Tribute to Veterans The Breakfast Club gives vets a voice Service Dogs: Life-changing companions
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Native Pittsburgher named to top AMVETS post, See page 14
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Vol. 10, No. 5 Publisher | Bishop David A. Zubik General Manager | Ann Rodgers Editor | William Cone Operations Manager | Carmella Weismantle Tribute to Veterans Magazine Project Editor John W. Franko Associate Editors Phil Taylor (Special Projects) Matthew Peaslee (News) Staff Writer | John W. Franko Graphic Designer E. Denise Shean Advertising Director Carmella Weismantle Account Executives Michael A. Check | Paul Crowe Michael Wire Circulation Mgr./Parish News Coord. Peggy Zezza Administrative Assistant | Karen Hanlin Office Assistant | Jean DeCarlo
� Advertising: ads@pittsburghcatholic.org Editorial: editor@pittsburghcatholic.org Marketplace: www.pittsburghcatholic.org Pittsburgh Catholic Tribute to Veterans Magazine is a complimentary publication available at all 188 Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates, Inc. Paid first-class delivered subscriptions are available.
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4 | Ordinary heroes: Area veterans have inspiring stories.
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8 | Listening sessions: Unique Breakfast Club offers insights.
14 | National commander: AMVETS programs are ready to help.
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16 | Special friends: Companion dogs are good for troubled souls.
18 | Not forgotten: Making sure veterans receive employment opportunities.
On the cover... “Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.” — President Harry S. Truman Cover design by E. Denise Shean.
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Tribute to Veterans 2018
Very Reverend Kris D. Stubna, S.T.D., along with the clergy and the faithful of the Greenfield, Hazelwood and Oakland Grouping salute our veterans and thank them for their selfless sacrifice in serving our great country and protecting our freedoms. We give thanks and keep in our prayers all the brave men and women in our military! God Bless you.
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Introduction to this special issue of Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine BY JOHN FRANKO I’ve come to realize that honoring veterans is one of the most important things that we can do. It has been my honor to interview veterans who were fabrics of the history that I have read about. Each of their stories impacted me in some way. I also met people such as Todd
Tom Begandy Vietnam veteran Tom Begandy said that he was proud to serve his country, just as his father had done in World War II. It was his duty to serve, even in the midst of the turmoil that gripped the United States. “I just put one foot in front of the other and I followed my dad’s footsteps,” he said. Begandy joined the Air Force in May 1968, and trained as a weapons mechanic. He loaded munitions and armaments and repaired systems for planes. He was assigned to Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, before he was sent to Vietnam in October 1969 Begandy was assigned to the Tuy-Hoa Air Base on the South China Sea. While the base was not on the front lines, he noted, the people assigned there still had to be conscious that they were in a war zone. He said that he went about his job and his year there passed quickly. “When you’re busy, the time starts to fly, even in a war zone,” he said. Begandy returned to the United States in November 1970 and was assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. He received a hardship discharge in August 1971, following the death of his father. He attended the University of Pittsburgh and has worked in sales and management at a number of companies, including NCR and Apple. Since 2006, he has worked as a
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DiPastino, whose outstanding work with The Veterans Breakfast Club has allowed veterans to tell their story. They have inspired non-veterans, while having the opportunity to process experiences they have carried with them. I’ve come to understand the idea that since only 1 percent of the population has a military background, it is up to the rest of us — the remaining 99 percent — to
sales and marketing consultant. Begandy pointed out that he put his Vietnam experiences behind him, but he is thankful that he has been able to reconnect with a couple of friends from the war in the past several years. It has given them the opportunity to relive the times and share their experiences. Begandy has supported military causes with his involvement with Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans and Friends of Danang. He has also worked with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund. Begandy and his wife, Nora, have three children and four grandchildren.
Lou Caracciolo
When Lou Caracciolo looks at pictures of himself and his Army buddies, he marvels at how young they looked. “We were teenagers actually,” he said. Caracciolo enlisted in the Army in January of 1946 when he was 17, and became a member of the 9th Division 39th Infantry. It wasn’t long before he found himself at a prison camp in Bad Aibling, Germany, guarding German and Ukrainian prisoners who had yet to be repatriated after the war. He became part of the United States Constabulary six months later. The units acted as an occupation and security force, traveling from one town to the next in search of stored munitions and other illegal activity.
support them and help them heal. How true that is. We can all do our part. We can show them how grateful we are for their service.
Franko is a longtime staff writer for Pittsburgh Catholic Publishing Associates. He interviewed all of the participants who are included in this magazine. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Duquesne University. Caracciolo pointed out that the forces often encountered hostile residents, adding, “For them, the war wasn’t really over.” He recalled the devastation the troops found in most towns. Many people lived in basements because their homes had been bombed out. And they also noticed something else — there were very few men left. Caracciolo came back to the United States in 1948 and joined the Air Force Reserves. He rejoined the Army after the Korean War broke out in 1950 and trained recruits in New Jersey and Kentucky. As part of the 350th Infantry of the 88th Division, he thought that he would be sent to Korea, but instead, he was deployed to Italy and then Austria. He became a radio chief and gained his sergeant’s stripes. Caracciolo was discharged in 1953. He said that he enjoyed the Army because of the discipline and camaraderie it provided. “I had pride. I felt we were doing a good job,” he said. Upon his return to the states, he held a number of jobs, from working in a machine shop and freight yard, to being a butcher. He ultimately become a letter carrier for the U.S. Post Office and retired after 30 years of service. His first wife, Jennie, died in 1975 and he was left with four children. He married his second wife, Anna Mae, in 1977 and they had three children. Caracciolo credits the military for giving him the determination to push forward when things got tough. His hope is that people who have not been part of it realize the sacrifices that have been made. “People take for granted the service men and women give,” he said.
Tribute to Veterans 2018
Phil Coyne
Emily Drake
Phil Coyne was drafted into the Army in May 1941 and was with the National Guard artillery unit that was staying at a tent camp in Mississippi when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. A little over a year later, he was on a troop ship sailing to North Africa with the 166th Field Artillery battalion. When the war there ended, he was sent to Italy with the battalion that had been redesignated as the 939th Field Artillery. As part of the Fifth Army, under the direction of Gen. Mark Clark, the battalion started out from Naples and battled throughout Italy. Coyne drove a gasoline truck that supplied equipment at the front lines. To him, it was like a job. “You never really gave it a thought,” he said. He has many memories of his time in Europe. He spoke of the friendships that he made and how they endured for decades. He also pointed out that they rarely had the opportunity to change their clothes, but that women would clean them when they visited small villages. Coyne recalled transporting Italian prisoners and not having to worry about them trying to escape. The prisoners realized, he noted, that they could be sent to America. The 939th was near Rome when Benito Mussolini was killed by Italian partisans and the Allies gained control of the region. It was sent to southern France and then into Germany, and was on the outskirts of Munich when Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. One of Coyne’s lasting impressions of Germany in his final days there is of watching a man make schnapps from a portable cart on the street. “I got a kick out of that because we didn’t see that in Oakland,” he said. Back in the states, Coyne returned to Westinghouse Air Brake in Wilmerding, where he had worked before the war. He stayed there until he retired in 1980. Coyne, 100, gained national notoriety by serving as an usher at Pirates games for 81 years, from Forbes Field to PNC Park. He retired at the end of last year. He is a longtime member of St. Paul Cathedral Parish.
