PLAQUE HONORING WWII HEROES RESCUED

PLAQUE HONORING OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL’S WWII DEAD RESCUED


The Greater Cleveland Veterans Memorial (GCVM) was created as a living memorial to honor those Greater Clevelanders who lost their lives in wars of the 20th Century. They are memorialized at the GCVM website http://www.clevelandvetsmemorial.org/.

Recently a plaque honoring the parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who lost their lives in World War II was rescued from possible oblivion when it was announced the church was being closed. It is currently in the office of Frank Piunno, NCR, Inc., Mayfield Hts., Ohio. He is the nephew of Michael J. Piunno, who is among those listed on the plaque. A smaller reproduction of the plaque is pictured here held by Russ Davis.

Davis and JC Sullivan, Vietnam War U.S. Army veterans and members of the Italian American War Veterans Post 34, have taken up interest in the names on the plaque. They discovered a number of gaps in information at the GCVM memorial site. They are asking the Italian-American community of greater Cleveland if they can help. Missing from the memorial site are:

BARBERA, SALVATORE. No photo or unit information. Died in No. Africa, 1943.
CALCO, WILLIAM M. Died in Italy. No photo or other information.
CELLURA, ANGELO T. No photo.
ELLIS, EDWIN. Non-battle death at Alexandria AAF, LA. No photo or other information.
FUSCO, RALPH A. No photo.
LONGO, JOSEPH A. No photo.
NOTARO, ANTHONY. No Photo
PIUNNO, MICHAEL J. No picture or unit information.
SWEENEY, JOHN R. No photo
TODARO, FRANK. No photo or unit information.
PETRARCA, FRANK J. No unit information. Medal of Honor information has been sent to the website.

The following parishioners are not listed on the website:

CINKEVIC, ANTHONY; D'ANGELO, JERRY; IAVENNA, JAHN; IOFFREDDO, JOSEPH; KABALA, CHARLES; RIZZOLLO, MICHAEL; SANTELLI, ALBERT; SCARVELLI, SAM; VAIRETTA, STEVE.

If any readers can help fill in the blanks please contact Russ Davis (usprep1987@aol.com) or Sullivan (osullivan9@roadrunner.com).