UKELODEON: For The Next Generation (08/11/02)

UKELODEON

For The Next Generation

Illinois SUMivtsi visit U.S. Army base at Fort Knox

by Justyna Katarzyna Jerzewski

CHICAGO - The Chicago and Palatine, Ill., branches of the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) visited Fort Knox Army Base in Kentucky on April 27-28. Early on a cool Saturday morning, a bus full of enthusiastic "SUMivtsi" boys and girls and their counselors started off on the six hour journey. The trip was sponsored by the Ukrainian American Veterans (UAV) branch in Palatine, and was organized by Lt. Col. Lawrence Verbiest of the U.S. Army, Bohdan Pyskir of the UAV, and Andrew Kosowsky of the Chicago branch of SUM. The purpose of the trip was to enlighten the youth about army life and military history.

Arriving at Fort Knox, we were met by Col. Verbiest and the men of the 2nd Battalion, 81st Armor Regiment. One group went to see how a tank operates and actually climbed inside a real tank. The other group got a lecture about Humvee personnel vehicles, then went on Humvee rides around the base. The boys had a real surprise when the lieutenant made them stand at attention and then commanded them to do push-ups. The lieutenant looked amazed at the strength our young men showed.

After that portion of the tour we headed to another part of the fort. There we were again divided into groups, and each group got to see the living arrangements for the soldiers. Some of the girls admitted they could never be in the army because they could never fit their clothes in the small rooms the soldiers have.

We then met with a drill sergeant who explained the process of basic training and patiently answered the many questions posed to him. All the youth and counselors had a chance to practice shooting a rifle (under the supervision of a professional instructor) and found that it's not as easy as it looks on television.

After the long ride and exciting tours, the youtsh were ready to eat. As we headed single-file to the mess hall, the youths counselors and officers thankfully took their food and ate, while talking about the exciting things they had seen. After the meal we all headed to a bowling alley where everyone had a wonderful time, bowling and even dancing a little.

The next day we attended church with the soldiers, after which we learned about religion in the military from the head chaplain. Then we visited the Patton Museum, and learned about the various weapons and uniforms that were used in the different battles in which America fought. For lunch, we prepared and ate MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), just like soldiers would eat in the field.

The 12-hour ride to Fort Knox and back seemed never-ending to the youth and counselors, but was truly worth the wonderful experience we all had at Fort Knox.

Plast NYC's Troop 3 blesses new flag

by Iwan Kinal

NEW YORK - The Troop 3 from the New York City branch of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization blessed its new flag on June 8. The new flag replaces the original that has been serving the boys' troop (kurin) since 1953, and which was already in quite bad condition from nearly 50 years of use.

After months of designing the new flag, and planning and preparing the blessing ceremony, the troop members finally have a wonderful new flag.

The blessing ceremony began shortly after the Plast branch's closing ceremony for the 2001-2002 academic year. Everyone from Troop 3 stayed for the ceremony, as did other members of Plast in New York. They were joined by former members of the troop, several Plast dignitaries and other guests.

After the ceremony was opened and the program read, the old flag was ceremoniously removed and hung on the wall. Then Father Mario Dacechen from St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York blessed the new flag. Next the flag-bearer swore his oath and then took the new flag into his hands. Afterwards all the kurin members swore their oath to the new flag.

With all of this completed, a short speech was delivered, several greetings from people who were unable to be present at the ceremony were read, and attendees signed the guest book and hammered special nails into a commemorative board.

Afterwards everyone enjoyed a quick snack and perused display of the history of Troop 3.

Cleveland area Plast youths clean up Pysanyi Kamin campground

by Katrusia Stecyk

MIDDLEFIELD, Ohio - Plastuny and their friends in the greater Cleveland area have worked this spring and summer at the Plast campground Pysanyj Kamin in Middlefield, Ohio, in preparation for the camps that are currently taking place there. They have worked hard fixing and cleaning up buildings, building new structures, planting flowers and beautifying the grounds. Some specific projects completed include clearing the area for the new swimming pool (to be built in 2003), mulching the playground area, replacing wiring in the barracks, replacing kitchen equipment and building new fences and decks. In addition, Lanka Batkiv (the Plast parent support group) donated two paddleboats for campers' use on the lake, and donated money for replacing the chairs and tables in the dining area.

Roman ("Pan Moloko") Kwit has been organizing this project, which consists of cleanup crews working on weekends. This has been an ongoing project for three years, with over 3,800 labor hours donated by dedicated volunteers. During this year alone, over 100 people have worked more than 1,200 hours with more work time planned. Mr. Kwit has spent countless hours organizing the workforce and keeping workers informed by e-mail, even sending out a picture of himself as a Kozak riding on horseback, leading his troops into battle!

Many people are helping with this project, such as the Chicago girls' Plast troop 6, who donated money to help fix up the volleyball courts. Also helping are Cleveland's Plast girls' Troop 28 and boys' Troop 17, who go to Pysanyi Kamin on weekends and work alongside the adults.

The work left Pysanyi Kamin clean and repaired for the guests from other cities for July's camp season and for the counselor camps (vyshkil) that took place in June.

This project has been an example of Ukrainians working together for a common goal, and has displayed the teamwork and cooperation of Cleveland's Plast community.

Youths remember Famine of 1932-1933

PARMA, Ohio - On Sunday, June 2, the annual commemoration of the man-made Famine in Ukraine took place at the Famine monument on the grounds of St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral. Clergy of the cathedral served a memorial service for the victims. This was followed by the youth of the parish's Junior Chapter of the Ukrainian Orthodox League and Sunday School speaking on the tragic events of 1932-1933. They then placed a wreath and flowers at the base of the monument. The parish choir concluded the commemoration by singing "Bozhe Velykyi." Above, members of the Junior UOL speak on the Famine of 1932-1933 in front of the monument.

Mishanyna

It is now 11 years after that historic August 24 in 1991 in Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, when the Parliament of Ukraine, then still a part of the Soviet Union, adopted the Act of Declaration of Independence. Today Ukrainians around the world annually celebrate Ukrainian Independence Day as a joyous holiday. This month's Mishanyna contains the words below, which are related to Ukraine and its independence.

act, August, blue and yellow, capital, celebration, eleven, emblem, flag, freedom, Glory to Ukraine, historic, holiday, independence, Kyiv, ninety-one, proclamationl, Slava Ukraini, Supreme Council, trident, tryzub, twenty-fourth.

CHECK IT OUT: In the centerfold of this issue, read about the youth camps of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and the Ukrainian American Youth Association (SUM) held, respectively, in East Chatham N.Y., and Ellenville, N.Y.

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