Emily Drake believes that the best thing she ever did in her life was to join the service. It gave her the chance to serve her country, take advantage of her love of languages and give her the opportunity to travel. “I owe it all to the Army,” she said. Drake was one of more than 150,000 women who served as members of the Women’s Army Corps (WACS) during WW II. Drake wanted to join the service following her graduation from high school in 1943, but applicants had to be 21 years old. She worked for a year or so before she decided that she couldn’t wait any longer. She lied about her age to gain entrance to the WACS. Drake had attended St. John Cantius School in Sharpsburg and its Polish background helped reinforce her own familiarity with the Polish language. She hoped to work as an interpreter oversees, or at the Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C. She was unable to get the assignment she wanted, however, and ended up serving as a steno-typist and stenographer at an air base in Orlando, Fla. She took the testimonials of soldiers who were trying to get out of the service because of dependency and hardship cases. “I must have aged 10 years from the stories I heard,” she said. She reached the rank of sergeant. Following the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Drake inquired about working at the Japanese Embassy. She returned to Pittsburgh following her discharge in February of 1946, but the next day she received word that she had been accepted to the Washington post. She fell in love with post-war Washington. Among her duties at the embassy was to serve as a hostess for formal events. Her Polish colleagues included Czeslaw Milosz, a diplomat who would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Poetry in 1988. Drake also had the opportunity to attend a garden party at the White House, hosted by President Harry Truman and his daughter, Margaret. “That was a memorable moment in my life,” she said. Drake worked at the embassy for six years before returning to Pittsburgh. She worked at the Veterans Hospital in Aspinwall, before she went overseas to Germany to work for the Air
Tribute to Veterans 2018
Force in Weisbaden and at the Ramstein Air Base. She later worked at Langley Air Base in Virginia before she retired. She lived in Florida and San Diego before she returned to Pittsburgh eight years ago. “This is my home,” she said. She occasionally helps at the VA facility in Aspinwall and loves to dance. She had the opportunity to go back to the Polish Embassy in 2012 and hopes to go back again next year.
Warren Goss
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Warren Goss was 16. He wanted to enlist immediately, but he was too young. He instead joined the Pennsylvania Auxiliary and spent a year in training. He eventually got drafted into the Army and by 1943, he had arrived in Europe. He was among the thousands of troops who began a year of training for the invasion of France. He remembers the women lining the streets of the village on June 4, 1944, as the troops prepared to head to the English Channel. “God bless you, Yanks,” they shouted. Two days later, he was crossing the channel on a Higgins boat heading for Utah Beach. The time had come. It was D-Day. Goss remembers the water being rough as the boat approached the landing zone short of the beach. As the ramp opened for the troops to disembark, he said, the guy in front of him fell into the water after being hit. Goss quickly went over the side of the boat and down the netting to the water which was up to his chest. He waded to the beach, avoiding the bullets that were cutting down men all around him. Once on the beach, he said, he crouched behind an obstacle and tried to pick out mines blocking his path. He watched as a soldier nearby had his leg blown off, but still got up three times and tried to run. Goss was able to make it across the beach and find shelter. He helped to clear a communications bunker overlooking the beach before he started to make his way inland. He came across a chapel that had its sides and roof blown out, but on entering it, he found a Bible resting on a pulpit. He made it to a small town where he spent the first night sleeping in a ditch. Goss fought his way to Cherbourg by the end of June. He was involved in several skirmishes and faced
See Goss, Page 6
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GOSS Continued from Page 5 heavy fire while on patrol near the Saar River. In one town, he noted, he helped blow up a bunker with a 40-pound charge that he was carrying. Three German soldiers emerged, bleeding badly from the nose, ears and mouth. He would later have dreams about what he saw. “I prayed that those boys there would come out as good as I did after the war and have a good life,” he said. “They were only doing what they had to do and I was doing the same thing.” Goss fought up through the Battle of the Bulge. The war ended for him when he got to Frankfurt. Even then, he was engaged with German troops who were below the train station. Goss returned to Pittsburgh and eventually owned a custom home building company. He and his wife, Mary, have two children and two grandchildren. He said that a visit to Germany with his family 25 years later “changed his whole life.” He spoke of the peace that he felt when he visited the quiet villages that had once been war-torn. He would return again to the area on the 50th anniversary of the battles. On both occasions, he greeted people he had first come in contact with during the war. He was also recognized by a mayor, who gave him a medal for liberating his town.
Richard Guernsey
Richard Guernsey’s military journey took him from being drafted as a “buck private” to being discharged as a lieutenant colonel. “I must have been doing something right,” he said. While a student at the University of Pittsburgh during the Korean War, Guernsey had dreams of joining the Air Force. He couldn’t pass a flight physical, however, because of his vision. Following his graduation, he was drafted into the Army and was eventually sent to Berlin as part of an intelligence unit. Upon his discharge in 1953, he was offered a commission in the Army, but he still longed for one in the Air Force. He was able to secure a position in the Air Force Reserves and initially worked in an intelligence unit in Columbus, Ohio. But most
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of his service came with the 911th Airlift Wing based at Pittsburgh International Airport. His duties there included commander of the security police and president of the disciplinary board. When he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, his position as a liaison between the Air Force and Civil Air Patrol helped him to achieve his dream of getting his pilot’s license to fly small planes. Guernsey retired in October 1992. “I felt strongly about doing my duty,” he said of his service. On 9/11, Guernsey watched the events unfold in his living room. Though already in his late 60s, he still called the 911th and offered his services in any way. Guernsey spoke of the importance of being able to serve his country, even though he didn’t see combat. “I was doing what I was supposed to be doing,” he said. “We have the best country in the world. The most generous country in the world.” He pointed out that the devastation he witnessed during his time in Berlin showed him the ravages of war and left an impression on him. It made him appreciate what the United States stands for. Guernsey started out in the insurance industry, before working for many years in the investment industry. He was married to his wife, Mary Ann, for 53 years before her death in 2012. She had her own unique journey. She was the only woman in her class at the University of Pittsburgh Law School and was once the only practicing female attorney in Erie County. The couple had two children and three grandchildren.
Nick Harris
In the latter days of World War II, Nick Harris ran away to New York and tried to join the Merchant Marines. “Propaganda was really high in those days,” he said. “I was willing
to die for my country.” But he was only 15 and so they sent him home to McKees Rocks. He joined a group of “future Marines” that taught him things such as how to hold a rifle. But at 16, he couldn’t wait any longer and he gave his mother an ultimatum. Taking the advice of a neighbor, she relented and signed an affidavit stating that Harris was 17. “The next day I was gone,” he said. He joined the Army and was sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey.
But the war had ended in the interim and Harris found himself headed to Japan as part of the 24th Division that would replace wartime troops. He began to regret his decision to join the Army and he recalled several days in Yokohama. He spoke of being lonesome, cold and in search of a chaplain who could get him a discharge. “I cried for three nights,” he said. Harris stayed, however, and by the time the unit reached Kokura and Kyushu, his spirits had improved. He spent 18 months in the region before he left Japan in 1948. “I was proud,” Harris said, of the opportunity to serve his country. He returned to the states and took a job in a Ford plant in Detroit. He then returned to Pittsburgh and worked at several different companies. Harris and his wife, Helen, were married for 63 years before she died in 2013. They had five children, 26 grandchildren and 13 greatgrandchildren.
