Highly Decorated Washington County Marine Honored

 

Marine Corp Veteran Thomas D. Rizor couldn’t stop smiling as he was honored by a veterans’ contingent on Tuesday morning at Transitions Health Care in Washington.

“I died and went to heaven, all of my friends are here,” he said as he looked around the room filled with family, friends, and representatives of the local Marine Corp League, American Legion Post 175 of Washington, American Legion Post 639 of Claysville, the Patriot Guard, the American Legion Riders, and the Washington County Veteran’s Affairs Office. His medical staff stood beaming in the doorway.

Tom, who is 78 years old and is a highly decorated military veteran from Washington, has been battling medical issues for over a year. He put on his best Marine Corp t-shirt for the event, which included the presentation of certificates, a Marine Corp flag, challenge coins, a Vietnam War pin, and most importantly – a beautifully decorated Marine Corp cake.

I was honored to present Tom with a certificate recognizing his many awards: a Bronze Star with Combat “V”; two Purple Hearts (one for his services in Vietnam and one for his stint in the Dominican Republic Conflict); a Good Conduct Medal; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; a Navy Unit Citation; a National Defense Service Medal; a Vietnam Service Medal with two stars; the Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device; the Expert Badge M-14 Rifle Medal; and the Sharpshooter Badge .45 Cal Pistol Medal.

Sixty years ago, Tom was part of Operation Power Pack, when the U.S. sent troops to the Dominican Republic on April 24,1965, due to unrest and communist attempts to take over the government. Marines and the Army 82nd Airborne served in this conflict, which resulted ten Marines and 13 members of the Army 82nd Airborne being killed in action and 283 wounded. Washington County lost U.S. Marine Pvt. Joe Crile during this conflict on May 19, 1965. Tom didn’t know Pvt. Crile, who received the medal of valor for his actions.

Stevie Rizor said her husband, who was a master electrician, didn’t talk much about his military service and therefore she was a bit shocked to find out that he was so highly decorated.

After receiving his awards, the veterans in the room gave him a proper salute and joined him in a rousing rendition of the Marines’ Hymn. He responded by raising his fists with an enthusiastic “Oorah!”

At the end of the ceremony, Tom enjoyed a piece of cake and many accolades.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” he said, still smiling.

Oorah!

Tom and his loving family!

Tom and his good friend Bill Oliverio.

Tom posed with me and his good friends
 Dave McClay and Nick Zullo after the ceremony.

Carol Crile McBride of Ten Mile posed for a photo with Tom and I.
Her brother Pvt. Joe Crile was killed in the Dominican Republic Conflict.

Larry Maggi

maggil@co.washington.pa.us

Fort Cherry’s Anatomage Table: An LSA Investment in our Youth

 

It’s not everyday that you get to watch students “dissect” cadavers in their high school library.

But that’s exactly what I did today when I met with students in Fort Cherry High School’s anatomy and physiology class.  Don’t worry, it was all done virtually on a state-of-the-art Antomage Table loaded with the digital scans of real human and animal cadavers.

Senior Kayla George, junior Parker Maga and their teacher Dr. Kaitlyn Willyerd showed administrators, school board members, a local legislator, and me just how easy it was to operate. Their first subject was Vickie, who died of stomach cancer.

Kayla and Parker touched the screen to cut through skin and fat, inspect the heart, and travel through the digestive system. It was all very impressive and realistic.

Parker Maga, Kayla George and Dr. Kaitlyn Willyerd
 demonstrate the Anatomage Table.

Learning about the Anatomage Table

I was invited to the school because the $92,000 table was purchased through Washington County’s Local Share Account, which is funded by local casino money.  They applied for the money because the district is laser focused on career readiness. It’s all about making sure Fort Cherry students have a leg up when it comes to college and careers.

Dr. Willyerd said this program, which isn’t typically found in a high school classroom, allows the students to work on real cases. This college-level application engages students and helps with retention. It's so much better than reading about it in a book.

Kayla, who plans to become a physician’s assistant, said that using the Antomage Table has taught her a lot, specifically helping her understand how the heart works. Parker, who wants to be an EMT, said it  helped him connect the dots of anatomy.

“Without the support of the LSA we couldn’t afford this,” Superintendent Tom Samosky said after the demonstration.  “When you prioritize local schools, it has impact. It takes adults like this to sacrifice, to take the time out of their day to support our educators. Thank you for supporting our kids.”

Click here to learn more about the Antomage Table.

Larry Maggi

maggil@co.washington.pa.us

Two months, 11 posts and 9,000 views!

In February I tossed around the idea of starting a newsletter to reach my constituents. It was quickly pointed out that printing a newsletter would be an expensive and an old-fashioned way to reach people. A blog was suggested because it was free, easy to create, and the posts could easily be shared on Facebook.

Since then, I’ve posted about wrestling, county issues, and events, but my most popular posts were about my memories of Washington Mall, the list of Washington County Fish Fries, and a story about the popularity of girls’ high school wrestling.

The response has been good and as of today, 9,000 people have read my blog. While this may not be what young people consider a “viral response," I’m happy with it. It's great that so many people have found this online journal to be interesting and worth reading.

So, today I want to thank all of you for taking the time to read my blog and for the many positive responses I have received. 

Sincerely,

Larry