Forever grateful

Forever grateful

The Graniteville World War II Veterans Foundation held its annual Victory Day remembrance celebration this past Saturday at the Graniteville Veterans Monuments on Putnam Pike.

Two of the area’s living veterans – Luke Green and Julio Rotondo – were in attendance. The Rev. David Butera offered both the invocation and memorial prayer, while Tony Carlino and Steven Morra provided special readings. Morra spoke of his father, Joseph, who enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He said his father joked that he picked the Navy because they had better food.

He was sent to Pearl Harbor as an aircraft mechanic in 1943 and did not see combat. As the nation was preparing for a land invasion of Japan, President Harry S. Truman deployed atomic bombs to effectively end the war.

His father passed away in 1985 at 64, but Morra offered kind words for him and other veterans who are a part of the “Greatest Generation.”

“Seeing and hearing about what they did, I doubt very much I could have done it,” Morra said. “They were astounding people who did an astounding job – they saved the world. It’s hard to thank people enough for saving the world. At least we can remember them and their actions and their lives. And that is what we are doing today.”

Laura Charnley Panicucci read the names of Graniteville residents killed in action: Ralph “June” Bridges, John K. Burrows, Walter Charbonneau, Alfred A. Chartier, Raymond Draper, George Harrington Jr., William Hickey, Raymond J. Herther Jr., James Paterson, Joseph Roy Searle and William Thorpe Jr.

Marie Carlino and Karen Casale placed the wreath and flowers on the monuments, which was followed by the Rhode Island National Guard’s firing of arms and rendition of taps.

Graniteville World War II veterans included Louis Allien, Freddie Atkinson, Gordon Atkinson, Wilfred Atkinson, William Aurecchia, Harry Balme, William Barry, Frederick Bennett, Robert Bennett, Doris Berry, Russell Blanding, Russell Brown, Fred Brown, David Burrows, John Cafferty, William Cafferty, Angelo Carlino, James Carroll, Angelo Casale, Dorothy Cately, Gil Charnley, Ralph Charnley, Raymond Charnley, Anthony Cini, John Cini, Alfred Clapham, Joseph Cobb, Rocco T. Colarusso, Edward Conaty, James Countie, Francis Cox, Omar P. Cyr, Ernest Dahlin, Joseph Danty, Bertrand Demers, Frank DiBenedetto, Lawrence DiBenedetto, Michael DiBenedetto, William Elvin, Pasquale Fetta, Thomas Fetta, Fred Finley, J. Walter Fortin, Leslie Foster, Walter Foster, Charles Fowler, Richard Fowler, Robert Fowler, Fred Forrest, Harold Gagnon, Fred Gaunt, Bertrum Goff, Joseph Goff, Harry Graham, Philip Gravel, Jack Green, Luke Green, William Green, William Green, Henry Hampson, Ray Hampson, David Hargreaves, George Harring, Thomas Harring, Alex Harrington, Donald Hassett, Richard Hassett Jr., Clifford Healy, Arnold Hellewell, Sidney Hellewell, Samuel Hesketh, John G. Hickey, Joseph Hickey, Gordon Hill, Thomas Hopper, Herman Illingworth, Gilbert Isles, Theodore Ives, Robert E. Izzo, Kenneth Jackson, William E. Jackson, Arland James, Joseph Johnston, James Kemp, Edward Kenopka, Herman Kreusche, George Lacerte, Milton Lacerte, David LeBlanc, William LeBlanc Jr., Leslie Leech, George Leigh, Herman Leonard, Henry Leoncavallo, Harry Libby, Russell Lizotte, George Lofgren, Donald MacLean, Douglas MacLean, Frank Mitchell, James Mitchell, Howard Moorehead, Joseph A. Morra, Nicholas Morra, Bertrum Mountford, Donald Mountford, Gordon Mountford, Martin Murphy, Graham Naylor, Arthur Nelson, Anthony Neri, Michael Neri, Peter Neri, Harold Nicholson, William Northup Jr., Andrew Oates, Charles Page, Frances Page, Joe Page, Russell Parr, Claude Paterson, Dan Paterson, John Paterson, Walter Pearson, Bamby Pezzullo, Roland Picard, William Pickett, Armand Pincins, Larry Priestly, Donald J. Proctor, Alexander Rankin, Bill Reynolds, John Rhodes, Tom Rhodes Jr., Anthony Ricci, Benny Ricci, Nicholas Ricci, Donald Robinson, Eric Robinson, George Robinson, Harry Robinson, Thomas Robinson, Alfred Rossi, Frank Rotondo, Harry Rotondo, Julio Rotondo, Robert Scott, WIlliam Scungio, Herbert Searle, Norman Searle, Ray Searle, Ernest Shackleton, Charles Shaw, Larry Sheers, Enock Silva, John Silva, Edward Simpson, Mildred Snell, Otis Snell, William E. Snell, Harry Stockwell, George Sutcliffe, Joe Sutcliffe, Albert Thornton, James Tracy, Louis Turgeon, Anthony Vacca, Charles M. Vacca, Joseph Villari, Thomas Villari, Shirley Waterhouse, Franklin Williams, George Williams, Robert Youhess and Auggie Zuccaro.

(Sun Rise photos)