Bill Jeffcoat
Bill Jeffcoat was unsure what he wanted to do when he graduated from Bishop Boyle High School in 1966. A friend suggested that they join the Marines as part of the buddy system and they
soon enlisted. Following boot camp, he found himself as a member of the 3042 Mechanized Supply unit. He underwent additional infantry training and volunteered for Vietnam, but was instead assigned to Kodiak, Alaska, where he spent 14 months as an MP. Jeffcoat returned to the U.S. and volunteered to be a dog handler. He underwent training in Texas. The dogs serve as early detection devices for foot soldiers. Jeffcoat was sent to Vietnam, where his arrival in Da Nang was met with rockets hitting the runways as his plane landed. In Quang Ngai, he saw death for the first time, as well as the horror of the atrocities of war, when he witnessed the mutilated body of an American soldier. “That made up my mind that I wasn’t going to let anything or anybody deprive me of coming home,” he said. A friend introduced Jeffcoat to an orphanage close to their camp and he got to know many of the children. He spoke of bringing them presents and other gifts. But
See Jeffcoat, Page 10
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Veterans Breakfast Club offers insight while building unity among those who served By JOHN FRANKO Staff Writer Todd DePastino loves talking with veterans and hearing their stories. He thinks others would love to hear them too. DePastino is the executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club, which seeks to create listening communities to ensure that the stories of veterans will never be forgotten. Its goal is that through its work, people will be educated, healed and inspired. DePastino pointed out that the breakfasts are enlightening because they bring to the homefront stories that nonveterans normally don’t hear. “You get it kind of raw,” he said. “No sugar-coating. No glossing over the tough parts.” When the vets take the microphone at breakfasts, he noted, they often share stories that even their family members have never heard. “We just knew that it was important to get the veterans to talk and to create an environment where people would really listen and ask questions,” he said. The veterans have the satisfaction of having their stories heard, he added, and non-vets are educated. He noted two slogans the breakfast embraces: “Every veteran has a story” and “There’s no better way to thank a veteran than to listen.” The themes of the breakfast vary. They have ranged from the 70th anniversary of World War II, to the 50th anniversary of Vietnam. One looked at how troops kept clean during jungle warfare. “Little slices of life really are illuminating,” DePastino said. “You really get a picture of how tough life can be when you’re at war.” DePastino pointed out that while the breakfasts feature veterans from different branches and eras — from Europe in the 1940s to Afghanistan, they witness — a theme of great unity and diversity. And there is a universal feeling of gratitude, a message that he heard at the first breakfast 10 years ago, and has continued to hear in the more than 400 since.
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World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Late in his life, Cavanaugh’s father has told him about his own war experiences, and hearing the stories of the veterans on the trip gave him the idea for the breakfast. Cavanaugh joined with DePastino, a professor and historian, who had written a biography of Bill Mauldin, the acclaimed World War II cartoonist. By 2010, the VBC had expanded to monthly events in four locations. The next year, it expanded to include region-wide events such as the Veterans Day breakfast at Duquesne University and a trip to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. In 2012, DePastino joined Kevin Farkes of the Veteran Voices of Pittsburgh Oral History Initiative, and the pair began recording the stories of local veterans. Hundreds of long-form oral history interviews and live storytelling events have been recorded. Today, the VBC hosts 30-40 storytelling events at more than 15 locations throughout western Pennsylvania. It also publishes a magazine for veterans and co-hosts the monthly “Veteran Voices: The Podcast.” DePastino welcomes all veterans, and nonveterans, to the gatherings. “I’m fascinated by the healing component that there is to veterans sharing their stories with the public,” he said. “You can truly almost see the burden being lifted or shifted.” He added that while veterans often leave relieved, non-veterans often leave “wiped out” after
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BREAKFAST CLUB
hearing their stories. People like him are getting a little piece of the story to carry on. “It relieves the burden of the veteran,” he said. The VBS recently sponsored a WWII Battlefield Tour of Europe. It will sponsor a WWII Italian Campaign Tour next October. It will also sponsor a trip to the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum at Reading Airport in June and one to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans in December. More information on the trips, or the Veterans Breakfast Club, can be found at www.veteransbreakfast club.com., or by calling 412-623-9029.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Todd DePastino, executive director (left), has helped veterans tell their stories since 2008.
“They’re grateful for being around,” he said. When a person enters the military, they enter a special and unique sub-culture, DePastino noted. They encounter a sense of mission and purpose, a sense of unity and camaraderie. Things they often can’t find when they return to civilian life. “A lot of veterans really miss that,” he said. The veterans are very appreciative of DePastino’s efforts. “Todd is the real deal,” said Rick Weber, an Army platoon leader in Vietnam. “He cares.” “He’s so passionate about it as a teacher of history and a professor,” added Lauren
“We just knew that it was important to get the veterans to talk and to create an environment where people would really listen and ask questions.” — Todd DePastino DelRicci, who has served as director of communication for the Breakfast Club for a little more than a year. “He definitely adds a piece of it that you really don’t see too often.” DelRicci served in the Navy from 2000-03 and was looking to work full time in veteran’s ministry. “It’s the power of the stories that they share with the group,” she said, in describing
Tribute to Veterans 2018
what makes the gathering special. Many of them, she noted, won’t share their stories outside of the meetings. She also admitted feeling “not worthy” when she hears the stories of veterans who served before she was born. The idea for the breakfasts was conceived in 2007, when businessman Dan Cavanaugh, co-founder of the VBC, volunteered as a bus captain for trips that took veterans to the
Tribute to Veterans 2018
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BREAKFAST CLUB
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JEFFCOAT Continued from Page 6 he also recounted the sorrow he felt when the orphanage was overrun by North Vietnamese troops. Jeffcoat could hear the screams of the children as they were cut down. “It was an eye-opener,” he said. “You wondered, why?” Jeffcoat’s unit didn’t stay in one place for more than 30 days. They traveled in threeman teams, accompanied by a dog. They would go into Vietcong strongholds and engage enemy troops. The fighting was intense at times. On one occasion, he was part of a reconnaissance unit that was sent to check on a North Vietnamese site. The unit was detected and had to be rescued in an emergency helicopter extraction. Jeffcoat recalled swinging from a ladder, holding his dog with one arm, while shooting at enemy troops below. Jeffcoat finished his 12-month tour, but volunteered for a second one. “I wanted to educate the new handlers as much as possible,” he said. He recalled how his dog would sleep with him and crawl through mud with him. He would pour water into his helmet and let her drink first. He would then drink what was left. “Talk to any handler,” he said. “These dogs were the loves of their lives.” It was easy to understand why. Jeffcoat recalled that on one occasion, he was on patrol in high brush when his dog suddenly yanked him hard to the left. He instinctively fired into the area just in front of him, hitting two enemy soldiers who were waiting in ambush. Jeffcoat noted that it was just one of a number of times that his dog, “Fraulein,” saved his life. His second tour was cut short due to a de-escalation. Jeffcoat offered to pay a large sum of money if he could bring her home with him, but he was told that it was not possible. She was euthanized instead. He is still emotional when talking about her more than 45 years later. “I would not be walking this earth if it wasn’t for this dog,” he said. “She was my life.” Jeffcoat returned to the U.S. in 1972, but was met with jeering protesters, some of whom spat on him when he got off the ship, he said. He pointed out that it was hard for him to readjust when he came home. He spoke of entering a store in Homestead with his family, when a car backfired. It caused him to dive to the ground. While some of his friends talked about their frat party experiences, he noted, he had memories of young men and women fighting
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thousands of miles away in a country that didn’t want them there. Jeffcoat pointed out that while he was glad that he didn’t die for his country, he took an oath to defend it and ultimately die for it. He knows that he was lucky to come back, when many of his friends didn’t. It was a shame, he noted, that they were never given the right to be honored. People have the right to an opinion, he continued, but those who won’t stand for the flag have never been given one that was folded. “I stand for the flag,” he said. Once home, Jeffcoat attended CCAC and Robert Morris University and worked for a number of companies, including Mine Safety Appliances, Fischer Scientific and Truserv in Butler. His final venture was opening an ice cream shop with his wife, Joanne. They closed it last year. Jeffcoat pointed out that when he was at his low points after Vietnam, it was Joanne who “saved me.” They have two children and three grandchildren. Jeffcoat’s experience as a dog handler has led him to become involved with the LifeChanging Service Dogs for Veterans program.
