Rep. Gillen Summer 2011 Senior Newsletter

8/6/2019 Rep. Gillen Summer 2011 Senior Newsletter

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Summer 2011:

Special Senior Edition

State Representative Mark Gillen

Here to Serve

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDHARRISBURG, PAPERMIT NO. 432

RemembeRing the 70th AnniveRsARy of PeARl hARboR

Special Interview with Pearl

Harbor Survivor Lyle Koenig “Why the dickens is that ship upside down?”

Lyle Koenig, stationed aboard the destroyer USS Aylwin, was almost done with his morning

watch in the engine room when the alarm rangout. It had been a quiet Sunday morning for thecrew of the Aylwin; most of the ofcers were onshore leave. Up on deck, Koenig saw the trainingship USS Utah upside down. A split second later,he heard machine gun re. All thoughts that thismight be a drill evaporated when he saw a Japa-nese plane with the rising sun insignia on it. “ThenI knew we were at war.”

The smaller ships weren’t primary targets – theJapanese were looking for the aircraft carriers,and, not nding them, went after the battleships:

“The bigger the ship, the fatter the target,” Koe-nig said. Immediately, the Aylwin was instructedto leave harbor: “We didn’t have any time to worry.” While they were leaving, their captain, on shore, commandeered a small boat, desperate to rejoin his ship. But theadmiral of the USS California waved the Aylwin out. They knew there were enemysubs in the harbor, and the rst priority was to get out of harm’s way. “An ensign stolethe ship and wouldn’t pick the captain up!” Koenig chuckled. “And we got away withit, too!”

The crew of the Aylwin immediately began looking for subs. They dropped depthcharges outside the mouth of Pearl Harbor, then joined up with the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and acted as an escort, arriving back in harbor the night of Dec.8. When asked about the state of mind of the sailors, Koenig said, “Mad. Angry.That we were hit like that.” (Continued on Page 2)

Dear Friends,Two of the most signicant

inuences in our lives areparents and grandparents.My grandmother was bornin 1894 and was a pillar inmy own life until her deathin 1992. The memory of her wise counsel and love of country and family will re-main with me as long as Ihave breath. My own WorldWar II veteran dad is alsolong gone, but his teenageservice to America gave mea template for my own civicservice. At 85, my mom isstill very much with us andcontinues to inspire me with

her focus on others rst.This newsletter is dedicat-ed to them and the seniors inour community who also lovetheir country and are commit-ted to making Berks County abetter place for their own fami-lies.

Mark Gillen

State Representative128th Legislative District

Save these Dates!

Chillin’ with Gillen Senior Ice Cream Social: Sept. 8

Miller-Keystone Blood Drive at Dairy Queen: Sept. 15

Berks Encore Senior Expo: Oct. 25

Details inside.



hoorig sericee ad WoeThanks in large part to the dedicated efforts of a constituent from Wyomissing, I

was pleased to co-sponsor and help pass House Bill 1269.HB1269 provides for special license plates for veterans who have been awarded

the Bronze Star, Bronze Star for Valor, or Silver Star, as well as those who have re-ceived the Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force Cross. HB 1269 passed unanimously and is currently in the Senate Trans-portation Committee.

When the Senate reconvenes in the fall, I hope to see this important legislationpassed into law so that these plates are available to veterans across Pennsylvania.

(Continued from Page 1)Pearl Harbor Survivor

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seior farer marke

nuriio Progra

One of the things that my family and I enjoy most about summer

in Pennsylvania is the abundance of locally grown produce at farm-ers markets. The Berks County Ofce of Aging’s Senior Farmers

Market Nutrition Program helps eligible seniors take advantage of

the bounty of local crops.

If you are at least 60 years old, or turning 60 by the end of this

year, and meet minimum household guidelines (one person: $1,679

per month; two person: $2,268 per month), you may be eligible to

receive $20 in vouchers to be used at designated farmers market

stands for local fruits and vegetables.

For more information, or to enroll in the program, contact the

Berks County Ofce of Aging at 610-478-6500.

Koenig tried to enlist in the Navy following his highschool graduation in 1939. He passed the physical,but was denied because he was a quarter inch un-der the height requirement. Then, on Sept. 1, Hitler invaded Poland. Suddenly, a quarter inch didn’t mat-ter quite so much. By Sept. 9, he was an apprenticeseaman in the Navy. In Koenig’s words, “It took Hitler

to get me into the Navy.” His upbringing on a dairyfarm in northern Berks prepared him for the rigors of military training. “It was a walk in the park!” he said,compared to walking behind a plow, farming the fam-ily elds.

Koenig was on the receiving ship USS Oklahoma for three days before being sent to the Aylwin. “I’mglad they didn’t keep me,” he said. The Oklahoma wasone of three ships that were completely destroyed inthe sneak attack. He served in the Navy from 1939-1945, most of the time spent at sea. “I joined the Navyto see the world – but all that I did see was the sea!”

Lyle married his wife, Erma, in 1944. When askedhow the sacrices impacted them on the homefront,she shrugged off the question: “You did [sacrice] andyou didn’t think anything of it.”

In the years after World War II, Lyle and Erma havebeen back to visit Pearl Harbor. While they thorough-ly enjoyed Hawaii, it was sobering to think about the

memorial above the sunken USS Arizona. They havewatched the deterioration of the ship, causing dropsof oil to slowly seep out of the tanks and rise to thesurface, and reminding them of the 1,177 people stillon the Arizona, more than half of all the casualties onthat day.

To the Koenigs, it serves as a reminder that we to-day need to be vigilant and to remember. The motto of the survivors is “Remember Pearl Harbor.” Erma said,“I’ll never forget it as long as I live.” It remains to us tokeep that memory alive, to honor those patriots whofought and died.



