Dedication of the original Court of Honor in the courtyard of the Hershey Community Center on 3 November 1943.
Original veterans' plaques installed at the first Court of Honor at the main entrance to the Hershey Community Center on 3 November 1943.
(Photos courtesy of Hershey Community Archives, Hershey, PA) 
The Court of Honor at the old Cocoa Avenue Rec Center and Swimming Pool. Erected in 1982, it was torn down in 2020.
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Hershey and Derry Township have a long tradition of honoring their veterans, which was started by Mr. Hershey himself. One of the first structures erected in Hershey Park was a statue of a "Rough Rider" soldier which commemorated those veterans who had served in the country's most recent conflict, the Spanish American War of 1898. The first recorded instance of Hershey's veterans being memorialized by the community occurred on Memorial Day 1934 when fifteen red oak trees were planted on the grounds of the Derry Presbyterian Church next to the cemetery to honor those soldiers from the Hershey area who had died while on military duty during World War I. As early as 1906, three years after the founding of the community of Hershey, ceremonies commemorating Memorial Day, then known as Decoration Day, were celebrated. They generally consisted of speeches and the decoration of those veterans' graves in the Derry Presbyterian Church and the Spring Creek United Brethren Church. In 1917, shortly after the entry of the country into World War I that April, the first Memorial Day parade was held. Interestingly, it was led off by the Italian-American residents of the township. World War II brought about an enormous surge in patriotism and, with it, a greatly increased attendance at Memorial Day activities, so much so that upwards of 1,000 people swarmed to the front yard of the Hershey American Legion post for the 1942 ceremonies. Consequently, the venue was moved in 1943 to a location more suitable for a large crowd and, thus, the courtyard on the north side of the Hershey Community Building became the site for the town's annual Memorial Day ceremonies. With the establishment of Hershey American Legion Post 386 in 1919, this veterans' service organization assumed responsibility for organizing and conducting the Memorial Day events. Under their leadership, plaques recognizing those citizens of Hershey and Derry Township serving in the Armed Forces were composed. On 3 November 1943, those plaques were presented on the balustrades of the Hershey Community Building's courtyard. The original six plaques were made of wood with glass fronts capable of being opened to allow for adding additional names. When the plaques were unveiled in 1943 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of World War I's Armistice, (which would eventually become the national holiday known as Veterans' Day) there were 864 names. Throughout World War II, names were added to the plaques, usually during that year's Memorial Day ceremony, so that by 26 May 1945, there were 1,224 names. 36 of those names were marked with a star indicating that that individual had died in the line of duty. On 20 September 1947, the wooden plaques were replaced by two large bronze plaques. These impressive tablets were mounted on each side of the main courtyard entrance of the Community Building. Each one contained 619 names memorializing the 1,238 citizens of Hershey and Derry Township who had served in the Armed Forces during World War II. Entitled "Derry Township's Defenders of America," the new plaques were a gift from the citizens of Derry Township on behalf of the American Legion. |
Also inscribed on the new bronze plaques were the words "Court of Honor" which formalized the name of the Community Building's courtyard as the annual site for the town's Memorial Day ceremonies. Memorial Day ceremonies were held at that location until Memorial Day 1982. On that date, the two bronze veterans' plaques were rededicated at the new Court of Honor, which had been erected as a memorial plaza opposite the entrance to the swimming pool/recreation complex known as the Cocoa Avenue Plaza. This remarkable memorial was courtesy of Hershey Foods and was made possible by the Chairman of the Board, Harold Mohler. Mr. Mohler was a combat veteran of World War II, having served as a navigator on a B-17 based in Italy with the 15th Air Force. On his 23rd mission his Flying Fortress was shot down over Austria. Wounded while bailing out, he was captured and spent the rest of the war in a German POW camp. Following the war, he became deeply involved in veterans' affairs, serving numerous years as the service officer and eventually as the commander of the Hershey American Legion Post 386.
The new Court of Honor included a third bronze plaque similar to the original two which listed Derry Township's "Defenders of America" from the Korean War (97) and the Vietnam War (151), as well as one name for the Grenada Military Action and two for the Lebanon Military Action.
As more names were discovered, it became necessary to add another plaque to the Court of Honor. This fourth plaque was considerably smaller than the original three. It contained 21 names: World War II (5), Korean (6), Vietnam (7), Desert Storm (1) and 2 with no specific war indicated.
The Cocoa Avenue Plaza had been the ideal venue for Memorial Day ceremonies because of the Court of Honor's semi-circular layout and sufficient green space to accommodate spectators and a band. It proudly served this purpose for 37 years, 1982-2019. Unfortunately, when the Cocoa Avenue Plaza rec center was torn down in 2020 and not rebuilt at the new rec center.
Thus, plans are underway to erect a new "Courtyard of Honor" which, in addition to its traditional purpose of honoring those veterans from Derry Township who have served in the Armed Forces during periods of armed conflict, will also pay tribute to the community's first responders from the police, fire department and the emergency medical services.
Also, an additional feature will be a memorial to Hershey's first casualty of the Global War on Terrorism: Marine Corps veteran Michael R. Horrocks. A 1981 Hershey High graduate, he was the first officer/copilot of United Flight 175, which was forcibly hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists and then forced to crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
The new Court of Honor included a third bronze plaque similar to the original two which listed Derry Township's "Defenders of America" from the Korean War (97) and the Vietnam War (151), as well as one name for the Grenada Military Action and two for the Lebanon Military Action.
As more names were discovered, it became necessary to add another plaque to the Court of Honor. This fourth plaque was considerably smaller than the original three. It contained 21 names: World War II (5), Korean (6), Vietnam (7), Desert Storm (1) and 2 with no specific war indicated.
The Cocoa Avenue Plaza had been the ideal venue for Memorial Day ceremonies because of the Court of Honor's semi-circular layout and sufficient green space to accommodate spectators and a band. It proudly served this purpose for 37 years, 1982-2019. Unfortunately, when the Cocoa Avenue Plaza rec center was torn down in 2020 and not rebuilt at the new rec center.
Thus, plans are underway to erect a new "Courtyard of Honor" which, in addition to its traditional purpose of honoring those veterans from Derry Township who have served in the Armed Forces during periods of armed conflict, will also pay tribute to the community's first responders from the police, fire department and the emergency medical services.
Also, an additional feature will be a memorial to Hershey's first casualty of the Global War on Terrorism: Marine Corps veteran Michael R. Horrocks. A 1981 Hershey High graduate, he was the first officer/copilot of United Flight 175, which was forcibly hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists and then forced to crash into the South Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.