Charleroi Area honors vets
Evan Sanders
Elementary school students from Charleroi display armed forces signs during a Veterans Day assembly at Charleoi Area High School gymnasium on Wednesday. Students honored those who served and have served, including Pete DeRose, a World War II veteran who was a prisoner of war for 16 months. DeRose and his wife Mary live in Herbert, Fayette County.
Evan Sanders
Valentina Gulino (front), 11, and her sister Giavanna Gulino, 14, share the story of their grandfather Pete DeRose, 93, a World War II veteran and prisoner of war, for those in attendance at Charleoi Area High School during a Wednesday assembly.
From a tattered box, Camera Bartolotta pulled out a group of letters her grandfather, John Edwin “Buck” Jackson, sent to his wife during World War II.
One of five brothers who fought in the war and returned home safe, Jackson flew information with Enola Gay when it dropped the first atomic bomb on Aug. 6, 1945.
The letters are a deep connection to the sacrifices he and other veterans made, as they left their families to defend the country.
“Our veterans redefined honor, redefined duty and redefined country,” Bartolotta, a state senator, told nearly 2,000 who attended an annual Veterans Day service at Charleroi Area High School Wednesday.
“Reach out to someone who served and say ‘thank you’,” she urged.
She came to the assembly to present Pete DeRose, a World War II veteran who was a prisoner of war, with a senatorial certificate of appreciation for his service.
DeRose, of Herbert in Fayette County, wiped tears from his eyes, thankful for the recognition.
“This is a great surprise to me. It’s a great honor,” he said.
His granddaughters, Valentina and Giavanna Gulino, spoke about DeRose’s service with the Third Division and his capture in Anzio, Italy. He was held prisoner by German forces for 16 months before he was freed.
“He’s a hero in so many people’s eyes,” said Valentina, 11.
The district’s student body cheered and gave the DeRose a standing ovation when was honored.
In the high school gym, students waved placards with the emblems of the armed services. The high school band played the United States Military Armed Forces Medley as veterans present stood while their branch of the service was honored.
Jacob Comer, a Charleroi area student who enlisted in the military, said veterans who have defended the country inspired his service. Likewise, he hopes his decision to enlist inspires his peers.
Another enlisted student, Cole Johnson, urged those at the assembly to honor veterans by standing, always, for the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem.
Ken Wiltz, the district’s school board president and a Vietnam War veteran, honored “the sacrifice our fellow veterans made to protect our nation, the greatest nation in the world.”
“We continue to say thank you,” Wiltz said. “Count your blessings, for every freedom we have is due to our veterans.”