Salem Observer : Veterans Day

Woodbury School program honors veterans

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:39:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

While images of soldiers appeared on a large screen behind her, sixth-grade student Alli Kisiel spoke about the important role that veterans have played in America’s history.

“Veterans are real life heroes. They are the people who choose to answer the call of duty to protect their country and their fellow Americans,” Alli told roughly 200 people attending the Veterans Day program breakfast at Woodbury School on Friday, Nov. 6. “Day after day, they fight for what’s right, all the while putting their own lives in danger. Some soldiers are lucky enough to return home safely. But, sadly, others are not.”

Alli was one of program’s three student essayists. The breakfast is hosted annually by the school’s sixth-grade class to honor veterans for their courage and bravery in their service to the nation.

During the video presentation, which was created by music teacher John Kelly, sixth-grade chorus members sang several songs, including “America, the Beautiful” and Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American.”

Gov. John Lynch called the breakfast a wonderful tradition for the Salem area and the state. He thanked the students and staff for hosting it and he thanked veterans for their service and sacrifice.

“Our veterans have fought for our nation and for our freedoms that we all get to enjoy with honor, with dignity and with courage,” said Lynch. “We should all think about what it was like for our veterans who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq.”

“When many of our veterans entered the armed services, they were right out of high school – not much older than some of the students who are here today,” he added. “They were sent off to places they never heard of or dreamed they would be (in). Our veterans, I believe, are our true heroes here in New Hampshire.”

Other speakers during the hour-long breakfast included William Reddel, the adjutant general of the New Hampshire National Guard, and Joe Byron, the founder of Honor Flight New England, an organization that provides free transportation so that veterans can travel to Washington, D.C., to visit and reflect at war memorials.

The keynote speaker was World War II veteran Herman “Herk” Streitburger, 90, of Bedford. He served on a bomber that was shot down and he was held as a prisoner of war by the Germans for about a year.

Streitburger talked about the sacrifices made by men and women who served in the military and the service of those who worked in the factories making equipment for the war. And he shared how he and other veterans were thanked by strangers at airports when they traveled to visit the World War II Memorial and Arlington Cemetery.

In addition to veterans and their families, audience members included local public safety workers and elected officials. Sitting at one of the tables was the family of Edmond Lo, the Army soldier from Salem who was killed in Iraq last June while trying to disarm a roadside bomb.

JROTC cadets from Salem High School presented the colors and recognized an empty table set for one during a POW/MIA remembrance ceremony. Veterans were greeted with applause when they stood to be recognized as the song of their military branch was sung by the chorus. The school’s jazz band also entertained the audience. Student council members distributed gifts to the guests, and resident Cyndi Woodbury was recognized for her efforts in organizing the breakfasts.

“Your fight for our freedom and liberty has allowed us to have annual events such as this,” Maura Palmer, the school’s principal, told the veterans at the conclusion of the ceremony. “It’s been a privilege to stand among you this morning. God bless America and happy Veterans Day to all of you.”

Plaque planned for Salem man killed in Iraq

Salem Editor — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:32:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

With memorial services for Army Staff Sgt. Edmond L. Lo set for this weekend, Bob Castricone wants to make sure that his sacrifice is never forgotten.

Castricone, treasurer for the Salem Veterans Association, is working with members of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars to have a bronze plaque bearing Lo’s name and service placed at the intersection of Geremonty Drive and Main Street. Castricone hopes to have the plaque in place by Veterans Day, Nov. 11, in time to let local veterans honor him with a small ceremony.

“We’re going to dedicate Veterans Day this year in his memory,” Castricone said. “Once we get that plaque we’ll put on a little ceremony there. We’ll have a little prayer, a firing squad and play taps.”

Lo, 23, died in Iraq on June 13 after a roadside bomb he was disarming detonated. A 2004 graduate of Salem High School, Lo will join Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Moscillo and Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis of the Army’s 82 Airborne Division as the third serviceman in the community immortalized by a plaque after dying in Iraq.

His will be the 28th plaque placed in town, memorializing the community’s war dead, according to Castricone. Castricone said the location for the bronze memorial was chosen due to its proximity to the Lo family home.