Sen io r C i t i z enS a nd V e ter a nS

beei seio

It was an honor to have a large number of veteransin our district come out for our Mobile Vet Event on May26. For those of you who were not able to attend, theBerks County Department of Veterans Affairs will begin

hosting VA benets information sessions at the BerksEncore-Birdsboro on the second Wednesday of everymonth from 9 a.m. to noon. The session is free, so comeout and take advantage of the wealth of informationavailable from the Berks VA center. For more informa-tion, or to learn about other locations for these free ses-sions, contact the Berks VA ofce at 610-378-5601.

leao vA hopia traporaio

Do you travel to the VA hospital in Lebanon? If so,there’s a program that can help get you there. The Vet-erans Transportation Services, part of the Berks CountyChapter of the American Red Cross, will transport, free

of charge, any Berks County resident who is a veteranand needs to get to the Lebanon VA hospital. The vansrun Monday through Friday, and they pick you up fromyour home.

The vans are driven solely by volunteers. To join their ranks, or to sign up for a ride, contact the Red Cross at610-375-4383.

I recently hosted the Mobile Vet Center at our Berks County district office.The event allowed military veterans and their families from the area to ask questions and receive information about programs and services tailored specifically for them. I had the opportunity to meet with and talk to veteransoutside the Mobile Vet Center. As the son of a World War II veteran, I hold aspecial place in my heart for all United States military veterans.

I recently had the honor of presenting a House of Representatives citation to Kitty McDonnell in honor of her 100th birthday.

If you are not already aware, the deadline for the Pennsylvania Property Tax/Rent Rebate program has beenextended until Dec. 31.I encourage those who are eligible to take advantage of this program.The property tax bills that we all got in the mail recently were a big reminder of the need for a change to the

system. I am actively working toward the day when not just seniors, but all Pennsylvanians, are freed from thecrushing burden of property taxes.

• The House and Senate passed legislation that eliminated many of the reasons school boards use inorder to raise your property taxes and substantially restricted the remaining reasons.

• I am supporting legislation that will give school districts exibility with costly state mandates.• I am currently pursuing legislation to use the revenue from slots and table games so more funds are

dedicated to phasing out property taxes.• I believe that complete property tax elimination is the only answer, and I will continue to ght to

achieve that reality.I want you to know that this issue is close to my heart. I recently helped a senior citizen get her house prepared

for sale so she can move to Florida because she could no longer pay the property tax bills. I am heartbrokento see people leave Berks County. Help me keep the pressure on the PA Legislature to change our system and

reverse the course that we are on.

In Memory of Kyle Pagerly

The Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program is open to senior citizens age 65 or older, widows/widowers age50 or older, or permanently disabled homeowners and renters receiving Supplemental Security Income paymentswho are age 18 or older.

Households must have incomes less than $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 a year for renters.All income must be counted, but seniors and permanently disabled individuals only need to count half of any

Social Security income.

Program exnsion for Propry tax and Rn Rbas

Happy 100th Birthday!



Here to ServeIf we can be of assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to call or stop by our district ofce. We are here to serve.

Where to nd us...

The district ofce for the 128th Legislative

District will continue to be in the same loca-

tion at the Flying Hills Village Center off

Route 10. Come visit us at 29 Village Cen-

ter Drive, Suite A 7, Reading, PA 19607.

The phone number for the district ofce also

remains the same: 610-775-5130.

What Our Ofce Can Provide For You...

Services for seniors: PACE, Property Tax and Rent Rebate,$10 vehicle registration

Information about legislation pending and passed in thestate Capitol

PennDOT forms Copies of birth and death certicates Pennsylvania laws related to rearms Pennsylvania road maps Personal estate inventory books

Mill-Kyst Bld Div When: Thursday, Sept. 15, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Where: The Dairy Queen near Shillington at the

intersection of Routes 625 and 724.

Ic Cam Scial When: Thursday, Sept. 8, 10:30 a.m. to noon Where: The Mifin Senior Center

30 Liberty St., Shillington

Come make your own ice cream sundae and discussyour legislative priorities with me.

F RE E IC E C RE AM

SenIor expo

oct. 25th

It’s that time again! Oct. 25 will be

the 11th Annual Berks Encore Senior

Expo at the Body Zone. My ofce is

already busy getting materials andresources ready to share with seniors

at this event. My staff and I will be on

hand to meet seniors and help an-

swer questions about state govern-

ment. Be sure to come visit our booth!

Aoucig e

veera meoria WaBecause we must never forget the sacrices of our brave men

and women in uniform, I decided to dedicate a portion of my ofceas a Veterans Memorial Wall, memorializing our veterans such asStaff Sergeant Sean Flannery. It serves as a daily reminder to my

staff and I that none of us would be here were it not for their service.If you are a veteran, I would like to invite you to be a part of this

effort. During the Senior Expo, we will provide 4-inch by 6-inch indexcards for you to write down one of your service memories. If youwould like to bring your own index card or a duplicate photo fromhome, you are also welcome to do so. All items will be displayed in aphoto album in my ofce. Size should not exceed 4-inch by 6-inch

(two-dimensional only, please) and items cannot be returned.

Mark your calendars! I will be holding two events this summer, complete with free ice cream, for youto meet your representative, talk about legislative priorities, and even benet a good cause.

CHILLIN’ WITH State Representative GILLeN

Dairy Queen is generously giving a free ice cream cake to each blood donor. Feelfree to stay and chat with me about issues of interest to you. Please call our ofce

at 610-775-5130 to schedule a donor appointment.

www RepGillen com

Documents

Rep. Gillen Summer 2011 Senior Newsletter