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Reflections of a past recipient … What it means to be a recipient of the Buchan Memorial Scholarship.

1991 Recipient Michael Young

Being the first recipient of the Sergeant First Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship was, and continues to be, a great honor.  I come from a military family, and during World War II my maternal grandfather served in the Navy while my paternal grandfather served in the Air Force.

After the War, my paternal grandfather established and served as the first commander of the 18th Air Force.  He retired as a Colonel, and his service ultimately inspired his sons to join the military, including my father who was an Army Ranger.

My grandfather received a purple heart for his service, and my father received three purple hearts during his multiple tours of duty in the Vietnam War.  My dad doesn’t talk much about his time during the War, but one thing he has mentioned is how lucky he feels that afterwards he was able to start a family and help raise his three sons.

Unfortunately, not all who serve are as lucky.

SFC Buchan made the ultimate sacrifice for his Country, and I feel incredibly honored to have been the first recipient of the scholarship created in his name.  When considering all that SFC Buchan gave for his Country, I try to reflect on the fact that this sacrifice was not his alone, but that it was also made by his family, his friends, and all those who love him.

The scholarship helped me to attend the Pennsylvania State University, where I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.  Since then, I have relocated to Richmond, VA where I work as a transportation engineer and enjoy spending every free moment I have with my wife and my newborn son.  Even though I moved south, I still love Johnstown and I continue to visit my hometown any chance that I can get.

Since the birth of my son, I try to be especially considerate of the sacrifice that our service men and women make every day to ensure that he can grow up and thrive in a secure country.  I try to remember to be grateful for those like SFC Buchan, and to use that feeling to make sure that I’m focusing on the things that really matter.

Receiving the scholarship has helped to give me the perspective to appreciate these things, but it has also provided me with an opportunity to give back to future scholarship recipients in the hope that they will also be able to reflect on and share the story of SFC Buchan’s sacrifice.  These sacrifices help to ensure our way of life, and it’s extremely important that we recognize and honor all those who have given so much.

Lieutenant Colonel Craig Minnick, U.S. Army (Retired), is very pleased to announce that Mr. Michael Young, the first recipient of the Sergeant First Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship, has agreed to become a member of the scholarship committee. Michael graduated from Westmont Hilltop High School in 2010 and subsequently graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.

 

2023 Recipients of the Sergeant First Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship

Ella Brawley of Westmont Hilltop High School is attending West Virginia University.
Brianna Rager of Richland High School enlisted in the Army National Guard and will be attending Penn State University.
Phillip and Richard Buchan, Gold Star brother and father, with recipients Ella Brawley and Brianna Rager.
 
Buchan Memorial Scholarship Welcomes New Sponsor

The Sergeant First Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship Committee is very pleased to announce that the Warrior 5K Run has become a sponsor of the scholarship. Sergeant
First Class Eric Hawes, U.S. Army (Retired), has been organizing the 5K run since 2014.  
 
Newly promoted Staff Sergeants Eric Hawes and Raymond Buchan at their promotion ceremony in 1999

Sergeant Hawes and Sergeant Buchan performed recruiting duty together in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1998 to 2001 and attended the Infantry Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (BNCOC) together in 1999.

 
 
 
 
 
Banner at the 8th Annual Warrior 5K Run in June 2021

Proceeds from the Warrior 5K Run will be donated annually to the Buchan Memorial Scholarship and the Sergeant Donald S. Oaks Jr. Memorial Scholarship. Sergeant Oaks, a 2000 graduate of Harbor Creek Senior High in Erie County, was enlisted into the Army by Sergeant Hawes.   He was assigned to C Battery, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment (Multiple Launch Rock System), Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was killed in action in Iraq on April 3, 2003. 

Information about the Oaks Memorial Scholarship can be found at:
 
The Warrior 5K Run has raised over $51,000 since the inaugural race in 2014 and 100 percent of the proceeds from the run, after costs, have been donated to the community.  
 
The 9th Annual Warrior 5K Run will be held at Presque Isle Beach One in Erie, Pennsylvania on Saturday, June 25, 2022. Lieutenant Colonel Craig Minnick, founder of the Buchan Memorial
Scholarship, looks forward to helping Sergeant Hawes at the Warrior 5K Run and successfully completing the race. Walkers are welcome to participate. Participants can register for the
Warrior 5K Run at: 
 
The Buchan Memorial Scholarship Committee thanks Sergeant First Class Hawes for his continuing service to our Republic and its Warrior Community – Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families!
 
Visit the Annual Warrior 5K Run Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/annualwarrior5krun
 
 

The Sergeant First Class Raymond Richard Buchan Memorial Scholarship and Veterans Education Project was established in July 2009 to honor the memory of  Westmont High School graduate Raymond Richard Buchan, who was killed in Iraq in July 2007. 

A picture of Raymond Richard Buchan, taken sometime in 2006.

Click here for more information about the scholarship.

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Please e-mail us at buchanscholarship@gmail.com and let us know if we omitted any War Memorials or Veterans Monuments of Cambria County.