13 flags dedicated at Arnold Palmer airport in tribute to fallen U.S. service members
Dec. 7—When a memorial to fallen U.S. service members was being installed more than a month ago at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, airport authority member Don Rossi saw a spontaneous addition to the V-shaped formation of 13 flags.
"I drove by and I saw two bouquets of flowers," Rossi said. "That's what I think will happen in the future. People will understand this is a place you can come and pay homage to our fallen veterans.
"It's open. It's free."
He suggested visitors could stop and "say a prayer."
Rossi, who conceived of and largely financed the memorial, was among those who attended a Tuesday ceremony officially dedicating the site in a section of the airport parking lot close to the entrance off Route 981 in Unity.
Recognizing his key role, the site has been designated the Donald Rossi Airport Memorial Park. But Rossi said he is more interested in visitors paying attention to the memorial's reason for being rather than its name.
Rossi was moved to create the memorial after seeing television coverage of the Aug. 26 terrorist bombing that claimed the lives of 13 U.S. military members near Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, where they were involved in efforts to rescue refugees fleeing Afghanistan.
"It was a tragedy," Rossi said. "These people weren't fighting a war. They were out there risking their lives among the crowds of people. It just touched my heart.
"I just felt that we owe them ... honoring their lives and hoping that we can make things better in the future. These 13 flags will now fly for a long time."
Rossi said he wants to share images of Tuesday's ceremony with the families of those who perished in the Kabul bombing. "I hope that they rest in peace a little bit because of what we're doing," he said.
Though prompted by the deaths in Afghanistan, the airport memorial serves as a tribute to all who have given their lives while defending the United States.
That point was underlined by holding the ceremony on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
"It is a fitting tribute," said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. "On this day in 1941 was one of the most devastating attacks the United States has ever encountered."
The Rev. Joseph Adams of Saint Vincent Archabbey, who has served as a chaplain for forces in Afghanistan, also spoke during the ceremony. He expressed thanks "for all those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom," adding that the memorial will "serve as a reminder that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
Two trumpeters from the Greater Latrobe High School Band — Sarah Mowery, 17, and Regina Zezza, 14 — performed taps. A member of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Firefighters' Pipes and Drums Band performed "Amazing Grace."
Lowe's donated picnic tables for the memorial.
Other participants included honor guards from local VFW and American Legion posts and the Unity Township Fire Bureau.
Members of the Ligonier Valley High School Air Force Junior ROTC joined in reciting the names of the service members killed in the Kabul bombing:
—Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
—Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23, of Roseville, Calif.
—Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31, of Utah
—Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, Calif.
—Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyo.
—Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
—Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif.
—Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, of Omaha, Neb.
—Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Mass.
—Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Ind.
—Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, of Wentzville, Mo.
—Navy Hospital Corpsman Maxton Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio
—Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tenn.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .
