Korean War veterans, heroes remembered in Austintown

By Amanda C. Davis

AUSTINTOWN — Domenic J. Lentini expected to have nightmares last night.

Though it’s been more than 50 years since he fought in the Korean War, memories for the 77-year-old Hubbard man are still fresh.

Lentini served from 1950 to 1952 and spent 7 1/2 months in a Japanese hospital recovering from wounds after being hit by a grenade. He called his memories of the war “gruesome” and estimates he lost more than 30 friends.

“It’s an emotional day,” he said Sunday during the Korean War Veterans Memorial ceremony on Wickliffe Circle.

“I thank God I can still put my feet on the floor.”

Lentini served in the Army’s 25th Infantry Division, also known as the Wolfhounds, and said many of his comrades are still being treated at VA clinics for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Once home, Lentini worked for Ohio Bell and AT T, retiring in 1985. That’s when he said the memories came flooding in.

“It’s like someone opened a door and it all came back,” he added.

The Korean War started June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. A cease-fire came more than three years later on July 27, 1953. The U.S. military recorded 54,246 total deaths, with 33,739 listed as combat fatalities.

Korean War Veterans Chapter 137 and the Tri-State Marine Corps Detachment Honor Guard unveiled a new plaque Sunday to honor Marine Pfc. John D. Kelly, who was killed in action in 1952 and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.