Semi-automatic weapon reported stolen from Sherman Hills

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Luzerne County reactivating central court for criminal cases

I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks for your vote in my re-election as Wyoming Area school director, but, more importantly, to give thanks to all the veterans, living and dead, who have served our country.There have been so many wars declared &#8211; World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, Afghanistan &#8211; with resulting deaths, injuries and valor.As a child, I vividly remember some of the last of World War II. It was exciting for a child, not particularly traumatic. You knew the enemy was in a far-off land, but you knew the men and women in service were protecting you. I remember air raid drills; radar was in its infancy, where all the lights had to turn off, in case the German planes might reach us. After all, they had reached Britain and had bombed them.We salvaged cans and rationed meat and gas with stamps. For a child, it was like an exciting game. No cars were being made; all factories were turning out tanks, planes, aircraft carriers, ammunition. It was a nation united like never before and never since. The only visual news of the war was found in movie theaters in &#8220;Movietone News.&#8221;Men and women in my family had answered the call. My uncle, Al Pallini, served in the Pacific Theater and was awarded a Purple Heart. My mother&#8217;s sister, Aunt Tina Pallini, joined the WACS and served by flying reconnaissance, taking photographs of classified territory.My neighbors, Alfy and Ramo Giacomo, served in the Navy and Marines, respectively. My cousin, Sam Sigismondi, joined the Navy, where he met Betty Halliday, who was a WAVE and would become Sam&#8217;s wife.After Aunt Tina came back to us, we learned that she had met Tony Florio. He was also in the army and stole her away from us. He became &#8220;Uncle Tony.&#8221;Our good neighbor George Yurek risked his life disarming bombs and soon after met his sweetheart, Elly. Many of our neighbors returned with what they called &#8220;shell shock,&#8221; which I suppose would today be called post-traumatic stress disorder.It bothered me that my father never wore a uniform like the others, which I thought was so glamorous. Truth was, he was a coal miner and they were called to the dirty job of fueling the war machine &#8211; a job so dangerous that after Uncle Al returned from active duty, he married and was killed in the coal mines within six months.Families huddled and prayed for months and years with great sacrifice. No one seemed to mind the sacrifice, because we were all united and &#8220;We won!&#8221;I can&#8217;t remember our nation being so united in purpose, heart and soul since that time. Men and women gave their service, lives and valor. It truly was, as Tom Brokaw so famously called it, &#8220;The Greatest Generation.&#8221;God bless all of the living veterans and let us express our eternal gratitude to those who have passed away.Deanna Innamorati FarrellWest Wyoming

Letter to the Editor: World War II years left lasting impression on grateful West Wyoming resident