Jack Kerr
Jack Kerr enlisted in the Army in 1951 after an Army recruiter convinced him that if he didn’t enlist, he would likely be drafted into the Marine Corps. A month later, he was studying to become part of the Army Security Agency. In his job, he would not only be responsible for monitoring communications for the American side, but he would try to intercept messages from hostile forces. Kerr first studied to be a Morse code interceptor but decided to go in a different direction. He applied to Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a second lieutenant just before Christmas of 1952. He was sent to Giessen, Germany, as part of the 331st Communications Reconnaissance Company. On June 3, 1953, Kerr led a detachment of six graduates into the British zone of Germany. He remembered the day because it was the occasion of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth and the British offices were locked tight in celebration. The focus of Kerr’s unit was to go up and down the East-West border and find the best
spots to intercept the communications of Russian units. Kerr enjoyed the time there, he said, because he had the freedom to travel around the British zone and visit little villages. He also became friends with several British officers. With the signing of the armistice, Kerr traveled back to Bremerhaven and caught a ship back to the states. Kerr fondly remembered his time in Europe, as well as his time at the Officer Candidate School. “Everyone was trying to do the same thing and we all did it together,” he said. He still keeps in touch with one of his classmates. Kerr has traveled back to Germany on a number of occasions. He particularly remembered visiting a military cemetery in Bad Tolz. The vast majority of the 2,400 graves were of British flyers, but a caretaker pointed out those of the two Americans interred there. “We were really moved by that,” he said. Kerr married his wife, Carole, while he was on a three-day pass early in his enlistment. Together for 67 years, they have three children, five grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren. He worked in the advertising business for 45 years, much of it in industrial advertising. He was a volleyball official for 40 years and a football official for 25.
Frank Klein
Frank Klein was turned down by the Navy the first time he tried to enlist during World War II because he had flat feet. But his second try was successful. With heavier-thanexpected losses in the Pacific, he was told, the Navy had relaxed its requirements. Klein noted that he chose the Navy because “they explored more than the others (branches).” But as fate would have it, he would not leave the country. Klein reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida in June 1943. He served as a Third-Class Aviation Machinist as an instructor in the gunnery school. Klein was told that his skills were needed in Pensacola and so he would not be going overseas. “I liked the service,” he said. “I liked the way things were done.” The key to a successful assignment, he noted, was to always be prepared. One never knew when they would be needed to step up.
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When his tour was up, Klein expressed an interest in signing up for another two years, but he had to choose between the Navy and the love of his life, his girlfriend, Myrtle. “I liked her so much,” he said. “I wasn’t going to lose her.” They were married in January 1945 and were together for 64 years, until her death in 2014. They had five children, eight grandchildren and eight great grand-children. Klein was a 44-year employee of General Electric, where he served as a supervisor.
Peter Maurin
When Peter Maurin enlisted in the Navy in 1942 he didn’t know how to swim. And it was surprising to him that he never had to get into water during his training. He attended diesel school and achieved a second-class rating. As a member of the engineering division, he traveled to Europe aboard USS LST- 313. The landing ship tank sailed into the Mediterranean and became part of the Allied invasion of Sicily. The crew was constantly on the lookout for German U-boats and planes. On July 10, 1943, LST-313 suffered a direct hit by a bomb dropped by a German Messerschmidt and sank off Gela, Sicily. Maurin was able to climb over the side of the ship and escape before it went down. Supported by a life jacket, he was able to stay afloat until he was rescued. He used a 30-day survivors’ leave to return to Pittsburgh and marry his wife, Eleanor. Maurin was then part of a crew that picked up the brand-new USS LST-286 after it had been built and christened at American Bridge in Ambridge. The ship sailed down the Ohio River and into the Gulf of Mexico before heading to Europe. The crew of the ship began to train for D-Day in June 1944. While the ship didn’t make it all the way to the beaches of Normandy, it made 12 trips across the English Channel, ferrying equipment and taking on wounded. It was caught in a storm that damaged a prop shaft, however, and it was forced to head to dry dock for repairs. The crew assumed that the ship would go back to the English Channel when the repairs were complete, but it was rerouted back to southern France and the Mediterranean. By this time, Maurin’s tour was up and he returned to the United States. “It was the greatest thing that ever
Tribute to Veterans 2018
happened to me,” Maurin said of his war experience. In order to be in charge of something, he noted, you have to instill in people the importance of being a complete unit. “When you can do that you can do anything,” he said. “Just do your job and you’ll be in good shape.” Maurin returned home and worked in a cabinet shop for about 10 years before taking a job as an inspector for the Urban Redevelopment Authority. He worked there until his retirement. He was married to Eleanor for 71 years before she died two years ago. The couple had three children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A few years ago, Maurin met the Pittsburgh woman who was a welder for the construction of LST-286 and christened the vessel. Maurin, 97, leads prayers and the rosary at the Fair Oaks Personal Care Home on West Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh, where he resides. “It’s something I really enjoy,” he said. He has made presentations at the Heinz History Center and recently painted 200 wooden flags that he gives to veterans.
Henry Parham
Henry Parham served with distinction as a member of the All-Black-American 320th Coastal Barrage Balloon Battalion that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. “It meant a lot to me,” he said of being a member of the 320th. “I was glad to be able to serve.” In 2013, he was one of 20 U.S. veterans to be honored by the French government with the French Legion of Honor award. Parham’s battalion faced heavy fire as it scrambled toward the beach in the third wave. Once on it, five-man teams raised the hydrogen-filled balloons with winches. Secured by lines, they flew a couple of hundred feet above the beach, protecting Allied troops from German planes that were attempting to bomb and strafe them. Their proximity to the balloons made the troops primary targets for German guns. “Faith and belief in God helped me get through that day,” Parham, 96, said. The 320th was among the few segregated units to go into combat and was the first segregated unit to land on Omaha Beach. It went on to operate in other areas of France
before the country was liberated. Following the war, Parham returned to his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, before coming to Pittsburgh to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. He worked for the Buncher Co. as a machine operator. He has been married to his wife, Ethel, for 45 years. She is a member of St. Charles Lwanga Parish in Pittsburgh’s East End, and he accompanies her to liturgies. Parham is a member of American Legion Post 577.
John Sinclair
As a member of the U.S. Naval Class of 1968, Capt. John Sinclair was in select company. His classmates included Michael Mullen, who would go on to be an admiral and serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; James Webb, who would go on to serve as secretary of the Navy; and Michael Hagee, who would become commandant of the Marine Corps. His roommate, Jay Cohen, would become a rear admiral and go on to serve as under secretary for science and technology in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Sinclair also became good friends with Lt. Col. Oliver North. But while Sinclair might not be the household name of some of the others, he has set his own standard of excellence. Following his graduation, he went on to serve aboard the USS Blakely and then joined the USS Ingersoll for three tours in Vietnam. He motorcycled across the country, from Cleveland to San Diego, to begin his final tour. When he returned to the states, he served as an advisor before coming to Pittsburgh for a position. He eventually resigned his USN commission and took a USNR commission. He would have several commands in administration work with reserves, before he retired in 1998. Sinclair pointed out that he knew that he wanted to serve his country, but he said that good veterans don’t look down on people who didn’t serve. They shouldn’t make them feel bad or guilty. “I’m glad they didn’t have to go,” he said. They might not have come back.” He admitted, however, that his love for the NFL was soured by the controversy surrounding the National Anthem. “That really
See Sinclair, Page 12
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SINCLAIR Continued from Page 11
turned me off,” he said. While he was fortunate to come back with just a hearing disability, he noted, other men and women sacrificed parts of their body, or gave it all. To him, the flag is a symbol of patriotism, valor and courage. He noted that it often takes time for veterans to process what they went through. As a kid of 19 or 20, things don’t register as importantly as they do when one gets to 50 or 60. “You don’t realize what it was you did,” he said. “Not that you’re patting yourself on the back, but you’re realizing the gravity of it, and the seriousness of it.” Like many Vietnam veterans, Sinclair speaks of the importance of reaching out to younger veterans and members of the military. When he sees them in uniform, he noted, he thanks them from the bottom of his heart. “We need young people stepping up every day in every way to serve our country,” he said. A member of St. Alphonsus Parish in Wexford, Sinclair has been married to his wife, Janet, for 45 years. They have two children. He has been in the investment business for 34 years and serves as chairman of North Star Strategic Wealth Partners.
