The Knox Historical Society sponsored the 2nd annual Memorial Day Contest with the theme "Local and Family Military Heroes." The top winning essay writers were:
1st Place Owen Czebiniak
2nd Place Jackson Collins
3rd Place Kimberly Stark
Owen and Kimberly read their very moving essays at the Knox Memorial Day Parade ceremony in front of the Knox Town Hall on Monday, May 27, 2019.
These young citizens and the other young people who submitted essays, all students at the Helderberg Christian School, are to be commended for their interest in civics.
1st Place Owen Czebiniak
2nd Place Jackson Collins
3rd Place Kimberly Stark
Owen and Kimberly read their very moving essays at the Knox Memorial Day Parade ceremony in front of the Knox Town Hall on Monday, May 27, 2019.
These young citizens and the other young people who submitted essays, all students at the Helderberg Christian School, are to be commended for their interest in civics.
1st Place Winner, Owen Czebiniak reading his essay at the Knox Memorial Day parade.
Owen Czebiniak 2019 1st Place
James C. Malaney was my great great uncle. He served in the United States Navy for thirty years. He served on many battleships, submarines, and an aircraft carrier (the largest of its time). Malaney served the main portion of his enlistment during World War II. By the end of his career, Malaney rose in the ranks to a lieutenant. He retired on April 7, 1982.
Malaney joined the Navy at age seventeen. After getting out of boot camp, he entered a Navy signaling school. After graduating he worked at an outpost against the shore of Hampton Roads. His job was to report all ships entering the harbor, and to communicate with any destroyers harbored there. While being stationed in Hampton he was promoted to Seaman First Class.
Further along in his deployment, Malaney was transferred to a submarine in Hawaii. His fleet was harbored at Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese attack. He and the rest of the crew were some of the very few soldiers to down any Japanese aircraft during the attack. After the attack Malaney watched battleships that he was stationed on sink, bringing down men he once knew and worked with.
Near the end of his enlistment, Malaney was stationed on a minesweeper. They had uncovered many mines saving the lives of thousands of men in the fleet. Until one day when he and his unit ran into three mines and sunk. Malaney took fragment wounds to the head, but survived and was rescued along with his remaining crew. I believe this was important because Malaney's unit took the brunt of the minefield shielding, warning the rest of the fleet.
Malaney gave thirty years of his life to his country to protect our freedom and to free those who were oppressed. He was awarded the "purple heart" for being wounded in action. Shortly after these proceedings, Malaney was ordered to finish his enlistment on the shore; he would never enter the war again.
I believe Malaney was a hero because he put others before himself and served his country for about half his life. Malaney showed great patriotism and a love for his country. Malaney's service is important to me because he put his life on the line so that others may live and be free.
James C. Malaney was my great great uncle. He served in the United States Navy for thirty years. He served on many battleships, submarines, and an aircraft carrier (the largest of its time). Malaney served the main portion of his enlistment during World War II. By the end of his career, Malaney rose in the ranks to a lieutenant. He retired on April 7, 1982.
Malaney joined the Navy at age seventeen. After getting out of boot camp, he entered a Navy signaling school. After graduating he worked at an outpost against the shore of Hampton Roads. His job was to report all ships entering the harbor, and to communicate with any destroyers harbored there. While being stationed in Hampton he was promoted to Seaman First Class.
Further along in his deployment, Malaney was transferred to a submarine in Hawaii. His fleet was harbored at Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese attack. He and the rest of the crew were some of the very few soldiers to down any Japanese aircraft during the attack. After the attack Malaney watched battleships that he was stationed on sink, bringing down men he once knew and worked with.
Near the end of his enlistment, Malaney was stationed on a minesweeper. They had uncovered many mines saving the lives of thousands of men in the fleet. Until one day when he and his unit ran into three mines and sunk. Malaney took fragment wounds to the head, but survived and was rescued along with his remaining crew. I believe this was important because Malaney's unit took the brunt of the minefield shielding, warning the rest of the fleet.
Malaney gave thirty years of his life to his country to protect our freedom and to free those who were oppressed. He was awarded the "purple heart" for being wounded in action. Shortly after these proceedings, Malaney was ordered to finish his enlistment on the shore; he would never enter the war again.
I believe Malaney was a hero because he put others before himself and served his country for about half his life. Malaney showed great patriotism and a love for his country. Malaney's service is important to me because he put his life on the line so that others may live and be free.
Jackson Collins 2019 2nd Place
As we come together to celebrate Memorial Day we look back and appreciate the sacrifices of the armed forces; but we are here today not to celebrate just everyone in general, but our local heroes who changed the world. I appreciate the opportunity that the Knox Historical Society has given us to show support and to honor our veterans through these essays. Here we continue. One hometown hero who joined the military and made a sacrifice for our people would be Richard John Mosley.
Richard John Mosley was a hometown hero who served during the Vietnam War as a Specialist. But tragically, while he was working as a medic faithfully and bravely in a time that was hard for others, he sustained fatal injuries by an enemy sniper shot. Many veterans, like Richard John Mosley, and other heroes on the battlefield who did not make it in the past, made a life-changing choice, for them and for us. What those people did in times of war, World War 1, 2; Vietnam War, and so forth, has protected the lives and the unmatchable freedom that we have in the United States; Also preserving freedom in the rest of the world. We should all be extremely thankful for their service for the United States; they protect our families, our children, and daily routine; and unmatched patriotism for the United States.
