Salem Observer : soldier

Salem soldier laid to rest

Salem Editor — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:27:00 GMT

Family and friends of Army Staff Sgt. Edmond L. Lo gathered to say goodbye before laying to rest the soldier described by those who knew him as a “true American hero.”

On Saturday, June 27, members of the community reached out to offer support to the family of the third Salem serviceman killed in Iraq since 2006. Residents waited at street corners and waved flags as the motorcade carrying Lo’s casket made its way to Pine Grove Cemetery in Salem.

Lo, 23, died on June 13 in Iraq after the bomb he was defusing detonated. A 2004 graduate of the Salem High School, Lo was serving with the U.S. Army’s 797th Ordnance Company, 79th Battalion, based at Fort Hood, Texas.

Homeowners stood in their driveways, some with hands and hats pressed over their hearts, as the procession passed.

Led through the center of town with local and state police escorts as well as Patriot Guard Riders, the motorcade passed through the parking lot of the high school where participants in Saturday’s Relay for Life lined the street. Both the Department of Public Works and the Fire Department turned out as well, waving flags from their vehicles parked along Geremonty Drive.

Retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Puzzo, an aerospace instructor at Salem High School, recalled Lo as a quiet and competent leader from his days in the Junior ROTC program at the June 27 ceremony celebrating the fallen soldier’s life.

“On that fateful day two weeks ago, a proud American gave his life for his country,” Puzzo said during his eulogy for Lo. “It was a selfless act of courage that will forever make him a hero, a legitimate hero. “On the drill floor he would dedicate himself to helping one cadet with commitment and selflessness. That was the Cadet Lo I remember, and I have no doubt that was Staff Sgt. Lo,” he added.

A 2004 graduate of the high school, Lo commanded the color guard, drill team and operations squadron during his time in the ROTC program. At the calling hours Friday, June 26, fellow cadets, past and present, remembered him as a strong leader willing to do anything to reach out and help someone else.

“I was very good friends with him ... There are so many memories, but I can’t seem to remember one. It’s overwhelming,” said Dan King, a Marine and a 2003 graduate of both Salem High School and the ROTC program.

“He wanted to serve and that’s what he did,” said Army Specialist Mike Connors on Friday at the Douglas and Johnson Funeral Home on Main Street. “He had scholarship options and he turned them down.

Connors, who graduated from Salem High School in 2005, remembered Lo as a strong leader and bright young man from their days together in the Junior Air Force ROTC program. A year younger than Lo, Connors described looking up to him as a leader and a friend.

“He was a big part of the program. He was always early. He would come by my house at 5:30 in the morning to pick me up for practice before school,” Connors said. “He always knew what to do and did it right.”

Members of the program’s color guard turned out to salute Lo during Saturday’s services, standing alongside the U.S. Army honor guard as his casket arrived.

U.S. Army Brigadier General Jeffrey Snow, Lo’s division commander, said he regretted not knowing Lo personally, but praised him as one of the very best of the men and women in the armed forces.

“Ed was doing something he wanted to do, something he believed in ... As tragic as this loss is, I gain some solace in knowing that Ed was doing something he loved around those who loved him. His sacrifice will not be forgotten,” Snow said. “He dedicated his life to our protection. The land that was once called the last, best hope for mankind was built upon sacrifices like his.”

Gov. John Lynch – who gave his sympathies to the family at Friday night’s service along with Sen. Judd Gregg – also spoke, describing Lo as an articulate and dependable young man. On Friday, Lynch directed flags to be flown at half-staff across the state in honor of Lo.

“News of Edmond’s sacrifice has hit this community very hard. Edmond Lo joins a list of heroes from this town,” Lynch said, telling the family that “Salem and New Hampshire are here for you.”

As mourners drifted away from Lo’s gravesite in the veteran’s section of the Pine Grove cemetery, his older brother Raymond said the community and the military had been very supportive of his family, especially his parents. He said the services, which included a 21- gun salute and a rendition of “Taps” by members of the high school band, had been very nice.

