1951: HELLO, RAY; IT'S ME, TOMMY GLOVER

Hi Ray, your old friend and Hartley Avenue neighbor Tommy Glover here. I just wanted you to know that you are not forgotten....well, not forgotten that is by your relatives, friends and neighbors.  You were the very first Mercer County, Hamilton Township casualty of that war that President Truman called a "Police Action. I think some are referring to it as the "Forgotten War." I think I will go with that last term, Ray. For some strange reason, your historic sacrifice has gone virtually un-recognized by your old hometown and the county we all lived in. I just wanted you to know that I, and many others who knew and loved you will never forget that you gave your life for your country.

Semper Fi, Marine!

"Tommy" Glover

2009: A NEIGHBORHOOD HERO WHOM TIME FORGOT

On this hallowed Veterans' Day, I have re-posted an article which I wrote many years ago relating to a young man from a dear family who lived just up the Hartley Avenue hill from the Glovers. Ray Sypniewski (Sip-nyeski) was a childhood friend who was the FIRST Mercer County casualty of the Korean war. Why we hear so little about this hero is far beyond my understanding. If ever an American patriot and war hero deserves a monument in Veterans' Park, it is young Ray Sypniewski.