2006 MEMORIAL DAY PELHAM, NY
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Post 50 Pelham Honors Korea War Veterans on Memorial Day WWI
Battle of Soissons Plaque Unveiled
---------------------------
Vietnam Veteran Robert J. Castelli Gives Keynote Address
Pelham, N.Y., May 29, 2006 – Post 50 Commander Michael Barrett led the
Memorial Day Ceremony in Pelham on May 29th which honored Korea War
Veterans and the town citizens who have given their lives in service to our
country. Ninety members of the US Navy and Marines along with
representatives of the Royal Navy were present for the ceremony which
followed a parade that marched from Pelham Manor to a reviewing stand in
front of Pelham’s Veterans’ Memorial Park. Professor Robert J. Castelli,
Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at Iona College and a U.S. Army
veteran who served in Viet Nam, gave the keynote address. The annual
event, organized by American Legion Post 50 in Pelham, salutes the
sacrifices made by all American Military Personnel in defending the United
States for more than two centuries.
Seven members of Post 50 who are Korea War Era Veterans served as
Grand Marshalls for the parade. Wearing the red, white, and blue sash for
the day were honorees Charles Amann, Anthony Barsanti, Sebastian
Dechiario, Oronzo (Ron) Giustino, Patrick Mancuso, Nunzio Miceli, and Frank
Zupano. Pelham has an ongoing project to biographically document the lives
of its 84 residents who have died during military service during five wars of the
20th and now 21st century. Pelham Memorial High School students under the
direction of Social Studies teacher Maria Thompson were able to locate the
story of Eugene Lee Evans, a 1945 graduate of PMHS who was killed in
action as a US Army Lieutenant in Korea barely a year after his college
graduation in the summer of 1952. Lt. Evans had been a four sport standout
at PMHS and Class Secretary of his graduating class. He went on to Morgan
State College in Baltimore where he played on an undefeated football team
and completed ROTC to receive a commission. Commander Barrett read the
story of Lt. Evans during the ceremony.
A special feature of the event was the unveiling of a plaque honoring the
service of Pelham residents who fought in the World War I Battle of Soissons
in France fought during July of 1918. This Allied victory resulted in twelve
thousand US soldiers and marines dead, wounded, and missing. The bronze
plaque, which had been sponsored by a now defunct Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post had been found earlier this year after being stored away in a
municipal building for many years. Pelham Town Historian Bake Bell
researched the story of the plaque and prepared a comprehensive story
which appeared in the May 26th issue of the Pelham Weekly. The plaque had
originally been placed on a concrete base for a captured WWI German
artillery piece placed on display in Pelham during the 1920s. During the
early stages of World War II when the public was asked to donate all available
scrap metal to the war effort, the cannon was eventually broken down and
donated. VFW member J. Gardiner Minard saved the plaque which reads:
BATTLE OF SOISSONS FOUGHT JULY 18-19-20, 1918
THE MAIN ATTACK WAS MADE BY THE FIRST DIVISION U.S. REGULARS
(MAJ. GEN CHARLES P. SUMEMRALL, COMMANDING)
THIS BLOW CUT THE ENEMY LINE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND
FORCED HIS WITHDRAWL FROM THE CHATEAU THIERRY SALIENT.
DEDICATED MAY 30, 1926 BY WALSH-MARVEL POST NO. 307 VETERANS
OF FOREIGN WARS
Keynote speaker Prof. Castelli served as an Infantryman during 1968 -69 in
the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Viet Nam. He
continued a tradition that has covered four generations of his family.
Following his grandfather and father, who served in the two World Wars, he
has been followed by his son, Major Robert Christian Castelli, currently
assigned to 7th Special Forces Group stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
A career Army officer, Major Castelli has served in combat in Somalia, Haiti,
Bosnia, Serbia/Croatia, Africa and three tours in Afghanistan. Major Castelli is
an airborne ranger and special forces officer who led the largest special
operations mission in the war in Afghanistan to date.
“I am honored to asked to speak about a subject that is near to my heart,”
Castelli said in his remarks. “It is so easy for each of us to take for granted
the freedoms and luxuries available here in the United States. Every single
person in this country enjoys the opportunities of a free democracy, but we all
need to remember that freedom is not free. Those who have served the
United States in the defense of liberty have made sacrifices that can never
truly be repaid. It is a privilege for me to say a few words of gratitude and
appreciation for their efforts.”
