SILVER SPRING TO HONOR ACTIVE & RETIRED MILITARY HEROES ON MEMORIAL DAY

MILITARY RESIDENTS OF 55+ PENNSYLVANIA COMMUNITIES RESPECT HOLIDAY’S ROOTS

Mechanicsburg, PA – May 27, 2010 – Homeowners at Traditions of America at Silver Spring – Pennsylvania’s leading new retirement community – will celebrate the Memorial Day weekend in more than just backyard barbecues in their new homes. Many residents will join millions of other Americans to unofficially kick off the summer season at a weekend pool party. But in a community loaded with retired and active military veterans, the holiday also presents a special opportunity to honor those who have sacrificed the most for their country.

Since opening two years ago, many of the residents of Silver Spring’s new homes are retired and active military veterans. While most discuss their service with pride, each shares a tendency to minimize their sacrifice in favor of those who ‘gave all.’ As a 25 year veteran of the Army, retired Colonel Barry Mahek has known many who have given their lives for their country, and he takes the opportunity on Memorial Day to reflect. Mahek, who moved to Silver Spring in September 2009 with his wife, Judy, says, “If each of us can take just a moment to reflect on those who gave their lives to protect our freedoms, the holiday will have served its true purpose.

The fact that Memorial Day has become a retail event is not lost on Mahek. “It has become commercialized, much like Veterans’ Day,” he points out. “I have a simple response to that. Our energy is better spent remembering the guys buried down at Fort Indiantown Gap.” And Mahek isn’t the only Silver Spring homeowner who shares that view. In fact, though he’s known by some in the community as ‘The Colonel’, he’s not the only Colonel. Not by a longshot.

Having earned her stripes with more than 20 years in the Army, Retired Colonel Rena Mattern agrees that Memorial Day presents a special opportunity. She appreciates that each mailbox in Silver Spring will be adorned with an American flag for the weekend, and she plans to enjoy the community’s pool party. Her thoughts will be more somber, however. “It’s really a day to remember, and to honor, those that sacrificed everything in the name of their country,” she says.

Mattern, who has called Silver Spring home for little more than a month, shares her new Pennsylvania home with husband Richard – also a retired Army Colonel. The pair has noted that a significant number of Silver Spring residents have served in the armed forces. “It’s great to be around so many people with a similar background,” she adds. “It helps me remember to include both retired and active military in my thoughts along with those who have made the supreme sacrifice.”

The Traditions of America at Silver Spring information center is open daily, 10am – 6pm.