WWII Memorial Trip - News Article

Local WWII vets tour D.C. sites
Sat, May 7, 2005
RICHARD BENEDETTO
Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON -- The big "H" in Herkimer County stands for "heart." No question about it.

To show their appreciation to the citizens among them who served in World War II, the people of Herkimer County, led by a group of business and professional leaders, decided last year to raise money and send their veterans to the nation's capital, all expenses paid, to visit the World War II Memorial and other historic sites.

The trip comes as the 60th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe is Sunday. Veterans and others across the country are getting ready to mark the occasion.

The first group of 54 vets came down in October. The second group of 54 arrives back in Herkimer today after a two-day tour of national monuments. A third and final group will visit the capital in late September.

By then, every Herkimer County World War II veteran who wanted to go, or was able to go, will have gone, trip planners said.

"We're having a great time," said Joe Stoffolano, 81, of Herkimer, a Navy veteran who is part of the latest contingent. "It's about time they recognized people in the service."

That recognition was long overdue, said Herkimer lawyer John Brennan, whose father was a Marine veteran of World War II.

"When they dedicated the World War II Memorial last year, I read where 1,500 World War II veterans were dying every day. I figured a lot of our veterans would never get a chance to see the memorial, so we decided to do something about it," Brennan said

Brennan put together a group of community leaders that included fellow Herkimer lawyer George Aney, and Ilion business leaders Susan Nabinger and Alex Dorantes. They, along with Herkimer County Clerk Sylvia Rowan and Republican Elections Commissioner Marty Smith, formed a committee to raise money and send Herkimer County

veterans to Washington.

The latest trip cost $35,000, but Aney said the money was easy to raise among a grateful community.

"It just had an emotional appeal and people responded generously," he said.

The current contingent of 54 comrades-in-arms has an average age of 82. The oldest is Vivian Wright, 92, of Herkimer, who served in the Army Air Corps. Because of their ages, many needed special care and attention.

Details and logistics of the trip were arranged by Brennan's sister, Mary Grace Reed, a professional event planner in Farmington, Conn., who volunteered her services.

On Thursday night, she was scrambling around the Crystal Gateway Marriott to make sure all her veterans had found their rooms.The group bused down here from Herkimer on Thursday. And it was first-class all the way.

Shortly after arriving and getting settled in their hotel, they visited the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetery and watched the military of the changing of the guard.

"Very impressive," said Steve Glogowski, 87, of Mohawk, who served in the Pacific in the Army's 27th Infantry.

Next to him was Dominick DeLucia, 85, of Cold Brook, also a member of the 27th Infantry. Wearing the hat of his outfit, he nodded in agreement.

Glogowski said he and DeLucia were boyhood friends, sharing the same swimming hole and playing basketball on the same team.

On Friday, the group went on a tour of the White House, arranged by Rep. Sherwood Boehlert. They then lunched on a boat that cruised the Potomac River. After that, they visited the World War II Memorial, where they laid a wreath in honor of their comrades and posed for a group picture near the New York monument of the memorial.

After dinner, they boarded their buses again and took a twilight tour of other Washington monuments, including the Iwo Jima Memorial, where Matthew Bialock, 81, of Little Falls, a wounded 4th Marine Division veteran of that bloody battle, participated in a wreath-laying there.

Asked about Iwo Jima," Bialock responded, "It was pretty rough."

Pretty rough, indeed. Nearly 7,000 American troops were killed there in the 26-day battle. Another 20,000 were wounded.

But these veterans are modest men. They don't talk much about their service. And when they do, you almost have to pull it out of them. They would rather talk about Washington, the White House and their grandchildren.

DeLucia proudly noted that he had nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

John Kerzic, 82, of Little Falls, chimed in that he had no great-grandchildren, but had five grandchildren. Kerzic served in the First Marine Air Wing as a radio man.

DeLucia, an Army veteran seated at a table with two Marines, couldn't help but stick a needle in.

"We had to go in and save the Marines' behinds," he quipped.

Only he didn't say "behinds."

Richard Benedetto, USA TODAY White House correspondent, is a Utica native. His father, Dominick Benedetto, served with the 4th Marine Division on Iwo Jima.