Korean War is not forgotten

By Amanda C. Davis

A Laying of the Roses ceremony honored all 120 Mahoning Valley residents killed during the war.

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 Ω 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 a 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 fellow 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, at which time the U.S. military recorded 54,246 total deaths, with 33,739 listed as combat deaths.

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 during the war in 1952 and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Kelly was born in Youngstown July 8, 1928, but his family soon moved to Homestead, Pa., outside Pittsburgh. He was attending Arizona State College in 1950 when he enlisted in the Marine Corps.

His brother, Carroll Kelly, 86, attended the event with nephew Phillip Kelly and his wife, Roni, all from suburban Pittsburgh.

Carroll Kelly called the event “tremendous” and said the service was a nice way to honor the memory of his brother, who was the only Mahoning Valley native to receive the nation’s highest honor for service during that war.

Phillip and Roni Kelly agreed that they never expected the ceremony to be so elaborate.

“We’re so appreciate of all they’ve done to honor him,” Roni Kelly added.

Chapter 137 also had a Laying of the Roses ceremony to honor all 120 Mahoning County residents killed in action during the war.

Veteran Bob Brothers said the war lasted 1,117 days, meaning one young man from the Mahoning Valley died, on average, every nine days.

Zeno Foley, past president of Chapter 137, said those 120 soldiers made a “supreme sacrifice for freedom” in Korea, often referred to as the “Forgotten War.”

“We cannot and will not forget their names,” he added.

Army Maj. Michael Stull, commander of the ROTC program at Youngstown State University, was the event’s guest speaker. He thanked the veterans for the example they set and called the event a “magnificent reminder” of the sacrifices they made.

“From one generation soldier to another, you have not been forgotten,” he said.

Sisters Kathy Bowman and Carole Brown, both of Austintown, attended the event on behalf of their uncle William M. Baker, who grew up in Youngstown and served in the Army during the war.

He was listed as missing in action for several months while serving and was killed May 24, 1952 – his 23rd birthday.

Army buddies John Pariza of Austintown and Ralph Yovino of Montgomery, Texas, were reunited in May after losing track of each other for 57 years. They served in I Co. of the 5th Regimental Combat Team and both were injured on a hill north of Seoul during a Chinese Ambush. Their story appeared in Wednesday’s Vindicator.

Pariza was shot in the leg, unable to move, and Yovino suffered gashes and damage to his eardrum and right eye. Pariza credits his friend with saving his life after carrying him down that hill.

The two tried to locate each other over the years but it took a friend of Yovino’s to find Pariza’s name on a Web site.

Yovino said it was important for him to be there Sunday for Pariza, who asked Yovino this week to be the best man when he marries fianc Beverly Poidmore of Boardman. Although a date has not been set, Yovino said he will return to stand up for Pariza.

Yovino called Sunday’s event emotional and said his advice to the younger generation of soldiers would be to “respect your flag, respect your country and do the best you can.”