125309598_web1_TTL012820Budget2

Brown: Fireworks petitions draw regional interest

125306751_web1_IMG_3916

Supporters of Biden and Trump line the street for ex-VP’s Dunmore stop

WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The tragedy that left two Plymouth boys dead this week was all too familiar to one local family.
				In June 1944, Albert Wampole was on leave from the military and he decided to go for a swim in the Susquehanna River with his Navy buddy, Lee Pickett, and other friends.
				They swam where those two Plymouth boys swam this week &mdash; in the Beade Street area near the former Carey Avenue Bridge.
				Like Devin Nicewicz, 17, and Jerry Raimondi Jr., 15, who lost their lives on Tuesday, Wampole and Pickett drowned in almost the exact same spot 76 years ago, on June 22, 1944.
				Albert Wampole was 20 when he died after the currents of the river swept him and Pickett away.
				Wampole&rsquo;s brother, Ted Sr. was 10 years younger, and he tried to save Albert, but couldn&rsquo;t quite reach his hand.
				That tragedy haunted Ted Wampole Sr. for years. He died in 2009.
				The circumstances are very similar to Tuesday&rsquo;s tragedy. Johanna Lambert, a cousin of the Wampole family, said the story often told was that Pickett jumped in the river, not knowing anything about the channels and currents, and almost immediately was in trouble.
				Lambert said Albert jumped in to save his Navy pal, but both drowned.
				It was a tragedy that never went away for the family, especially Ted Wampole Sr.
				&ldquo;I only saw my father cry a few times,&rdquo; said Ted Wampole Jr. &ldquo;And every time he cried, it was when he told the story of how his brother, Albert, drowned and how he couldn&rsquo;t save him.&rdquo;
				The Wampole family lived on Jeannette Street, not far from Beade Street and the Susquehanna River.
				So as friends, family and neighbors gathered Wednesday evening on the banks of the Susquehanna River to mourn the loss of two local teens who apparently drowned while swimming on Tuesday, the memories of a similar tragedy came rushing back to Ted Jr. and Johanna Lambert.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a difficult memory for me and my family for many years,&rdquo; Wampole Jr. said. &ldquo;And we all feel so sad for the families of these two young boys.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;The story I remember from my dad, was that when he saw his brother start to struggle, he reached out his hand to try and help him, missing grabbing his hand by inches, and then saw his brother get swept under, never to see him again,&rdquo; Wampole said, emotion in his voice. &ldquo;He missed saving his brother by inches.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;My understanding is they found his body where the Susquehanna passes by Berwick,&rdquo; Wampole added.
				Lambert said shortly after Albert and Pickett drowned in the river, the borough decided to build the Huber Pool to give kids a place to swim and to discourage them from swimming in the river.
				The story of Albert Wampole and Lee Pickett mirrors the tragedy of Tuesday and the loss of Devin Nicewicz and Jerry Raimondi.
				&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very emotional,&rdquo; Wampole Jr. said.

Beyond the Byline: Two Susquehanna River tragedies separated by 76 years