By JEFF STITT
It’s no secret McKeesport is proud to show off its patriotism.
In its 2020 Most Patriotic Cities Awards, Insurify, a research company that helps consumers shop for insurance, selected the Tube City as Pennsylvania’s most patriotic city.
“To honor the most patriotic community in each state, Insurify’s data science and research team identified the communities with the highest share of military personnel,” the study states. “They referred to Insurify’s database of over 2 million car insurance applications. When applying for coverage, drivers indicate whether they or any other driver on their policy are an active service member or a veteran, as well as their city and state of legal residence. From this, Insurify’s data scientists found the community in each state with the greatest proportion of citizens with military service.”
The Most Patriotic Awards are given to “the most patriotic communities across America, from small villages to large metropoles, each with the greatest share of citizens who have risked their lives in service of our nation,” Insurify said.
McKeesport officials are proud that Insurify recognized the Tube City among the nation’s most patriotic cities.
“This is truly an honor for the City of McKeesport, but most importantly, it’s an honor to all of the veterans who reside here or have roots here,” Mayor Michael Cherepko said. “We will always continue to recognize our veterans in every way possible.”
At veterans’ events throughout the year, Cherepko often talks about how proud he is of his father, Eugene Cherepko, a double Purple Heart recipient who served in the Vietnam War, and reflects about how much he enjoyed teaching students about the importance of patriotism when he was a teacher with the McKeesport Area School District.
“I enjoy talking with my children and with students about who our true heroes are,” the mayor said. “At first, they always want to pick athletes, movie stars, singers, and people like that.”
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