“I thought it was very well done,” he said. “I thought it was done very honorably.”

Bomb blast in Iraq kills Salem soldier

Salem Editor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:34:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

A 23-year-old Army soldier from Salem was killed in Iraq on Saturday, June 13, when an improvised explosive device (IED) that his explosive ordnance disposal team was working to neutralize blew up.

Staff Sgt. Edmond L. Lo, who was assigned to the 797th Ordnance Company, 79th Ordnance Battalion at Fort Hood in Texas was a 2004 graduate of Salem High School where he was active in the Air Force Junior ROTC program. He was killed in Sammara City.

“Everybody who knew him in JROTC is devastated, understandably so,” said Marc Palermo, a friend and classmate of Lo’s who was also active in the program.

Lo joined the Army in 2004, according to Chief Tom Puzzo of the JROTC program at the school. As a cadet, Lo had been commander of the colorguard, participated in competition drill teams, and served as the operations squadron commander.

Puzzo described him as dedicated and hardworking, a leader who was infectious, not flashy. A quiet professional.

“He knew how to get the job done and others followed his lead,” said Puzzo, who taught Lo for two years. “He was a great kid all around. He was very popular. If you met him, you liked him.”

Lo is one of six children. He was three older sisters, an older brother, and a younger brother, Norman, who was a JROTC cadet.

Lo had the opportunity to attend the Rochester Institute of Technology but instead chose to join the military When Lo came home, he would visit Puzzo and stay for dinner.

“I think he was proud to be in the Army,” said Puzzo who saw him at Christmas.

According to published reports, Lo’s family was informed of his death on Saturday, June 13, and was escorted the next day to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware where they saw the transfer of the flag-draped case containing his remains by a military honor guard.

“Sgt. Lo served his nation with dignity, courage and honor and sacrificed protecting all of us,” New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch said in a written statement. “He is a hero to us all. On behalf of the citizens of New Hampshire, our deepest sympathies go out to the entire Lo family.”

Palermo, who has known Lo since third grade, described his friend as smart and driven and “one of the nicest, gentlest kids” he has known.

Lo liked video games, “goofing around,” and going to the movies. He enjoyed watching “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons” on television.

Both students were shy but through JROTC, Lo learned how to lead, grew, and some of his shyness wore off, Palermo said. He and the instructors help Palermo get motivated and into shape.

Palermo went on to Daniel Webster College in Nashua to study aviation management. He received letters from Lo when he went through basic training and saw him when he was on leave.

“He loved the (physical training), the work he did,” said Palermo. “You could truly see it in the way he talked. He truly loved what he did in the Army.”

Lo is the third Salem soldier to have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Marine Lance Cpl. Robert Moscillo, 21, was killed in May, 2006, when the Humvee he was riding in hit a land mine.

In October 2006, Army Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis, 23, was killed by gunfire. The two men were members of Salem High School’s Class of 2003.

Quilts honor those who served

Salem Editor — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:54:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A local woman is using her sewing machine to try and mend the wounds of war.

Diana O’Connor, a 44- year-old mother of four, spends her spare time scrounging up fabric and piecing together quilts to send to the families of soldiers, airmen and seamen who have died since Sept. 11 in a tradition that originally dates back to the Civil War.

“Think of it as a sympathy card on fabric,” O’Connor said. “What we’re doing is getting a quilt to every family that has lost a loved one.”

The Home of the Brave Quilts Project, of which O’Connor is the Massachusetts coordinator, grew out of an effort by a California quilting guild in 2004 to honor the sacrifice of men and women in uniform by sending the families of fallen soldiers, seamen and airmen reproductions of the quilts donated by the northern women and distributed by the U.S. Sanitary Commission throughout the Civil War.

Measuring 48 by 84 inches – large enough to cover the cots of Union soldiers – the reproduction quilts are sewn using the same colors and patterns as their 19th-century counterparts, according to O’Connor. In addition, she will add a stamped replica of a U.S. Sanitary Commission label and another label embroidered with the name of the fallen serviceman or woman.

