lit up tfie stage. The rising curtain revealed three American flags which covered the portraits of the heroic dead members of Branch 90. A table stood in the left corner of the stage and another in the right corner, candles burning on both. Coloman Kocsis, manager of branch 90, stood at one table and branch-president Kocsis at the other. Deep silence engulfed the audience. Manager Kocsis started to speak. He recited a prologue written by theatre producer, director and actor, Nicholas Heltay, for this occasion, It was about three soldiers who approached the Heavenly Father asking him for a last furlough to see their loved ones once more. While speaking the last words, the three flags were slowly raised and the portraits of the three soldiers . . . furloughed from heaven . . . appeared . . . Three mothers’ cries cut through the solemn silence . . . the audience was weeping . . . even the American guests, the Mayor, the Judge and others, shed tears, while Joseph Kardos and Supreme President Bencze presented the portraits to the bereaved families . . . With the closing words of branch-president Joseph Kocsis and the singing of “God bless America” the memorial celebration ended . . . — — ' Arrangements for this unforgettable memorial celebration were made by branch-president Joseph Kardos, branch-manger Nicholas Kocsis, fellow-member Joseph Subits and the outstanding American-Hungarian actor Nicholas Heltay. Thanks to their unselfish and, untiring efforts the memorial celebration held in Allentown was one of the most moving, impressive and outstanding events arranged under the auspices of the Verhovay F. I. Association. We hope that the portraits of Frank Roseman, Frank M. Zserdin and Joseph Haydu, heroic dead members of Branch 90, will render some measure of comfort to the bereaved families of these heroic dead. celebration at 8:30 o’clock and after welcoming the guests re-A brief intermission quested Mr. Joseph Subits, for- and then Mr. Subits WHY DOESN’T SOMEONE TELL US THESE THINGS? Checking up among our readers we learn that the “Verhovay Epic” is considered the most interesting, exciting and popular feature of the Verhovay Journal. For this reason we endeavoured to get as much information as possible concerning the heroic achievements of our soldiers and we requested repeatedly that the families of outstanding soldiers or the managers of the branches to which they belong, send us their stories for publication. We emphasized that we don’t need complete articles. It is sufficient to furnish (he facts. We will do the editing of the material. In most instances, the local newspapers are quick to notice the news concerning outstanding achievements of soldiers from their community. Clippings from such newspaper stories is a help because it gives (he story a personal touch. It is only natural that our readers are interested in the achievements of their fellow members. There isn’t a family in our association which does not have some one serving with the armed forces. What they do, how they fight, what they go through and what they achieve are of foremost interest to us all. Many of our readers first look for the column of our heroic dead and then they look for the Verhovay Epic. Lately, however, our readers were disappointed. Excepting a few sporadic reports and the stories told by some of our contributors, there was little material available for the Verhovay Epic. Up until some time ago branch managers have been faithfully sending us reports on the outstanding achievements cf our fellow members in the armed forces. There were times when *ve wrere hardly able to keep up with the material furnished to us; we had supply for several issues. Then it was as if the well had suddenly dried out. A few brief notes are stiM coming in from here and there, but little of it can be published in the popular column, the Verhovay Epic.” Naturally, this couldn’t be because our soldiers suddenly stopped being heroes. We know for a fact that great things are done by them. This is apparent especially when we receive the saddening death notices and the letters from commanding officers in which our heroes are praised for their loyalty and courage. Why, then, the letdown? There seems to be some hesitancy on part of many families to make public the stories of their sons’ heroic achievements. There seems to be some neglect on part of SOME branch managers as far as keeping track of their soldier-members is concerned. Whatever the reason—it is wrong. “VERHOVAY EPIC” IS MORE THAN JUST PUBLICITY We can well understand that some of our soldiers and veterans are too modest to have their names and the stories of their achievements put into the limelight The real heroes of this war shy away from publicity and in some instances prevent their families from sending in details of their story. The modesty of these soldiers is commendable and deserves to be respected. However, there is another aspect of this matter which makes it extremely doubtful whether or not these men have a RIGHT to withhold the stories of their experiences' from the public. Repeatedly, we stated that our purpose is not only to give publicity to these men who have earned the admiration of the Verhovay membership but also to compile the story of Verhovay heroism. One of the aspects of this purpose pertains to the majority of Verhovans who are of Hungarian descent. A presentation of their deeds and achievements will serve proof to the American public as to the contribution made by the immigrants and their descendants in the course of this war. The necessity and importance of such proof is obvious to every one. The heroic soldiers of the Verhovay have served gloriously on the battlefields, in the air and at sea. They have made a substantial contribution to the great victory achieved in Europe and to the victory to be attained in tlie Pacific theater of war. But it is wrong for them to think that by fighting heroically they have exhausted all possibilities of serving the nation and their own people. Their deeds must be made part of the record of American-Hungar.’an and Verhovay life. By surrendering their story they can add another good deed to all they have done in the service of their country. They will make an important contribution to the strengthening of the position of American citizens of foreign extraction. They will help prove that loyalty to the United States of America does not depend on the number of generations upon which some Americans base their claims for superiority over the descendants of more recent immigrants. “Hunky-baiting ’ is slowly going out of fashion in our country due, main’y, to the heroic achievements of foreign born or foreign-descent heroes who proved that it doesn’t make any difference whether one’s ancestors came to this country on the Mayflower or on one of the ships of the Cunard W’hite Star. This isn’t our only purpose in attempting to compile the story of Verhovay heroism but it is one of the most importans ones. In our estimation it is sufficinetly important to warrant our request for whole-hearted cooperation on part of the soldiers, their families and the branch-managers. Cause is given to the question in the title of this article and (Continued on Page 2)