These people have done an inexorable deed to the United States, and that is why we come here together: to honor, to show our thanks towards them, and so we can remember the many crises of the past - to protect them. God bless America, our home and safeguard!
As we come together to celebrate Memorial Day we look back and appreciate the sacrifices of the armed forces; but we are here today not to celebrate just everyone in general, but our local heroes who changed the world. I appreciate the opportunity that the Knox Historical Society has given us to show support and to honor our veterans through these essays. Here we continue. One hometown hero who joined the military and made a sacrifice for our people would be Richard John Mosley.
Richard John Mosley was a hometown hero who served during the Vietnam War as a Specialist. But tragically, while he was working as a medic faithfully and bravely in a time that was hard for others, he sustained fatal injuries by an enemy sniper shot. Many veterans, like Richard John Mosley, and other heroes on the battlefield who did not make it in the past, made a life-changing choice, for them and for us. What those people did in times of war, World War 1, 2; Vietnam War, and so forth, has protected the lives and the unmatchable freedom that we have in the United States; Also preserving freedom in the rest of the world. We should all be extremely thankful for their service for the United States; they protect our families, our children, and daily routine; and unmatched patriotism for the United States.
These people have done an inexorable deed to the United States, and that is why we come here together: to honor, to show our thanks towards them, and so we can remember the many crises of the past - to protect them. God bless America, our home and safeguard!
Kimberly Stark 2019 3rd Place
My grandfather, Richard Stark, served in the Naval Air during the Vietnam War from 1963-1967 as a plane captain. He was given a specific plane, a P-2 Neptune, to take care of and worked with a crew of nine in Ibuki, Japan. During his later years in service he flew with the crew doing coastal patrol.
One of the stories I've heard from my grandfather that I find the most memorable was when he prevented a plane from exploding and saved the crew's life. My grandfather was a part of a crew flying over the ocean in January. His job was to make sure the plane was working and running well. On this occasion, inside the bombay area of the plane were two big gas containers and at some point, the plane had flexed and the two hoses connected to the gas containers were disconnected. Gas began pumping into the bombay rapidly, and soon the fumes were spreading into the cockpit. The crew began to panic, because if anything in the plane sparks, it'll explode. My grandfather realized that he could get back into the bombay and fix the gas containers. The pilot agreed and so my grandfather crawled back into the bombay area, which was steadily pumping gas. He crawls under different tanks and machinery until he reached the gas tanks. After a long time of struggling to reattach the hoses to the gas tanks, he succeeded and gas was no longer pumping into the plane. Unfortunately, there was so much gas fumes in the air, my grandfather was struggling to get oxygen and was starting to pass out. Fortunately the copilot noticed and alerted the pilot, who cracked open the bombay doors and allowed the gas inside the plane to escape and my grandfather to receive oxygen. He managed to crawl out of the bombay and return to the cock pit with help from the copilot. They were now safe. The gas was no longer pumping into the bombay and the threat of an explosion was over thanks to my grandfather.
My grandfather may not have served on the front lines or flown fighter planes to shoot down the enemy, but in my eyes, he's still just as much of a hero. He saved those men's lives that day, and I think that was very brave and heroic and I am very proud to call him my grandfather.
My grandfather, Richard Stark, served in the Naval Air during the Vietnam War from 1963-1967 as a plane captain. He was given a specific plane, a P-2 Neptune, to take care of and worked with a crew of nine in Ibuki, Japan. During his later years in service he flew with the crew doing coastal patrol.
One of the stories I've heard from my grandfather that I find the most memorable was when he prevented a plane from exploding and saved the crew's life. My grandfather was a part of a crew flying over the ocean in January. His job was to make sure the plane was working and running well. On this occasion, inside the bombay area of the plane were two big gas containers and at some point, the plane had flexed and the two hoses connected to the gas containers were disconnected. Gas began pumping into the bombay rapidly, and soon the fumes were spreading into the cockpit. The crew began to panic, because if anything in the plane sparks, it'll explode. My grandfather realized that he could get back into the bombay and fix the gas containers. The pilot agreed and so my grandfather crawled back into the bombay area, which was steadily pumping gas. He crawls under different tanks and machinery until he reached the gas tanks. After a long time of struggling to reattach the hoses to the gas tanks, he succeeded and gas was no longer pumping into the plane. Unfortunately, there was so much gas fumes in the air, my grandfather was struggling to get oxygen and was starting to pass out. Fortunately the copilot noticed and alerted the pilot, who cracked open the bombay doors and allowed the gas inside the plane to escape and my grandfather to receive oxygen. He managed to crawl out of the bombay and return to the cock pit with help from the copilot. They were now safe. The gas was no longer pumping into the bombay and the threat of an explosion was over thanks to my grandfather.
My grandfather may not have served on the front lines or flown fighter planes to shoot down the enemy, but in my eyes, he's still just as much of a hero. He saved those men's lives that day, and I think that was very brave and heroic and I am very proud to call him my grandfather.