Carbon County commissioners believe that the veterans should have been allowed to pray during a recent Veterans Day ceremony in Jim Thorpe.

During the county commissioners' meeting on Thursday, Commissioner Thomas J. Gerhard spoke out about a recent TIMES NEWS article that stated that Jim Thorpe School officials were not allowing U.S. Army veteran Gil Henry, chaplain for the VFW Post 294, Albrightsville, to pray at the annual ceremony, held this past Monday.Gerhard said that he spoke with a friend who is a Vietnam veteran."He told me when he was in a fox hole, it didn't matter what your religious affiliation was, everyone got down on their knees and they prayed," Gerhard said. "They prayed that they would return home safely to their family and their loved ones."You can ask any veteran who served in the military. They will tell you the reason they survived was because they prayed, and it didn't matter what God they prayed to. Everyone prayed."Gerhard added that if he was in that situation, he would have still said the prayer.He said the change in the ceremony came after a "small percentage of people, one family" complained.In the article "No prayer for school veterans event," published on Nov. 8, the change came after the "district received a letter from the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation. The letter said that the organization had received a complaint that a chaplain had performed an invocation and closing prayer, which 'inflicted unlawful prayer on school children.'"The Supreme Court in several cases over the decades has consistently ruled that school-sponsored prayer is unconstitutional."District officials decided that they rather not violate the Constitution and sent a letter informing the veterans that a prayer could not be recited during the ceremony."I believe in prayer," Gerhard continued on Thursday, "and we will continue to do that (say a prayer) at our meetings here."Commissioners William O'Gurek and Wayne Nothstein, chairman, agreed with their colleague."It's a shame that we have to bow to that small percentage of people," Nothstein said.Nothstein is a Vietnam-era veteran of the United States Air Force, having served four years and obtaining the rank of staff sergeant."That's what this world is coming to. Just because someone doesn't like something they come crying right away and then there has to be changes for everyone," he said.In other matters, the county acted on the following items:• Reappointed John Finnegan of Lehighton to the Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission. He will serve from Nov. 1, through Oct. 31, 2016.• Approved a no-cost revision to the supplemental reimbursement agreement between the county and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for final design, utility and right-of-way costs associated with the replacement of Carbon County Bridge 16, Koch Road, in Towamensing Township. The revision does not change the current contract of $625,053.• Approved the resignation of Nancy L. Albeck of Jim Thorpe as a corrections officer, effective Oct. 25.• Approved the resignation of Phillip M. Kakas of Blakeslee as a part-time corrections officer, effective. Nov. 17.• Approved the change of status for Marcel A. Barbeau and Stephanie J. Booth, both of Nesquehoning, from part-time corrections officers to part-time corrections officers/Teamsters, effective Nov. 25.