Henry Van Riper
Harry Van Riper’s father left the family when he was 5-years-old and he ended up in a boarding home. His sister became involved in an abusive marriage, and as a 10-year-old, he “got the hell beat out of him” trying to defend his mother from her son-in-law. It was the reason that he would come to view his Vietnam experience as “just another bump.” “God puts those things in for a reason,” he said. “I can clearly see that now.” Van Riper was drafted into the Army shortly before his 19th birthday and he ended up in a mechanized infantry unit, driving a track armored personnel carrier. He was on the ground in Vietnam for a
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month and a half when his unit came under fire during the second day of the third Tet Offensive. “All hell broke loose,” he said, in describing the attack by rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Van Riper was hit and lost his left arm at the shoulder. He suffered a collapsed lung and almost lost his left leg. The explosion destroyed all of the muscle in the upper part of it. He was somehow able to pull himself out of the vehicle with one arm before he lost consciousness. Van Riper was given only a 15 percent chance to live and was unconscious for eight days. It was then “God’s alarm clock went off,” he noted. A rocket hit an ammunition dump near the hospital and the explosion woke him up. He spent a “good while” in the hospital when he returned to the U.S., but he amazed doctors who couldn’t believe that he survived. He did undergraduate and graduate work at Duquesne University and did research in flight energetics. He was offered a “free ride” to pursue a degree in medicine, but he had fallen in love with teaching. A physiologist, he spent 34 years at CCAC teaching classes such as microbiology, nursing, chemistry and algebra. Van Riper said that, despite his injuries, his experience in Vietnam was “the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t know where I’d be had I not been there,” he said. “I’d be somebody different.” He spoke of the motivation he got from a graduate school instructor who served as his mentor. “You were my favorite graduate student,” the instructor once told him. “I always gave you the impossible and you always did it.” Van Riper serves with VeteransCONNECT and Serving Our Sentinels and was the recipient of the Pennsylvania American Legion 2018 Post Chaplain of the Year Award. He and his wife, Susan, have two children and four grandchildren.
Bob Walter
Bob Walter saw the “ups and downs” of Army life in his 20 years of service. “I’ve been through quite a lot,” he said. He entered as an infantry “ground pounder” in 1954 and was sent to Germany at the tail end of the European occupation. He described service in occupied Germany as being rather “enjoyable” as the U.S. troops found a people eager for law and order. Walter served with an aircraft artillery unit there until 1957. The unit that replaced
his included Elvis Presley. He came to the Pittsburgh area to serve at a Nike missile site in Elrama. After a year, he was sent to Korea to serve with the first guided missile unit to go into the country. He soon found himself, however, in the “quite active” DMZ Zone as part of an infantry unit. For his next assignment, he came back to Pittsburgh to serve at a missile site in West View. He met his wife, Roberta, there and they were married in 1963. A few months later, the couple relocated to Texas for a year. From there, Walter had a 13-month assignment back in Korea, before he took another year-long assignment in Texas. In 1967, Walter was sent to Vietnam as part of an armored cavalry unit. In the thick of action for much of it, he described it as the “worst year” in his 20 years in the Army. “I was never so glad to get out of somewhere in my life,” he said. He spoke of the trouble he had readjusting after the experience. He also noted the hostility he encountered on his return to the United States, which included being spat on in an airport. Walter took another assignment in Texas before taking his final one in Regensburg, Germany. He recalled his last assignment fondly, noting the bonds of the families, and even the interaction with a nearby German tank division. “Everyone got along fine,” he noted. He finished his military career in 1974. Walter went on to work in the security field, managing a security agency. He and Roberta have three children and two grandchildren. He recently retired after 17 years as assistant scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 368 in Perrysville. Walter, 82, pointed out that his military experience was helpful in teaching the scouts teamwork and leadership skills. He is a member of St. Athanasius Parish in West View.
Jack Weston
As a member of the 24th Marine Regiment of the 4th Marine Division, Jack Weston was part of a replacement unit that wasn’t supposed to take part in the initial assault on the island of Iwo Jima, which began on Feb. 19, 1945. But severe losses during what turned out
Tribute to Veterans 2018
to be one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific during WWII forced the unit to be called up on the second day. Because of his leadership skills as a sergeant, he quickly found himself leading a group into battle. The Japanese were desperate in their attempts to hold the island and hand-to-hand combat was common. “It was not a good place to be,” Weston said. “There was a lot of killing on both sides. It was very difficult.” Weston remained on the island until March 17 when Iwo Jima was declared secured. His unit then returned to Hawaii for more training. The 4th Division was slated to be part of the invasion of Japan, but it was spared when the Japanese surrendered after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Weston had enlisted in the Marines on Dec. 7, 1942, one year to the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He pointed out that he enlisted because he didn’t want to be drafted. “I wanted to say that I wanted to go,” he said. He originally trained as a radio operator and then as a radar technician. Following his discharge in 1946, Weston came home to Pittsburgh and then reenrolled at Penn State University, where he had spent a short time before the war. He graduated in 1950 and went into commercial construction. But he had always wanted to start his own company and was able to do so by getting into the computer industry in its early stages. He retired 14 years ago. Weston has been married to his wife, Helen, for 65 years. They had four daughters and now have seven grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.
Rick Weber
Rick Weber said that he wasn’t a career guy and he had no agenda when he went to Vietnam. His mission was to get home. “I consider myself a survivor,” he said. Weber graduated from Duquesne University in 1968. He was drafted into the Army but flunked his first two physicals because of knee surgery that he had undergone in college. He finally passed the third time and entered in September 1968. He attended officer training school and arrived in Vietnam in May 1970. Weber was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division and a week later went into Cambodia
Tribute to Veterans 2018
as a platoon leader. He remained with the 25th for seven months before being transferred to the 101st Airborne Infantry, which saw action in the A Shau Valley. There, he served as a platoon leader and company commander. As a lieutenant, he was the only company commander in the 101st who was not a captain. Weber pointed out that he was involved in only two major battles in his time on the ground, but he took part in many smaller operations. And he noted that he lost a lot of friends and people he knew. “I survived Vietnam because God had a better plan for me,” he said. Despite what many people might think, Weber said, most of the troops in Vietnam were excellent soldiers. By the time he entered the war, he noted, most of the troops were younger and poor. Almost 40 percent of them were African-American, a group of people that he had little contact with before Vietnam. “I found out early on that there is no difference between skin and heart,” he said. “These guys were as good as they could be. I had nothing but respect for them.” Weber noted that he let it be known early on that he would do everything he could to save all of his men and he would not take unnecessary risks. He said his men were like a family and when push came to shove, they would protect their friends before they looked out for themselves. In pointing out that his unit went out on 40day missions, Weber said, “You get to know everything about somebody when you’re with them 24/7 for 40 days.” The emotion was evident in his voice when he recalled being on patrol when his radio operator picked up messages from another recon patrol that was in trouble a mile or two away. There was little Weber’s unit could do but try to illuminate the area with tracers. A while later they received another message: “Thank you, at least someone cares.” Weber said that it haunted him that they were unable to get them out. He noted that in his year on the ground, he never left a man on the field. Some did not survive, but they were brought out. Weber left Vietnam in June 1971. He said that no one outside of his immediate family welcomed him home. He spoke of how
Vietnam veterans have often been portrayed in an unfavorable light. “There are guys still hurting 50 years later,” he said. For many years, Weber added, he wouldn’t tell people that he had fought in Vietnam. “There was a stigma,” he said. “We are now being accepted.” Weber has been married to his wife, Sue, since 1969. He pointed out that in many ways, their time apart was harder on her. “I knew where I was and what I was doing,” he said. “My wife had no clue.” The couple has two children and two great-grandchildren. Weber became a salesman when he got home and he now owns his own marketing company. He once marketed items for the Pittsburgh Creche.
