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The oldest of three sons, John Cervone was born in Jamaica Heights, a neighborhood in Queens, New York, to Giachino and Benita Russo Cervone. Cervone’s mother was born in Naples, as were his father’s parents. The family moved to the nearby Springfield Gardens neighborhood to be closer to relatives, whom they visited frequently. “I spent a lot of ti...

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As our nation gathers to celebrate Veterans Day this week, and all of us pause to say “grazie” to the millions of brave men and women in uniform who have served our country in war and peace, we’d like to turn our attention to remembering the Italian American legacy of our Armed Forces. There’s no better guest to guide us than Colonel Renato “Ron” B...

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Lorenzo A. Fiorentino (Ret.) will offer a lively AV presentation about the military monuments of Illinois at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22, at the Italian American Veterans Museum. A retired Army Major with a lifelong interest in military history, Fiorentino watched for decades as Illinois’ military monuments faded into obscurity and fell into disrepai...

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The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans will host a special tribute in honor of Italian-American veterans over the Memorial Day weekend. The event will be co-sponsored by the Italian American War Veterans and the Italian American Veterans Museum. An 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 30, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii will be followed by a so...

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The Italian American Veterans Museum hopes all our supporters and their families are staying healthy and safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Since our activities are limited for the time being, we’re offering Stay-at-Home Movie Night to keep you entertained while you’re sheltering in place. Reviews will be written by museum board members and all...

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On January 3, Lorenzo Fiorentino and Richard Wojewnik picked up a larger quantity of books and records from the Italian American Veterans Museum and placed them on the shelves of the recently opened Chicagoland Combined Veterans Museum, Library and Honor Wall. Fiorentino and Wojewnik are members of the American Legion Post 335 and Veterans of Forei...

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Retired Army Col. Renato Bacci has been elected by the board of directors to helm the Italian American Veterans Museum. Joining him as officers are retired Navy Commander Joseph Troiani as first vice president, retired Army Maj. Lorenzo Fiorentino as second vice president, Army veteran Mark DiSanto third vice president, Steve Corbo as treasurer, Eu...

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It was all hands on deck when board member Joe Troiani presented an acclaimed PBS documentary at the museum on Dec. 7. “Heroes on Deck: World War II on Lake Michigan” tells the untold tale of a program that trained more than 15,000 carrier pilots off the shores of the Windy City during World War II. The training took place on a pair of coal-fired,...

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Museum President Paul Basile couldn’t believe his ears. National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame Executive Board Member and Legal Counsel Enrico Mirabelli was calling to inform him that the sports hall would be donating $5,000 to the museum! The remarkably generous bequest was given in memory of founder George Randazzo’s military service. Paul...

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Celebrating 42 years of Italian Americans in Sports, the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame hosted its annual star-studded Induction and Awards Gala on Saturday, November 9th at the Westin O’Hare. With 650 guests on hand, the NIASHF welcomed the all-star class of 2019, which included Super Bowl Champion, Glenn Carano; National Hot Rod As...

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