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Sam Biviano, of Niles, survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Photo
Adrian Biviano, left, shakes the hand of Navy Personnel Specialist 3 Craig Wingate after Wingate and Navy Chief Jason Hatton had presented medals that Biviano’s father, Lucian “Sam” Biviano, a Pearl Harbor survivor, earned in World War II but had never received. The ceremony was Monday, the day after the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
WARREN
Lucian “Sam” Biviano survived the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, probably because he was a good swimmer.
Biviano, of Niles, now deceased, was a signalman on the USS Oklahoma, which was sunk during the early-morning attack. To escape his sinking ship, he swam to the USS West Virginia only to find it, too, was sinking. He then swam to safety on Ford Island, said Adrian Biviano, the World War II navy veteran’s son.
Adrian talked about his father after a ceremony at First Presbyterian Church on Monday, the day after the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, at which he was presented several decorations that his father earned but had never received for his service during WWII.
The medals, which Adrian accepted on behalf of the Biviano family, are: Navy Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal, American Defense Service Medal with One Bronze Star, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with One Silver and One Bronze Star, Combat Action Ribbon and the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal.
They were presented by Navy Chief Jason Hatton and Personnel Specialist 3 Craig Wingate, both stationed at the Navy Operational Support Center at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna.
The Biviano family requested the medals through the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission, and they were obtained through the auspices of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.
In a written statement, Brown said one of the most rewarding aspects of his job is ensuring Ohio’s veterans receive the benefits they deserve. A representative from Brown’s office attended the ceremony.
Adrian, Trumbull County Auditor, said his father, who enlisted in the Navy in February 1941 and was discharged in October 1945, did not discuss specifics of the war with family members, but he did talk about Pearl Harbor with others who were there.
“I overheard them talking once, and my father said that a lot of sailors on the ships sunk at Pearl Harbor drowned because they couldn’t swim,” Adrian said.
After the war, Sam Biviano, who grew up on Cedar Street in Niles and graduated in 1935 from Niles McKinley High School, came back to Niles and married Laura Flaviano in 1948, the same year he began classes at Youngstown College on the G.I. Bill.
Sam, who died April 29, 1978, worked 34 years as a tax agent for the Ohio Department of Taxation, retiring in 1976.
Besides Adrian of Niles, Sam’s family members include a daughter, Linda Garea of Canfield; a son, Thomas Foglesong in Oregon; four grandchildren, Adrianne Nastasi of Niles, Matthew Biviano of Niles, Lauren Thomas of Hudson, and Samuel Garea of Columbus; and two great-grandchildren.
Adrian said the medals will be part of a shadow box display that will include Sam’s Navy “boot camp” picture, a picture of the USS Oklahoma, and the American flag that adorned his father’s coffin and other mementoes.
Participating in the ceremony were the Trumbull County American Legion Honor Guard, state Sen. Capri Cafaro and Robert Brothers, who gave the Invocation and the Benediction and provided some of the history of the Pearl Harbor.
Special music was presented by Victoria Schuette of Austintown.