“They’re all like the quilts that date back (to the Civil War), every one is so different,” she said. “Some people make blocks. Some people will take the blocks and put them together in the quilt. Some people will take the tops and sandwich them into quilts. We have people who offer to do all different things. It’s amazing to see the help. It’s just very rewarding.”

According to Sandi Carstensen, the national coordinator of the project, quilters from almost every state in the country are volunteering their time and fabric to the group and the effort has even spread to the United Kingdom.

“To me, our quilts are special because of its connection to the Civil War and because every state is making the same quilt. We’re all using Civil War patterns and that makes it special to me and I think it does to the family too,” Carstensen said. “I’ve had many soldiers from all prior wars talk to me and the comfort that this brings to the families is just amazing.”

To date, the national group has produced and presented almost 3,000 of the quilts, Carstensen said.

For O’Connor, who got involved in the project through her work with the Hannah Dustin Quilt Guild, which has about 250 members and includes the coordinators from New Hampshire and Rhode Island, the reward comes with being able to reach out to the families of fallen soldiers and let them know that the country has not forgotten their sacrifice.

“It just is rewarding for me to help out and to know that I’m helping some of these families,” she said. “More than anything (sewing) is very relaxing. I’m very busy, I have four kids between the ages of 10 and 16 and sometimes I’ll just go over to the machine and sew. To know that a lot of what I’ve been doing is for charity, it’s even more rewarding.”

Fanfare greets Salem soldier, but he won't be home long

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:57:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Town officials honored the return of the son of one of their own from Afghanistan last week with a highway overpass flag display and motorcycle escort from the airport.

Thomas Russell, the son of the Director of Public Works Rick Russell, was welcomed back to Salem last Tuesday after a 15- month tour of duty overseas with the 70th Engineer Battalion of the 1st Armored Division to overjoyed family and friends.

“Thank God he’s home in one piece,” his father said. “It’s extremely tough on the soldiers but tough on the family, too.”

Rick Russell’s co-workers at the Department of Public Works turned out in force to honor his son’s service, parking DPW vehicles along the I-93 Brookdale Road overpass – including two front bucket loaders adorned in American flags – and waving flags themselves as the convoy of motorcycles escorting the returning soldier to his home in Salem passed underneath.

Local town hall employees, firefighters and police officers made up the motorcycle brigade escorting the army specialist coming back from the Manchester airport.

“We came out to support Rick’s son,” said Joe Feole of the DPW. “He went there and served his country. The least we can do is support him.”

Feole was joined on the overpass by about 20 fellow town employees, some with the Water Department and others in the Highway Department, in welcoming back the 21-year-old soldier.

Pam Russell, who spent 14 years with the Salem Fire Department and is currently employed by the Building Department, appreciated the celebration surrounding her son’s homecoming.

“All of these people have seen Thomas grow up,” she said. “It’s nice to have a big joyous parade today.”

Surrounded by friends and family in the backyard of his family’s Salem residence, Thomas Russell called the celebration of his return “one hell of a welcome home.”

“There’s nothing like coming back to this town,” he said. “The amount of respect that these people give the soldiers is awesome.”

Attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, Russell and his fellow soldiers – nicknamed the “Nomads” for living on their own in what he described as “the middle of nowhere” – were tasked with route clearance, driving up and down the roads of Afghanistan searching for improvised explosive devices and removing them. Russell found 21 IEDs himself, earning him the Army Commendation Medal with Valor and the Army Achievement Medal.

While Russell survived one near miss that left his army vehicle badly damaged and a three-month tour of duty extension while serving overseas, he has already re-enlisted and is planning to rejoin his unit after a 30- day leave from military life.

“It’s overwhelming,” said Russell, who plans to take several road trips, as well as sky dive during his time on leave. “Salem is one heck of a spot to take a vacation.”