The 7th Cavalry Regiment was the only American unit to participate in all four
of the major battles in the conflict – the Ia Drang Valley; Hue; Khe Sahn and
the A Shau Valley. Those exploits, were portrayed in the Mel Gibson motion
picture “We Were Soldiers Once,” resulted in the 7th Cavalry suffering the
largest number of casualties of any American unit in the Viet Nam. More than
1,370 men from the 7th Cavalry were lost in service to the Nation and more
than twice that number were wounded in action. CBS television broadcast this
movie nationally on Memorial Day eve which highlights Pelham resident John
Lance Geoghegan who was killed in action in Vietnam.
For the fourth year in a row, the Pelham Memorial Day activities were part of
Fleet Week in New York. Participating in the parade and ceremony were 90
US Navy personnel from the USS Kearsarge and US Marines from the Second
Marine Division stationed at Camp LeJeune, NC. Special guests this year
were members of the Royal Navy crewmembers of the HMS Scott, a British
survey ship that will participate in Pelham’s Memorial Day activities. Pelham
Boy Scouts provided color guard services as Jack McGuirk and Evan Lamelle
carried the British colors and Patrick Cartelli and Sam Robertson led the US
military delegation carrying the American and Boy Scouts of America flags.
Ralph Mirra is scout master of Pelham’s Troop 1.
Pelham Memorial Day ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. with delegations from Post
50 decorating monuments at Pelham Memorial High School and Prospect Hill
School. The parade of 33 groups began at the Esplanade in Pelham Manor
at 11:30 a.m. and ended on Fifth Avenue in front of the Pelham Veterans’
Memorial Park, adjacent to the Town Hall. The Grand Marshalls, members of
Post 50, and town officials lined up in front of Pelham’s Veterans Memorial
Park for a memorable moment as the US Navy, US Marine, and Royal Navy
units passed in review and the veterans at attention proudly saluted in
return.
LINKS:
Battle of Soissons Plaque Unveiled
---------------------------
Vietnam Veteran Robert J. Castelli Gives Keynote Address
Pelham, N.Y., May 29, 2006 – Post 50 Commander Michael Barrett led the
Memorial Day Ceremony in Pelham on May 29th which honored Korea War
Veterans and the town citizens who have given their lives in service to our
country. Ninety members of the US Navy and Marines along with
representatives of the Royal Navy were present for the ceremony which
followed a parade that marched from Pelham Manor to a reviewing stand in
front of Pelham’s Veterans’ Memorial Park. Professor Robert J. Castelli,
Chairman of the Criminal Justice Department at Iona College and a U.S. Army
veteran who served in Viet Nam, gave the keynote address. The annual
event, organized by American Legion Post 50 in Pelham, salutes the
sacrifices made by all American Military Personnel in defending the United
States for more than two centuries.
Seven members of Post 50 who are Korea War Era Veterans served as
Grand Marshalls for the parade. Wearing the red, white, and blue sash for
the day were honorees Charles Amann, Anthony Barsanti, Sebastian
Dechiario, Oronzo (Ron) Giustino, Patrick Mancuso, Nunzio Miceli, and Frank
Zupano. Pelham has an ongoing project to biographically document the lives
of its 84 residents who have died during military service during five wars of the
20th and now 21st century. Pelham Memorial High School students under the
direction of Social Studies teacher Maria Thompson were able to locate the
story of Eugene Lee Evans, a 1945 graduate of PMHS who was killed in
action as a US Army Lieutenant in Korea barely a year after his college
graduation in the summer of 1952. Lt. Evans had been a four sport standout
at PMHS and Class Secretary of his graduating class. He went on to Morgan
State College in Baltimore where he played on an undefeated football team
and completed ROTC to receive a commission. Commander Barrett read the
story of Lt. Evans during the ceremony.