William Zelenack
While in Korea, William Zelenack faced hostile forces and temperatures that sometimes dropped to minus-50 — leaving much of his equipment inoperable. But in spite of it all, he noted that he never got depressed or down. “My mind always looked forward to something better,” he said. Drafted into the Army in 1952, he trained at Fort Eustace, Virginia, before he shipped out for Korea. He saw much action during his time on the ground. In one battle, he was forced to take over a unit when the captain was wounded. Zelenack spent 17 months in Korea before his tour ended. “I felt great,” he said. “Our country is the greatest.” When he returned home, Zelenack attended the University of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Technical Institute. He worked in industrial engineering and later in sales for LTV. He has been married for 52 years to his wife, Jean. They were married at St. Peter Church on Pittsburgh’s South Side, where Zelenack was an altar boy and in the choir. Jean converted to Catholicism from the Jewish faith. “I wanted to do it for him,” she said. In 1975, Zelenack wrote the lyrics for “Two Hundred Years,” a song that received national recognition. John Wayne and Frank Sinatra were among the dignitaries who wrote congratulatory letters.
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AMVETS open to all who honorably served in our nation’s military By JOHN FRANKO Staff Writer Shortly after his discharge from the Army in 1974, Rege Riley’s softball team was looking for a sponsor. Since 14 of the 18 guys were veterans, they decided to approach the AMVETS post in North Braddock. When the season ended, Riley decided to get involved with the organization. He eventually worked his way up through the local and state levels, and then onto the national level. In September, he reached the top when he was named national commander for a oneyear term. Based in Lanham, Maryland, AMVETS (American Veterans) is open to all who honorably served in the U.S. military, including the Reserve and Guard. It has more than 250,000 members nationwide. Riley pointed out that while many veterans served their country and returned to live a normal life, many others have needed help. “We help steer them on the right track,” he said. Among the most visible of AMVETS’ programs is its Veteran Services, in which trained national service officers (NSOs) provide advice and help in compensation claims at no cost to veterans. The officers processed more than 74,000 claims in a recent year. The organization also offers scholarships, honors veterans through its Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) and through Military Funeral Honors, and helps them connect with their local community through the White Clover Program. Through its HEAL (healthcare, evaluation, advocacy and legislation) Mission, a team of clinical experts hired by AMVETS works to eliminate barriers that prevent veterans from accessing health care. They intervene directly on behalf of veterans and their families when it relates to mental and physical wellness. With veteran suicides averaging about 22 per day, Riley noted the importance of features such as the organization’s suicide line. He also noted the increase in PTSD cases. “We try to catch them and put out the word that we’re here for them,” he said. Riley also pointed out the growing number of female veterans who have joined the organization. They comprise
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Among the most visible of AMVETS’ programs is its Veteran Services, in which trained national service officers (NSOs) provide advice and help in compensation claims at no cost to veterans. The officers processed more than 74,000 claims in a recent year. some 6 percent of the membership. Riley served in the Army Air Defense Command and was stationed just outside of Washington, D.C. “It was an honor for me to serve the country,” he said. All four of his brothers were veterans. He is a member of Good Shepherd Parish in Braddock. Veterans or family members who need immediate assistance with VA-related health care issues can phone toll-free at 1-833-8384325 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, or anytime by e-mail at VETHEAL@ amvets.org. More information on AMVETS can be found at www.amvets.org or by calling 1-877-726-8387.
Pittsburgh native Rege Riley was named national commander of AMVETS in September.
AMVETS State Commander Colt Coleman and AMVETS Riley help commemorate the new AMVETS Memorial Bridge along Route 30 in North Braddock in 2014.
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Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 15
Companion dogs for veterans help them cope with issues as a result of military service By JOHN FRANKO Staff Writer Connor Green and his German shepherd companion, Bradley, are a familiar sight on the Duquesne University campus. They have been embraced by the Duquesne community, which helped to make their union possible. Three years ago, Green, an Army veteran, began having unexplained seizures that threw his life into a tailspin. But through the help of the Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans program, he has received the assistance he needed to put his life back on track. “I saw dramatically the change in his disposition,” said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Don Accamando, director of the Office of Military and Veteran Students at Duquesne, who is involved with the LCSDV program. The dogs are trained to a specific need of a recipient. They range from seizure disorders and mobility issues, to insulin imbalances, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. Accamando helped mobilize Duquesne students, faculty and staff in raising funds for Bradley, whom Green received on Oct. 20, 2017. He said that it has been great seeing Green become a stronger person now that he has Bradley “watching his back.” “It’s been a great experience for all of us,” Accamando said. Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans was founded in 2015 by Accamando’s brother, Tony, and George D’Angelo, both Vietnam Army veterans. They wanted to address the high rate of suicide among veterans, estimated by the Veteran’s Administration to be 22 per day. With that in mind LCSDV had a goal of providing service dogs to 22 veterans in 22 months. It takes some two years to fully develop a dog — including food, veterinary care and more than 1,500 hours of training — at an approximate cost of $22,000 per animal. Their fundraising efforts were so successful that they raised $1.3 million in that time, enough for 60 dogs. The idea for LCSDV was born some three years ago when Tony Accamando encountered a veteran with a dog at a week-long event designed to help Marines
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF LIFE CHANGING SERVICE DOGS FOR VETERANS Tony Accamando, Tim Kellerman, his service dog Pilot, and LCSDFV Committee member, Bill Jeffcoat.
transition out the military and into civilian life. It focused on medically discharged veterans with physical or cognitive injuries. Accamando discovered that the dog was trained at the Central Florida headquarters of Guardian Angels Medical Services Dogs, Inc. He visited the facility and decided to launch the initiative with D’Angelo. “We saw the effectiveness of dogs working with veterans who had PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), D’Angelo said. “We decided that we could do something about it.” Life Saving Service Dogs for Veterans identifies potential recipients in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia and makes recommendations to Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs,
who makes the final decision on who gets them. Former state senator and state auditor general Jack Wagner is a Vietnam veteran who now serves as the director of Guardian Angels Service Dogs in the Pittsburgh area. He has announced that the Pittsburgh area will become the home of a second Guardian Angels Medical Services Dogs campus. A site in Washington County has been targeted. Wagner pointed out that between 80-100 service dogs are in training at one time, with 50-60 being assigned each year. A second campus would help alleviate the demand and make the area a focal point for this type of dog training.
