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Weirton remembers its Vietnam veterans

Museum holds service to honor those who served in conflict 50 years ago

Lou Salerno, right, whose cousin Paul Salerno was among four Weirton residents who were killed in action during the Vietnam War, receives a commemorative photo and other gifts from Bob Kelley of the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center during a service at the museum Saturday. The Weirton Museum’s service was among thousands held across the country this year to remember the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, and honor those who fought during that era. (Photo by Craig Howell)

WEIRTON — The Vietnam War is considered by many to be one of the least popular armed conflicts of the 20th Century.

Now, 50 years after the war’s end, many organizations are working to make certain those who served receive the appreciation and recognition they deserve.

Among those efforts was a ceremony held Saturday at the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center, where more than 60 area residents gathered to offer their thanks to those from Weirton who were in the U.S. Armed Forces between 1955 and 1975.

“You’re truly American heroes,” said Museum President Ed Giacchino.

Organized by Bob Kelley, the ceremony began with a prayer offered by the Rev. Jim Rahr, who was with the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, working with a military intelligence unit, with the national anthem performed by Ward 1 Councilman Tim Connell, a Navy veteran.

Mayor Dean Harris, noting the unpopularity of the war, recalled the concern in his own family of members who were of age at the time being drafted. He also noted listening to the stories of individuals who were called upon to serve while he worked alongside them at Weirton Steel.

“I would listen to their stories, especially about the physical and emotional effects,” he said, explaining many of those who went to Vietnam and made it back continued to carry the scars of the conflict, whether through physical injury, emotional trauma, or a lifetime of health issues.

Saturday’s service made particular note of four Weirton natives – Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas Joseph Brooks, Marine Cpl. Mark Douglas Cool, Army PFC Paul Louis Salerno, and Army Sgt. John David Olenick – who never made it home.

According to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s online Wall of Faces database, Brooks died Nov. 11, 1966, at the age of 19, in Quang Tin Province; Cool, was killed in Quang Tri, also at the age of 19; Salerno was 21 when he died in Quang Ngai; and Olenick also died in Quang Tin at the age of 22.

Harris presented Kelley and the museum with a plaque to commemorate the four, while Lou Salerno, a cousin of Paul Salerno, and Olenick’s sister, Patty Visco, stepped forward to receive framed, commemorative photographs from the museum.

Others who served during the Vietnam era and in attendance Saturday received a commemorative lapel pin.

The pin includes a depiction of the American bald eagle, encircled with a blue ring with a laurel wreath. Behind the eagle are stripes to represent the American flag, and six stars to represent the United States as well as its allies the Commonwealth of Australia, the Kingdom of Thailand, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of the Philippines.

The back of the pin includes the words, “A Grateful Nation Thanks and Honors You.”

Saturday’s service was among more than 23,000 being held across the country this year as part of a nationwide commemorative effort.

Craig Howell can be reached at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com.

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