Salem man killed in Iraq focused on others

Salem Editor — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:18:00 GMT

By Matt Hersh
Staff Writer

Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis

As she sat on the hood of her car outside of Salem High School holding the uniform of her brother Nicholas, who was killed in Iraq on Friday, Oct. 6, Kimberly Arvanitis couldn’t help but smile.

“He was this forgiving kid,” she said. “He had a heart of gold.”

Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis, 22, of the Army’s 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, was killed by small arms gunfire while on a mission near Bayji, a city between Baghdad and Mosul in Northern Iraq. Further details of his death are classified to protect other soldiers, his sister said.

Arvanitis was a squadron leader and had been stationed in Iraq since August.

Kimberly, 24, who was formerly in the Air Force and had been stationed in Iraq, met with Salem High School band director Marty Claussen and social studies teacher Ben Adams on Friday, Oct. 6, to talk about Nicholas and remember him.

Arvanitis grew up in Salem, graduating from Salem High School in 2003. He was a prominent member of the school’s championship wrestling team as well as an accomplished guitarist in the jazz band.

Observer/Bruce Preston
Kimberly Arvanitis, the sister of Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis who was recently killed in Iraq, holds two military shirts that were given to her by her brother before he left for duty. She visited Salem High School on Tuesday morning to meet with teachers she and her brother both knew while attending school there.

In 2001 Claussen, asked Arvanitis to learn the sousaphone to play at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif. Though he had never played it before, Arvanitis picked up the sousaphone quickly and performed in front of millions of viewers across the country.

Aside from his musical accomplishments, Claussen said he remembers Arvanitis mostly because of the kind of person he was.

“He was always smiling,” Claussen said. “He got along with everyone.”

Likewise, Adams said he remembers Arvanitis in his 12thgrade social studies class being quiet and friendly.

Kimberly Arvanitis said she has a hard time listing all of the qualities she admired in her brother. He was her hero, she said.

Arvanitis joined the Army before he turned 18, having his mother sign the necessary forms. His grandfathers had both served in the Navy, one in World War II. Family members said he was eager to fight for his country.

“When 9/11 happened, he was livid,” said his grandmother, Rita Dill, who helped raise him with her husband Leonard Dill. “He came home one day and said he was going to be joining the 82nd Airborne.”

Dill said Arvanitis joined the Army for the right reasons – he wanted to protect his country and his family.

Kimberly and her brother’s former teachers described him as focused on his friends as well. He returned to Salem for the funeral of Robert L. Moscillo, a 21-year-old Marine from Salem who was killed in May.

After he heard the news of Moscillo’s death, he called home immediately to make sure he was available to help his friends cope.

“He was such a kind young man,” Dill said. “He always thought of his family and other people.”

Arvanitis, who was looked up to by other Army members according to his sister, recently received orders to become a recruiter – a job Claussen said he would have been perfect for.

However, he was determined to fight despite urgings from his sister to stay out of Iraq.

“I told him not to go, that you didn’t want to be there,” she said. “But he said he had to go and fight.”

Military officials notified Kimberly Arvanitis about her brother’s death on Friday when they came to her home.

“I was thinking, ‘Let it be an injury’,” she said. “I just dropped to the ground and lost it – I was in disbelief.”

His sister said that e-mails have been flooding in from soldiers Arvanitis had served with and from Salem friends, telling stories about him and praising him.

A memorial service was held for Arvanitis in Kuwait where about 750 people attended. Normally about 200 attend, his sister said.

Services are still being arranged, but Kimberly Arvanitis said they should occur within the next week.

Salem High School had a moment of silence during their homecoming game last week to honor Arvanitis, Claussen said. On Veterans Day, the Veterans of Foreign Wars will be dedicating their ceremony to Arvanitis, his sister said.

Also, a plaque will be placed on Old Rockingham Road, where Arvanitis grew up. Arvanitis is also survived by his mother, Maureen Arvanitis, of Manchester.

“I want everyone to know who he was,” Kimberly Arvanitis said. “He is a hero and should be recognized for what he’s done.”