A lifelong resident of Lansford who served in Vietnam has been selected to serve as the grand marshal of the Carbon County Veterans Day Parade that will be held on his hometown on Sunday.

Richard “Monk” Pogwist, who few would argue has been the heart and soul of American Legion Post 123, Lansford, for about a half century, will be the guest of honor when the parade navigates through the community starting at 1:30 p.m.

“I’m deeply humbled to be chosen (for the honor),” Pogwist said. “It means a lot that my peers respect me by choosing me to be the grand marshal. It’s really an honor to be selected.”

That the Post 123 committee headed by Vice Commander Rick Soto selected Pogwist is probably not a surprise to anyone, as he has literally dedicated his life to the Legion and veterans.

With 50 years of “very active” service to the post under his belt, Pogwist is quick to answer “why?” “It (his service) is to help other veterans,” he said, noting a lot of military personnel are discharged and seldom get involved in service organizations.

What makes him do it? “Camaraderie,” he said, noting his volunteerism is all for the love of the brotherhood for those who have served.

According to Soto, Pogwist was the obvious choice to be the grand marshal, noting he is thrilled at the selection. The post vice president said, “I have known ‘Monk’ since the late 80s; he was good friends with my wife’s brothers. A very active member of our Legion post and the community, he has always been an advocate for veterans, whether it be fighting for health care, disability or even making sure they are taking care of later in life. It has been my pleasure to know him and to call him my friend.”

Getting his start

A son of the late Joseph C. and Dorothy (Kosalko) Pogwist, “Monk” attended SS. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Grade School, Lansford, before graduating in 1971 from Panther Valley High School.

On June 14, 1971, just nine days after his high school graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17. Pogwist remembered, “I never had a draft card; I enlisted,” adding, “I remember being in Vietnam, picking up the Stars and Stripes newspaper, and it read ‘Nixon ends draft.’”

Pogwist went on to serve three years and seven months of active duty, including a year in Vietnam with the 527th PSC, USARV. Upon his return from Vietnam, he was stationed at Fort Hamilton, New York, where he was honorably discharged from active duty in January 1975.

Upon returning to his hometown, he was employed by Bethlehem Mines, then the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, for nearly 26 years. In 2001, he was hired by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections where he worked for 15 years as a corrections officer at SCI Mahanoy, retiring in 2016.

He is currently the chairman of the Lansford-Coaldale Joint Water Authority.

Legion leadership

During his 52 consecutive years with the Garland-Manak-Boyle-Zonca-Whitehead American Legion Post 123, Lansford, Pogwist he served three terms as commander and is presently the post adjutant.

He is also a past commander of the Vietnam Last Man’s Club, a past Carbon County commander and is presently on the staff of the 30th District as a deputy commander.

Pogwist’s community service goes well beyond the American Legion, as he is the coordinator of the annual Memorial Day program in Kennedy Park, Lansford, where he serves as master of ceremonies, and is a former member of the Lansford AMVETS Post and currently a regular member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8008, Nesquehoning.

The grand marshal served the borough of Lansford with dignity as its mayor from 1986-1990. He was appointed by the town council and formally appointed by Gov. Bob Casey to serve as Lansford’s emergency management coordinator.

He is a longtime firefighter and life member of American Fire Company of Lansford, where he retired as first assistant chief.

He served as a member of the executive board of the Carbon County Republican Party, was a committeeman in the middle ward of Lansford and served as treasurer of the Lansford Republican Club.

Family life

Pogwist is married to the former Deborah Ruslavage of Coaldale for the past 36 years. They are the parents of a daughter, Kristin.

He is one of four siblings, having a brother Joseph, and his wife, LaRue of Lehighton, and two sisters, Joanne, wife of Joseph Drosdak of Nesquehoning, and Patricia, wife of the late Joseph Reiter of Schwenksville.

Pogwist is a former member of SS. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church, Lansford, and St. John’s Catholic Church, Coaldale, and is a current member of St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley, Summit Hill.

About the parade, he said, “We’re anticipating a good crowd. It’s funny, but I saw all kinds of reports about attendance at the annual Halloween parade. I just hope we get the same crowds, that the public will come out, enjoy the day and show respect to all of our veterans.”

This year will mark the first time since 2018 that Lansford will be hosting the county event. The parade will form on the far western part of the borough (swimming pool area), travel east on Bertsch Street, turn left onto Chestnut Street, then make a left on Patterson Street and then a right on Springgarden Street before turning left and proceeding westbound on Ridge Street.

A parade lineup will be announced in the Times News later this week.