A special feature of the event was the unveiling of a plaque honoring the
service of Pelham residents who fought in the World War I Battle of Soissons
in France fought during July of 1918. This Allied victory resulted in twelve
thousand US soldiers and marines dead, wounded, and missing. The bronze
plaque, which had been sponsored by a now defunct Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post had been found earlier this year after being stored away in a
municipal building for many years. Pelham Town Historian Bake Bell
researched the story of the plaque and prepared a comprehensive story
which appeared in the May 26th issue of the Pelham Weekly. The plaque had
originally been placed on a concrete base for a captured WWI German
artillery piece placed on display in Pelham during the 1920s. During the
early stages of World War II when the public was asked to donate all available
scrap metal to the war effort, the cannon was eventually broken down and
donated. VFW member J. Gardiner Minard saved the plaque which reads:
BATTLE OF SOISSONS FOUGHT JULY 18-19-20, 1918
THE MAIN ATTACK WAS MADE BY THE FIRST DIVISION U.S. REGULARS
(MAJ. GEN CHARLES P. SUMEMRALL, COMMANDING)
THIS BLOW CUT THE ENEMY LINE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND
FORCED HIS WITHDRAWL FROM THE CHATEAU THIERRY SALIENT.
DEDICATED MAY 30, 1926 BY WALSH-MARVEL POST NO. 307 VETERANS
OF FOREIGN WARS
Keynote speaker Prof. Castelli served as an Infantryman during 1968 -69 in
the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Viet Nam. He
continued a tradition that has covered four generations of his family.
Following his grandfather and father, who served in the two World Wars, he
has been followed by his son, Major Robert Christian Castelli, currently
assigned to 7th Special Forces Group stationed at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
A career Army officer, Major Castelli has served in combat in Somalia, Haiti,
Bosnia, Serbia/Croatia, Africa and three tours in Afghanistan. Major Castelli is
an airborne ranger and special forces officer who led the largest special
operations mission in the war in Afghanistan to date.
“I am honored to asked to speak about a subject that is near to my heart,”
Castelli said in his remarks. “It is so easy for each of us to take for granted
the freedoms and luxuries available here in the United States. Every single
person in this country enjoys the opportunities of a free democracy, but we all
need to remember that freedom is not free. Those who have served the
United States in the defense of liberty have made sacrifices that can never
truly be repaid. It is a privilege for me to say a few words of gratitude and
appreciation for their efforts.”
The 7th Cavalry Regiment was the only American unit to participate in all four
of the major battles in the conflict – the Ia Drang Valley; Hue; Khe Sahn and
the A Shau Valley. Those exploits, were portrayed in the Mel Gibson motion
picture “We Were Soldiers Once,” resulted in the 7th Cavalry suffering the
largest number of casualties of any American unit in the Viet Nam. More than
1,370 men from the 7th Cavalry were lost in service to the Nation and more
than twice that number were wounded in action. CBS television broadcast this
movie nationally on Memorial Day eve which highlights Pelham resident John
Lance Geoghegan who was killed in action in Vietnam.
For the fourth year in a row, the Pelham Memorial Day activities were part of
Fleet Week in New York. Participating in the parade and ceremony were 90
US Navy personnel from the USS Kearsarge and US Marines from the Second
Marine Division stationed at Camp LeJeune, NC. Special guests this year
were members of the Royal Navy crewmembers of the HMS Scott, a British
survey ship that will participate in Pelham’s Memorial Day activities. Pelham
Boy Scouts provided color guard services as Jack McGuirk and Evan Lamelle
carried the British colors and Patrick Cartelli and Sam Robertson led the US
military delegation carrying the American and Boy Scouts of America flags.
Ralph Mirra is scout master of Pelham’s Troop 1.
Pelham Memorial Day ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. with delegations from Post
50 decorating monuments at Pelham Memorial High School and Prospect Hill
School. The parade of 33 groups began at the Esplanade in Pelham Manor
at 11:30 a.m. and ended on Fifth Avenue in front of the Pelham Veterans’
Memorial Park, adjacent to the Town Hall. The Grand Marshalls, members of
Post 50, and town officials lined up in front of Pelham’s Veterans Memorial
Park for a memorable moment as the US Navy, US Marine, and Royal Navy
units passed in review and the veterans at attention proudly saluted in
return.
LINKS:
American Legion Post 50 SAL 50 New York USA