At Laying of the Roses, veterans are remembered

Two Mahoning County men
presumed to be missing in action or prisoners of war also were
honored.

By SEAN BARRON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

YOUNGSTOWN — Mark Stanko may have been only 4 years old when his older brother Robert G. Stanko died during the Vietnam War, but he retains indelible memories and impressions of his brother nonetheless.

“He was a talented musician with a great smile, and he was loved by everyone who knew him,” recalled Mark Stanko of Boardman, the youngest of eight siblings.

“I remember him well.”

Robert Stanko, who served in the Army, was killed Oct. 31, 1968. He was one of 100 fallen soldiers from Mahoning County who served in that war, and who were honored at Sunday’s 16th annual Laying of the Roses ceremony near Central Square.

Gary Rupp, of Struthers, came to honor Andre G. Broumas, a commanding officer who served in the Army’s 8th Engineer 1st Air Cavalry unit and was killed in action in September 1969.

Rupp described Broumas as a close friend of Rupp’s family, and remembered Broumas as “low-key and humble.” Rupp added that Broumas, who was stationed in Germany in the early 1960s, used to come home each year on leave and visit Rupp’s grandfather and other family members.

“It was like welcoming home a long-lost relative,” he said.

A few hundred people attended the two-hour ceremony, sponsored by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter No. 135 of Youngstown. As each name was read, family, friends or Honor Guard members placed one red rose at the base of the Mahoning County Vietnam War Memorial on the square to honor that person.

Also recognized the same way were Howard B. Carpenter and Donald M. Klemm, both of whom are prisoners of war or missing in action.

Adjacent to the memorial was a table set for one person containing one red rose, a lemon slice and an upside-down glass.

The table and rose represented soldiers unable to be with loved ones, and blood that may have been shed, respectively; the lemon stood for soldiers’ bitter fate; and the glass symbolized those who weren’t able to be home to share a toast with family and loved ones.

The program’s keynote speaker was state Sen. John Boccieri of New Middletown, D-33rd, who thanked the veterans for their service.

Boccieri recalled as a child learning that his grandfather was killed during World War II and being taken to his grave site on the city’s East Side.

His grandfather’s service helped instill patriotism in him, as well as an appreciation for those who serve their country, Boccieri said.

“The memorial on the East Side showed me that bravery must always be remembered,” he added. “Today, our pledge is that they won’t be forgotten.”

The ceremony also included a Posting of the Colors tribute and an invocation read by a member of the American Legion Post No. 472.