“What we tried to do is put the plaque as close to their home as possible,” Castricone said. “They were (in the past) just putting the names in town where they were visible. We put Nick Arvanitis’ plaque on Old Rockingham Road where he was living. The one we’re putting up now, it’s going to be put up on Geremonty Drive ... and that’s close to (Lo’s) home.”

The actual installation of the plaque and the maintenance of the location is handled by the Salem Department of Public Works. David Wholley, DPW operations manager, said the spot selected for Lo was also intended to keep the sacrifices of the current war in the public eye.

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Puzzo, an aerospace science instructor at the Salem High School who knew Lo from his days in the Air Force Junior ROTC program, said the efforts to memorialize the staff sergeant were indicative of the community’s strong support for veterans and military families.

Puzzo, who is serving as a liaison between the family and the school district, said both he and the Lo family had been inundated with phone calls offering support since the news of Lo’s death was released.

“I know almost everyone in his graduation class have already been in touch with the family ... A lot of cadets have been by the school,” Puzzo said. “I’ve seen a lot support coming my way and to the family as well. There is very strong support in the community.”

Calling hours for Lo will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, June 26, at the Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home, 214 Main St., Salem. The funeral service is at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, at the Mary Queen of Peace Church in Salem, followed by burial in the Pine Grove Cemetery.

Woodbury School hosts tribute to veterans

Salem Editor — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 19:20:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

When Jonathan Sistare came to work in Salem, he quickly learned it’s a community with a high level of patriotism.

American flags stand along Geremonty Drive, Salem’s 2006 town report is dedicated to two local soldiers killed in Iraq, and Veterans Memorial Parkway honors those who served the nation.

Sistare, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who spent a year serving in Iraq before becoming Salem’s town manager in October, noted Salem’s patriotism as the keynote speaker at Woodbury School’s Veterans Day program.

The annual event honors veterans for their courage and their service, and Sistare, too, was honored – receiving a Bronze Star for exceptional meritorious service to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“To all of the veterans – your fighting for our freedom has allowed us to have annual events such as this,” said Principal Maura Palmer during the Friday, Nov. 9, ceremony.

“It has been my privilege to be among you this morning.”

The program was hosted by sixth-grade students. Chorus members sang the national anthem and other patriotic songs, and the student jazz band played a “Swingin’ Salute to Our Veterans.” Members of the student council delivered gifts to the veterans, who were treated to a free breakfast.

Six students each read an essay about veterans. A poem written by Emily Kisiel said, “You committed your life so I could be free, if it wasn’t for veterans where would I be?

When your country called, you did not flee. You answered the call and helped protect me.”

Cadet Major Harrison Flodin, 17, of the Air Force JROTC at Salem High School, led a remembrance program of POWs and MIAs.

Lloyd Ranlett was one of the veterans sitting in the audience.

Ranlett, who served as a Marine in Korea, had been invited to the breakfast by his granddaughter, Corrie Sullivan, a student at the school.

“It was very nice,” said his wife, Patricia, after the ceremony. “I’ve been crying through the whole thing.”

Gov. John Lynch pinned the Bronze Star on Sistare.

Earlier, Lynch told the audience that Veterans Day began nearly a century ago as a way to recognize the armistice that was the official end of World War I.

Since then, he said, freedom and democracy have been challenged.

“But each time, a new generation of men and women answered our nation’s call to service. That’s why it’s so important that we honor our veterans,” Lynch said. “Not just today but every day. They fought for our nation with honor and dignity and they have asked for so little in return.”

The debt owed to veterans can never be fully repaid, Lynch said, so it’s important that every day others give them the honor and respect they deserve.

“Our veterans are ordinary people,” Lynch said. “But their courage and their actions and sacrifices are truly extraordinary.

That’s why it’s so important that we pause today and every day to recognize our veterans and to thank them for their sacrifice.”

The event also featured a slideshow produced by Salem Observer photographer Bruce Preston that paid tribute to the two Salem soldiers killed in Iraq in 2006: Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Moscillo and Army Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis.

“During that time, I noticed that not only once, but twice, people within this community all wanted to reach out and help and provide some level of comfort and support to the families,” Preston said.