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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A Nanticoke native has been posthumously honored for his service with the Civil Air Patrol during World War II.</p><p>Louis Testaguzza, who died on Sept. 18, 2015, was presented a certificate of Special Congressional Recognition on Nov . 15, 2016. He was 87.</p><p>The certificate reads:</p><p>&#8220;In recognition of the Congressional Gold Medal Award for invaluable contributions in the United States Civil Air Patrol during World War II, when they forged the path the organization and its volunteers still follow today.&#8221;</p><p>Testaguzza&#8217;s sister, Julie Golanoski, of Nanticoke, said she was very happy that her brother received such a prestigious honor.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s belated, but he finally was recognized for his service,&#8221; Golanoski said. &#8220;I&#8217;m very proud of my brother. He started his aeronautical career as a teenager &#8212; even before he drove a car, he was flying an airplane.&#8221;</p><p>Golanoski said Testaguzza and his two friends joined the Civil Air Patrol, calling themselves &#8220;The Three Musketeers.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;His loyalty was always strong to his home town of Nanticoke,&#8221; Golanoski said. &#8220;We grew up on West Church Street, where I live now.&#8221;</p><p>According to the Civil Air Patrol&#8217;s California Wing, after two attempts to get the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Civil Air Patrol World War II era veterans, the medal was finally authorized by Congress and President Barack Obama in May 2014 and the medal awarded on Dec. 10, 2014.</p><p>The CAP said while over a replica hundred medals have been awarded to date, the organization continues to search for living members and the families of deceased members who are eligible for the award to ensure they are recognized for their service.</p><p>One such recipient was the family of Testaguzza, who served as a cadet in the Pennsylvania Wing during World War II, attached to the Wilkes-Barre Squadron, near Scranton.</p><p>Testaguzza soloed in a Piper J-3 Cub at 17 years of age and then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps seven days after graduating from Nanticoke High School, and he served as an aircraft mechanic.</p><p>In 1949, he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, but later joined the California Air National Guard and was commissioned a second lieutenant after completing flight training and earning his pilot&#8217;s wings from the U.S. Air Force in 1953, where he flew P-51 Mustangs and F-86 Sabre jets.</p><p>Testaguzza graduated from Northrop University in 1955 with a degree in aeronautical engineering and began his civilian career in the burgeoning California aerospace industry, eventually landing at Lockheed. In 1962, 2d Lt. Testaguzza was recalled to active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was later promoted to the grade of major and placed in command of the 938th Communication Squadron.</p><p>He was again recalled to active duty in 1968 during the USS Pueblo crisis. In 1969, Maj. Testaguzza retired from the Air Force after more than 22 years of active and reserve service.</p><p>Testaguzza continued to work at Lockheed while attending law school at night and after graduation, was admitted to the California State Bar, Federal District Court and U.S. Supreme Court. He retired from Lockheed in 1989 with over 30 years of service, but remained active as an aviation consultant for McDonnell Douglas.</p><p>Testaguzza remained active in aviation and became a certified flight examiner in 1988 at the age of 60 and continued to give check flights until the age of 85. Testaguzza passed away at the age of 87 on Sept. 18, 2015 in Palo Alto, California.</p><p>The Congressional Gold Medal was presented to Testaguzza&#8217;s widow, Marlene, and his son, Brett, at John J. Montgomery Memorial Squadron 36 in San Jose by California Wing Commander Col. Alan Ferguson and assisted by Squadron 36 Commander, Capt. Steven Angus. More than 60 CAP members were in attendance.</p><p>Testaguzza was born in Nanticoke to Italian immigrants Dominic and Mary Testaguzza. His father worked in the coal mines and his mother ran a boarding house.</p><p>Testaguzza&#8217;s obituary noted that he &#8220;lived his life to the fullest,&#8221; and he always said &#8220;Life is not a rehearsal, live it up!&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Louis Testaguzza </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Louis-Testaguzza-2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Louis Testaguzza </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Testaguzza_airplane_cropped-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Maj. Louis Testaguzza </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Testaguzza_airplane_cropped-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Maj. Louis Testaguzza </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Testaguzza-3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Civil Air Patrol California Wing Commander Col. Alan Ferguson presented the Congressional Gold Medal of Maj. Louis Testaguzza, a native of Nanticoke, to his widow, Marlene, and his son, Brett, during a ceremony on Nov. 15, 2016, in California. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Testaguzza-3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Civil Air Patrol California Wing Commander Col. Alan Ferguson presented the Congressional Gold Medal of Maj. Louis Testaguzza, a native of Nanticoke, to his widow, Marlene, and his son, Brett, during a ceremony on Nov. 15, 2016, in California. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>About the Civil Air Patrol</strong></p><p>The numbers alone tell a story of heroic sacrifice: At least 59 CAP members were killed in the performance of their missions, with nearly half &#8211; 26 &#8211; dying during the coastal patrols. Those patrols alone accounted for 86,685 missions involving 244,600 flight hours and more than 24 million aerial miles.</p><p>CAP was founded Dec. 1, 1941, a week before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The coastal patrols began within three months, after the Petroleum Industry War Council requested protection for oil tankers falling prey to German torpedoes. Over the next 15 months, members used their own planes to watch for U-boats, sometimes dropping bombs when they spotted one of the submarines.</p><p>The Congressional Gold Medal marks the first major recognition CAP&#8217;s members have received for their World War II service. Fewer than 100 are believed to be alive today.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Nanticoke native bestowed Congressional award posthumously