Tribute to Veterans 2018
“This is a big deal for Pittsburgh and our area,” he said. Wagner noted that 25 dogs have already been accepted by veterans in this area, with another 30-50 lined up to receive them. He spoke of the wealth of area support for both the Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans and Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, citing sources such as PNC Bank for their support. The projected cost for the Pittsburgh area campus is in the neighborhood of $15 million. Tony Accamando said that with the initial goal of LCSDV fulfilled, the organization will now turn its sights to raising funds for the new campus. He pointed out that only one percent of the population is involved in the military and it is the responsibility of the other 99 percent to help them heal when they come home. Raising funds for the two organizations is a way to give people in the region the opportunity to help. “We give them a way to give back and to help these veterans heal,” he said. D’Angelo pointed out that it is a compelling charity to be involved with because everyone can identify with veterans. While the dogs can perform tasks such as fetch water or medications, he noted, they also aid the veteran in a deeper way. He spoke of one Vietnam veteran who still had trouble sleeping at night, but was able to find peace with a dog. “The amount of comfort that a dog provides is amazing,” D’Angelo said. Accamando pointed out that some 300 Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs have been partnered with veterans in its eight years of existence. There has not been a suicide involving a veteran who has received a dog, he noted, and there has been only one divorce between a husband and wife. He spoke of the strain that multiple deployments can put on a marriage and said that dogs have helped to mitigate these challenges. Wagner pointed out that the dogs have been trained to spot a seizure by smell. In cases of a glucose imbalance in which a person may be going into shock, he noted, the dog can sense glucose levels by understanding the smell of saliva. He spoke of one case in which a dog attached to a veteran alerted a group to an oncoming seizure involving a person nearby. Wagner also related the story of a little girl
Tribute to Veterans 2018
“These dogs give people self-confidence,” he said. “They give them a greater awareness about themselves and a constant friend, an ally. The dogs are magical.” — Jack Wagner who witnessed the killing of five of her friends at the Parkland School shooting in Florida. The girl refused to go back to school and became introverted and withdrawn. It was only after she was paired with a dog that she would go back to school. “These dogs give people self-confidence,” he said. “They give them a greater awareness about themselves and a constant friend, an ally. The dogs are magical.” Numerous veterans have stepped up to support the program. “Anything Tony (Accamando) is involved with, is something I want to look into,” said Vietnam veteran Tom Begandy. “I believed that this was terrific. They needed our work to help our true heroes.”
Don Accamando, left, joins other volunteers promoting Life Changing Service Dogs during a recent event.
More information on Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans is available by visiting: lifechangingservicedogsforvete. godaddysites.com, on Facebook – Life Changing Service Dogs for Veterans, or by calling 412-287-1209. More information on Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. can be found by visiting: medicalservicedogs.org., on Facebook – Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs Inc, or by calling 412-352-1111.
Benevolent duo heart of humanitarian initiatives A return visit to Vietnam in the late 1990s inspired Army veterans Tony Accamando and George D’Angelo to cofound Friends of Da Nang, which has raised funds for humanitarian projects in and around Da Nang. “It was just a very moving experience,” D’Angelo said. Accamando spent a year stationed outside of Da Nang, while D’Angelo was stationed at Cam Rahn Bay. During their 1997 visit, they saw the need for a new school. In response, they sponsored a breakfast to raise funds and were soon able to raise the $50,000 needed for the school. They went back for its dedication and over the course of several more trips they identified additional needs. Subsequent efforts raised funds for two more elementary schools, four kindergartens and a medical clinic. They
also led to the initiative, “Let them walk again Da Nang,” which aids children with prosthetic devices, those who have undergone operations, or in the midst of therapy. Another project helped construct a bridge that connected villages after they had been flooded out during the monsoon season. “Just the idea of going back and being able to help,” D’Angelo said. Where they had once gone as warriors, he noted, they now went back as friends. The original breakfast eventually grew into and became part of the annual Veterans Day breakfast held at Duquesne University. “I just felt compelled to do it,” said Accamando, of his inspiration for helping to create Friends of Danang. In some regard, he noted, it reflected his appreciation of having survived his tour.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH HIRES VETERANS
Jack Wagner, right, is a staunch advocate for veterans.
Local man’s goal to improve quality of life for area vets By JOHN FRANKO Staff Writer Vietnam veteran Jack Wagner has worn many hats over the years. He has served as a member of Pittsburgh City Council, as a state senator and as state auditor general. But perhaps closest to his heart is his current role as an advocate for veterans. “You never forget Vietnam,” he said. “You remember days, minutes. They’re as vivid as yesterday. I want to make sure veterans are properly treated.” In addition to serving as the Pittsburgh area director of Guardian Angels Medical Services Dogs, Wagner is involved with the Military Affairs Council at Pittsburgh International Airport, and Sharing and Caring, which aids hospitalized veterans. He is also the director of Pittsburgh Hires Veterans, which provides free one-on-one support to any active military member — including the National Guard and Reserves — and veterans of the U.S. military who are searching for education, training and employment opportunities. “In all these ways, we try to make sure that veterans are not forgotten,” he said.
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The Pittsburgh Hires Veterans program is so important, Wagner noted, because getting them a job can be “life-changing” in that they become less dependent on society and become constructive citizens again. He pointed out that it’s a cause for celebration when a veteran gets a full-time job, adding. “It’s a high-five kind of day when that happens.” Wagner’s great concern for veterans stems from his experience in Vietnam. As a member of a Marine infantry unit, he was critically wounded during an ambush in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Vietnam in 1967.
A grenade that landed behind Wagner killed the majority of his squad. He was one of just three to survive. He was airlifted out of the zone and hospitalized in Da Nang, Vietnam and Japan, before he was brought back to the U.S., where he spent five months in the hospital. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his injuries. “I was extremely fortunate to survive and I’ve always respected the people that I served with that were not that fortunate,” he said. Vietnam veterans always knew that they were fighting a war that was not truly supported by their country, Wagner noted, and it led them to care more about each other. It has also made them admire and respect veterans of other eras, especially younger ones. “You don’t see the disrespect today that existed during Vietnam,” he said. “We Vietnam veterans would not permit that to happen.” Wagner pointed out that areas such as western Pennsylvania tend to be more supportive of veterans because there is a higher concentration of them. In addition the area is very family and community-oriented. “We care about each other, and caring about each other leads us to do more for each other,” he said. More information on Pittsburgh Hires Veterans is available by visiting: www. pittsburghhiresveterans.org, info@ pittsburghhiresveterans.com, or by calling 412-388-0100.
Tribute to Veterans 2018
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Regional Benefit Office 1000 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Telephone: 1-800-827-1000 The Pittsburgh VA Regional Office (VARO) is located in the William S. Moorhead Federal Building in Downtown Pittsburgh. The regional office provides veterans benefits to over 500,000 veterans and dependents in 27 counties of western Pennsylvania and four counties in the panhandle of northern West Virginia. The employees of the regional office are responsible for
the administration of compensation and pension (C&P), and vocational rehabilitation and employment (VR&E) benefits throughout the area, as well as providing information and guidance on numerous other veterans programs. The VARO staff conducts extensive outreach in the community. A field person provides full-time service at the Erie VA Medical Center. In addition, a full-time field person is dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless veterans. Western Pennsylvania has one of the highest percentages of veterans in population in the United States. Additionally, the average age of veterans
located within the VARO jurisdiction is somewhat higher than the national average. Working with great support and cooperation in the community, this office continues to strive to meet the special needs of our veteran population. Representatives of veterans service organizations also share space with the regional office, working in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide information, assistance, and professional support to the veterans and their families served.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VA PITTSBURGH HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
Army veteran Joseph “Joe� Wilbon celebrates his 100th birthday in April with family, veterans, visitors and staff in the Primary Care clinic at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Oakland. He credits his good health and longevity to his faith.
