Eighth-grader Susan Mendegro stood so petite that an older student had to slip a box behind the podium for her to reach the microphone as she addressed the crowd in the Northwest Area Junior/Senior High School auditorium.

Her cadence was subtly reminiscent of Linus Van Pelt delivering his famous monologue in “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown.” You know, the Bible passage he recites after announcing “Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights please?”

She delivered what was – she would soon learn – the school-winning speech in the VFW-sponsored national “Patriot’s Pen” contest, giving her opinion on the theme, “When is the right time to honor military heroes.”

“There is no one right time to honor military heroes, only missed opportunities,” Mendegro said. “The right time to honor our military heroes is every day.”

Mendegro was one of two finalists in the school-level contest given a chance to read their essays during a morning assembly Wednesday as part of a day-long Veterans Day program. The other semifinalist, Sarah Bilby, suggested, “We as Americans don’t realize what our soldiers give up,” then concluded, “There is no wrong time to honor our military heroes.”

Until Wednesday I don’t recall ever hearing about the Patriot’s Pen Contest. I had driven to the small rural school to watch the finalists in the “Voice of Democracy” contest, sponsored by the VFW for so long that I entered back in West Hazleton High School (Class of ’75). I took second place. I like to pretend my contrarian approach to tradition cost me votes among the judging Veterans, rather than my speaking skills.

Out of the mouths of youngsters …

The theme for the VOD this year was “Does America Still Have Heroes?” And while, back in the day, we were judged on the live speech given on stage before a crowd, students now write essays that are winnowed, then recorded for review. The live performances Wednesday were not judged.

Anne Wolf conjured the classic hero icon – Superman – but dismissed it as obviously unrealistic, opting instead to embrace the concept of hero as someone who gives of his or herself without seeking recognition: The firefighter who says saving your house “was all in a day’s work,” the police officer who pulls over a speeder, the soldier “fighting for every one of us.”

“As long as people continue doing selfless acts,” Wolf said, “true heroes will never go up, up and away.”

Keri Skvarla argued that “heroes are only recognized when we need them,” and quoted Will Rogers: “Being a hero is about the shortest-lived profession on earth.” In our diverse nation, there can no longer be one person who is hero to all, all the time. But that doesn’t mean there are no heroes, just that heroes are more individualized.

“America does not have heroes. But without a doubt, Americans do.”

Harry Haas made his appeal personal when he suggested “All veterans should be considered heroes.” He cited relatives by name who had served in combat from World War II through Iraq, some wounded, some decorated, then quoted General Norman Schwarzkopf from a 1991 interview with Barbara Walters.

“It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”

Since, as noted, the contest had already been judged via recordings, the results were immediately available.

And the winner is …

Well, Anne Wolf, officially. But seriously, they all won.

About the Author

Mark Guydish covers education for the Times Leader. Reach him at (570) 970-7161 or mguydish@timesleader.com.

A West Hazleton native, I worked as a service technician repairing electronic mailing and shipping systems, a bike shop owner and an Emergency Medical Technician (among other jobs) before landing a reporter job at the Times Leader Hazleton Bureau in 1995. I started by covering primarily politics in Hazleton City and outlying municipalities, eventually became "social issues" team leader in the Wilkes-Barre office with the accent on education, and headed the Hazleton Bureau for a spell before returning to full-time reporting, my preferred position. I'm an avid cyclist and rode across the country in 1990, a trip of more than 5,000 miles from New Jersey to Seattle and down the coast to San Francisco. Years in the Boy Scouts made me a life long backpacker and camper, and I've yet to find a better way to enjoy the quiet lure of winter snow than cross country skiing.

Mark also writes a regular blog for timesleader.com.

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