On May 30, 1868, the first official Decoration Day was declared by General John A. Logan and observed at Arlington National Cemetery. Volunteers decorated the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers. Following World War II, Decoration Day was expanded and renamed Memorial Day to honor all Americans who died in military service. Th...
READ MORESunlight parted storm clouds as paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade at Caserma Del Din paused to remember their fallen. During the ceremony, held just ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Col. Michael Kloepper and Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Chapin, the command team for the 173rd, unveiled a memorial stone from Afghanistan. Kloepper welcomed t...
READ MOREOn Friday, the Providence City Council and City Archives dedicated a new monument to U.S. Army Infantry soldier, Private 1st Class Carlo Lafazia, killed in action during World War I. Lafazia was born in 1897 to Italian immigrants who settled on Admiral Street in Providence’s Elmhurst/Wanskuck neighborhood. Lafazia enlisted in the U.S. Army’s 16th I...
READ MOREOn Memorial Day, I always think of Army Maj. Marie Rossi. I think of her throughout the year but more so this time of year. When we, the civilian class, are asked to remember and honor those who made the supreme sacrifice, Marie's name is the first to come to my mind. This is the story of how she became the face of my Memorial Day. I was a young ed...
READ MOREDozens of veterans and their families gathered on Sunday in Chicago's Little Village for a ceremony coordinated by the Italian American community. "We celebrate and remember under one flag, and remember our African American, Jewish American, Latin American, Asian American, European American and all other heroes, and their bravery, dedication and co...
READ MOREListen! On Memorial Day, you shall hear the somber notes of “Taps,” as they echo over the memorials of our fallen heroes. Without a doubt, this beautiful but mournful refrain will trigger a lump in your throat, as a flood of tears freely flow from your eyes. Looking over these hallowed grounds, you will see a lonely bugler standing proudly while so...
READ MOREA Salute to Italian American Veterans on the 75th Anniversary of the Veterans Monument at Arrigo Park (Chicago, IL) will take place Sunday, May 30, 2021. The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA) along with the Italian American Veterans Museum, and the Italian American War Veterans, will honor four World War II Veterans as part of the...
READ MOREThe 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...
READ MOREWhile Memorial Day typically kicks off the summer season globally, here in the Hudson Valley, there's a yearly event that many look forward to that officially signals that summer is here. Presented by the Joe DiMaggio Lodge 2248 Sons and Daughters of Italy, the 32nd Annual Italian Festival will return to the East Fishkill Rec, 392 Rt-376, Hopewell...
READ MOREIn honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed on January 27, the Dante Alighieri Society of Michigan commemorates those Italians who suffered persecution as a result of the Racial Laws imposed by the Fascist government and under the Nazi occupation during World War II. In commemoration of the Giorno della Memoria, we will talk to Profess...
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