Knights of Columbus St. Teresa of Avila Council 13959 Perrysville
We salute all of our veterans, especially those from St. Teresa of Avila Parish
Tribute to Veterans 2018
Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 19
Medal of Honor recipient now advocates for vets with PTSD By ZITA BALLINGER FLETCHER Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Captain Gary M. Rose, awarded the Medal of Honor in 2017 for extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War, now sees one of his most important personal missions as being an Rose advocate for veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. “Every person who’s been to combat or has had to clean up the mess from combat has got PTSD,” said Rose, a Catholic. “One of the things I’m really concerned about is the severity in some cases is such that there needs to be intervention.” Rose said it is important for family members and friends of people exposed to combat to stay attuned to their behavior and intervene immediately upon noticing “little odd things” or unusual mood changes. Rose believes that forcing a person to talk can help save their life, even if it causes an argument. “It’s better to have them mad at you than to have some very negative serious consequences resulting from the PTSD,” Rose said, emphasizing that PTSD can often lead to suicide. Rose said combat survivors should feel that they are valued as individuals. “The thing is, they’ve got to understand that they are important,” he said. “Their life is as important as any person that’s ever been born on this planet.” Rose, now retired from the U.S. Army, is an active member of the Knights of Columbus based in Huntsville, Alabama. The former Green Beret became a 1st degree Knight around 1972. Rose enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967. As a Special Forces medic, he took part in Operation Tailwind, a secret mission in Laos in 1970. While surrounded and exposed to machine-gun fire, Rose treated nearly 70 wounded soldiers and is credited with saving the lives of most of them. He continued his military career and retired as a captain in 1987.
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“I can tell you one thing about my service in the military. I have lifelong friendships based on my service. They’re like brothers to me. Every place that I have been stationed in the 20 years I was in the Army, I have left there with a lifelong friend.” — Capt. Gary Rose “I can tell you one thing about my service in the military. I have lifelong friendships based on my service. ... They’re like brothers to me,” said Rose. “Every place that I have been stationed in the 20 years I was in the Army, I have left there with a lifelong friend.” He said one place where a combat veteran
can feel valued, talk to others and make lasting friendships is their local Knights of Columbus group. As a Knight, Rose said he is glad to be part of an organization devoted to improving people’s lives and helping surrounding communities. “What I have found in the Knights of Columbus is a great network,” said Rose. “You’re associating not only locally but nationally and internationally with a whole bunch of great people.” Rose said he has appreciated opportunities to participate in diverse initiatives such as assisting people in finding jobs, facilitating drop-offs to charity and supporting widows and families of members. However, for Rose, being a Knight is about more than just being Catholic. “You’re in among good people. And I’m a firm believer in the fact that if you maintain relationships and friendships with good people, life is so much sweeter and so much better than if you’re not associating with good people,” said Rose. “That’s why I think the Knights of Columbus is so important.”
CNS PHOTO/TAMINO PETELINSEK, COURTESY OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, greets Capt. Gary Rose May 18 outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France.
Tribute to Veterans 2018
To all veterans of the United States of America, we know the freedom that we have isn’t free. The Pittsburgh Catholic Newspaper salutes you all, as we raise her high, from sea to shining sea.
Thank you for your service to our Country!
Tribute to Veterans 2018
Pittsburgh Catholic Magazine 21
Sainthood cause for martyred Vietnam War chaplain proceeds By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON — A tribunal of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services has wrapped up its nearly four-year inquiry into whether the life of Father Vincent R. Capodanno, a Vietnam War hero and U.S. Navy chaplain, merits consideration for sainthood. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who heads the Washington-based military archdiocese, announced that the archdiocesan phase in the Maryknoll priest’s cause has concluded. His announcement came at the end of the 23rd annual memorial Mass celebrated to honor U.S. military members, living and dead, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. The decision clears the way for the tribunal’s findings to go to the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes for review and a possible decision on whether to advance the priest’s cause to the next stage in the sainthood process. Archbishop Broglio has called Father Capodanno, who died in Vietnam Sept. 4,1967, one of the “great priest chaplains.” Father Capodanno, a Navy chaplain who served with the Marines, died in Operation Swift in the Thang Binh district of the Que Son Valley. He went among the wounded and dying, giving last rites. Wounded in the face and hand, he went to help an injured corpsman only yards from an enemy machine gun and was killed. He was 38. In a biography written by Father Daniel Mode titled “The Grunt Padre” — Father Capodanno’s nickname — Marine Cpl. Keith Rounseville recounts how Father Capodanno “was jumping over my (fox) hole, all the while exposing himself to enemy machine gun fire to try and give aid to a wounded Marine.” “Chaplain Capodanno looked and acted cool and calm, as if there wasn’t an enemy in sight,” the book says. “As he reached the wounded Marine, Chaplain Capodanno lay down beside him and gave him aid and verbal encouragement and telling him medical help was on the way.”
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Marine Cpl. Ray Harton also remembered how he lay bleeding from a gunshot wound to his left arm. “As I closed my eyes, someone touched me,” he recounted for the book. “When I opened my eyes, he looked directly at me. It was Father Capodanno. Everything got still: no noise, no firing, no screaming. A peace came over me that is unexplainable to this day. In a quiet, calm voice, he cupped the back of my head and said, ‘Stay quiet, Marine. You will be OK. Someone will be here to help you soon. God is with us all this day.’” In 2002, Father Capodanno’s canonization cause was officially opened. In 2004, the initial documentation for the cause was submitted to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. In 2006, a public decree of “servant of God” for Father Capodanno, a native of Staten Island, New York, was issued by the military archdiocese. The archdiocese also established the Capodanno Guild — www.capodannoguild. org — to raise funds and support for the sainthood cause.
Maryknoll Father Vincent Capodanno, a Navy chaplain who was killed while serving with the Marines in Vietnam, is pictured in an undated photo.
CNS PHOTO/COURTESY OF MARYKNOLL FATHERS AND BROTHERS
Father Capodanno is shown ministering in the field in an undated photo.
Tribute to Veterans 2018
Our heroes past and present
PHOTO BY JOHN FRANKO
Veterans gathered for the Catholic War Veterans Memorial Day service at Christ our Redeemer Cemetery, Ross Township, in an undated photo.
PHOTO BY JOHN FRANKO
Richard Guernsey and Frank Klein in 2015.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM CONE
Matthew Cone, of the Army military police.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KAREN HANLIN
Marine Henry J. Szymanski of the 153rd battalion, left, and his brother Bartholomew Szymanski of the Army on Parris Island, South Carolina. Henry was a mechanic with the Night Fighters on Guam while brother Bart was wounded in action and received the Purple Heart.
PHOTO COURTESY OF E. DENISE SHEAN
Aerographer’s mate Peter Simonette, at right, on the deck of the U.S.S. Bunker Hill patrolling near the Aleutian Islands in 1944.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN FRANKO
Dr. John J. Franko served at the Fort Sam Houston Army Medical Center in Texas.
Tribute to Veterans 2018
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL A. CHECK
Corporal Michael J. Check, U.S. Army, Korea.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SARA BIADASZ
Navy Seaman Paul Biadasz in the 1950s.
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TO ALL VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY,
Thank You VETERANS DAY | NOVEMBER 11, 2018 AMVETS is the most inclusive Congressionallychartered veterans service organization in the country. All service members, whether active duty or honorably discharged, are eligible to join AMVETS. Helping veterans since 1944.
www.AMVETS.org
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Tribute to Veterans 2018