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Retired DOC Veteran Speaks to Incarcerated Veterans at Mercer

Tags: Mercer
November 14, 2018 12:00 AM
By: Andrea Shiock

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MER - 2018 Nov 9 - Veterans Day Ceremony.jpgIn honor of Veterans Day 2018, SCI Mercer held a ceremony on the Veterans Service Unit (VSU) on Nov. 9.  Under the supervision of the activities manager and the VSU staff, the veteran inmates planned, developed and performed the ceremony.

The colors were posted by the VSU Color Guard, the national anthem was played, veteran musicians performed several musical selections and several VSU veterans read tributes they wrote.

The ceremony attendees welcomed guest speaker retired DOC Deputy Superintendent David Zetwo, now chief deputy warden at the Allegheny County Prison. Zetwo, himself a 26-year veteran, thanked all of the veterans in attendance for their service. He spoke on several topics and ended by stating that we all have a book of our lives and that we write our own chapters for it. He indicated that the chapter that the veterans wrote to get them to where they are now is closed and should be put away as this chapter is written and cannot be changed.

MER - 2018 Nov 9 - Veterans Day Ceremony5.jpgZetwo encouraged the VSU veterans to use the discipline they learned in the military to move forward from here with the next chapter of their lives. He reminded them that their military discipline helped them while in the service and that it will also help them in their lives while incarcerated and when they go home.

The ceremony closed with the playing of Taps and retiring of the colors by the Color Guard.

Those in attendance enjoyed the Veterans Day Ceremony and thanked the VSU veterans and staff who coordinated the event. 

SCI Mercer thanks all veterans for their service.


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