Edward Rummel of Tamaqua will observe his 88th birthday on Wednesday.

He is married to the former Dorothy Herring. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Oct. 21.Ed is a son of the late Edward G. and Jennette Rummel and graduated from Tamaqua High School in 1944.In 1945, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a radio operator on a tank assigned to the 67th Tank Battalion, 2nd Armored Division.He spent more than two years in the European Theater of Operations and was awaiting transport to the Pacific theater when World War II ended.Before his discharge in 1947, he was assigned to the Fourth Army Headquarters at Fort Sam Houston in Texas under the direction of Gen. Jonathan Wainwright.After returning home, he worked for the former Tamaqua Evening Courier for 10 years, the former Mahanoy City Record-American for six years and the Reading Eagle for 30 years.A volunteer firefighter, he was one of the founder's of the Tamaqua Fire Police, where he served as president and chief for many years. He was also a Cub Scout pack leader.He and his wife have four children, four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.