One of them has refused to let crippling injuries sustained in Afghanistan suppress his spirit.
Another has used art to help comrades heal their psychic wounds.
Marines Aaron Alonso and David Keefe are among eight veterans who will be honored by Morris County officials on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014.
Sgt. Alonso lost both legs after stepping on an IED earlier this year.
Six months later, the Jefferson resident climbed all 88 steps of the Lincoln Memorial without prosthetics, defining himself as “Alonso Strong.”
David Keefe has transformed his harrowing experiences in Iraq into powerful artworks.
As director of Combat Paper NJ, he runs sessions where fellow veterans paint or print images onto old uniforms converted to paper.
“The workshops are only for veterans. We close the doors, and vets really feel safe telling their stories, confiding the most horrible things they’ve seen,” Keefe told MorristownGreen.com in September, when he came to Morristown for two months of sessions.
At 7 pm Alonso and Keefe will receive Morris County Distinguished Military Service Medals from the county freeholders, in a belated Veterans Day ceremony.
Also receiving medals are:
- Carroll William Allen Roleson, Army, Denville, (posthumously)
- Frank Anthony Fortuna Jr., Long Valley, Army, (posthumously)
- William Hummer, Air Force, Mine Hill (posthumously)
- Thomas Holzman, Army, Parsippany
- Peter Russo, Navy, Madison
- Giuseppe Savino, Army, Warren
The ceremony is in the county Administration and Records Building on 10 Court St., Morristown. All are welcome. Artworks by Keefe and other Combat Paper participants are displayed in the building.
Here is more about the honorees, from the freeholders:
Carroll William Allen Roleson
Mr. Roleson was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge, January 16, 1945, and is buried in Sparta. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Medal of Valor, which is awarded to a veteran who displays an act of valor beyond the nature of their duty.
Mr. Roleson grew up in Denville and has a street in the township named after him. His son Bill lives in Indiana and was unable to be here, and has asked that his father’s medal be sent to him.
Giuseppe Savino
Giuseppe Savino was born in Flumeri, Italy and came to the United States when he was 9. He was one of six children, 3 boys and 3 girls. His older brother joined the Army and served in Vietnam. The next brother was drafted into the Army and served in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Giuseppe…the 3rd brother… was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam. He was a helicopter mechanic and crew chief, flying missions to Laos and Cambodia bringing back wounded soldiers from these locations. He received a Meritorious Medal for outstanding duty, A Vietnam Campaign Medal, A Vietnam Service Medal and two Overseas Service Ribbons. Mr. Savino, of Warren, New Jersey, worked as a mechanic with several companies when he returned to the states. He and his wife, Margaret, have been married for 40 years and have three grown children.
Aaron Alonso
Sgt. Aaron Alonso grew up in Jefferson and graduated from Jefferson High School in 2006. He enlisted in the Marine Corps and was attached to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment Bravo Company.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and while on patrol earlier this year, Sgt Alonso stepped on an IED that exploded, causing numerous injuries that required amputation of both of his legs. After treatment in Germany he was transferred to Walter Reed Medical Center where he was awarded the Purple Heart and where he and his wife Jessica had a personal visit with Pres. Obama.
In August, just six months after sustaining his injuries, he climbed all 88 steps of the Lincoln Memorial without the use of prosthetics, demonstrating that he is “Alonso Strong.”
Sgt Alonso’s medals include 2 Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals; 5 Sea Service Deployment Ribbons; a NATO ISF Medal; a Global War on Terrorism Medal; 2 Afghanistan Campaign Medals; 3 Meritorious Masts; a National Defense Medal; an Iraq Campaign Medal; a Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; a Combat Action Ribbon and the Purple Heart.
William “Bill” Hummer
William Hummer grew up in Mine Hill and graduated from Dover High School in 1941. He attended the University of Hawaii and while here Pearl Harbor was bombed. This prompted Mr. Hummer to join the Air Force as a navigator in a B-24.
During a mission to support ground troops crossing the Rhine River, Lt Hummer’s aircraft was hit by enemy fire, nose-dived into the ground and exploded. He was killed March 24, 1945, and is interred in the Netherlands American Cemetery. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, and in Mine Hill, his name is engraved on the Veteran’s Memorial in front of the Municipal Building, and a street is named in his honor.
Accepting his medal tonight Mine Hill Mayor Sam Morris, who will keep this Medal with pride and dignity, in solemn remembrance of one of the Township’s “Greatest Generation.”
Thomas P. Holzman
Thomas Holzman was drafted into the Army in February 1966, and served in Vietnam from 1967 -1968 with the 25th Infantry Division-4th Battalion – 9th Infantry Regiment. He was a Gunner with Company A and saw duty at base camps at Cuchi, Tay Ninh and many other fire support bases.
Mr. Holzman received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and a Commendation Medal for Exceptional Meritorious Service.
After the Army he joined the police force in Parsippany and retired as Captain. He is a member of American Legion Post 344. He and his wife, Patricia, have been married for 30 years and they have 4 children and 6 grandchildren.
Frank Anthony Fortuna
Frank Anthony Fortuna Jr. of Long Valley was an Army veteran who passed away this year and will be buried Jan. 28, 2015, with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
He was a 2nd Lieutenant who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 in an artillery battalion. His unit, Bravo Company ¼ Battalion, 196th light Infantry Brigade acted as forward observer…plotting enemy targets and protecting his company from enemy fire. Lt. Fortuna had excellent map reading skills and was an outstanding asset to Bravo Company. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star and was also a 100 percent service connected disabled veteran as a result of his injuries from the Vietnam War.
He married his wife, Pat, in 1972 and they had a daughter, Laura and a son, Frank Anthony Fortuna the third.
In recent years Lt. Fortuna participated in annual reunions with soldiers from Bravo Company, saying it was a venue for the wives to learn of the war that is so deep-rooted in their husband’s souls. Accepting the medal on behalf of the Fortuna family is long-time family friend Anthony Pucillo.
Peter Russo
Peter Russo is a Navy veteran from Madison. In 1999, he served on the destroyer USS Hayler as a sonar operator, where he supervised 12 technicians. He participated in 75 multi-national exercises in 2000, and was responsible for making sure vessels were in compliance with international law. This included search and seizure of contraband, illegal cargo and human smuggling operations.
In 2004 he was responsible for tracking over 1000 intelligence leads and contacts that required coordinating information with the Department of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard.
He was deployed to Baghdad and was involved with tracking over 3,000 US Naval Personnel, both in and out of Iraq. While at Camp Victory he made numerous visits to military hospitals to ensure proper treatment of personnel both medically and otherwise.
His medals include a Commendation Medal, 2 Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Iraqi Freedom Medal, a Humanitarian Award, a Sea Service Award, and a National Defense Award.
David Keefe
David Keefe is a Branchburg resident who served in the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2009, completing a tour of combat duty in Iraq as a Sergeant and Lead Infantry Scout. He was assigned to the Al Anbar Province along the Euphrates River from Syria to Haditha, Iraq. His service medals include a Combat Action Ribbon, a Navy Citation Ribbon, an Iraqi Campaign Medal with Bronze Star and a Select Reserve Medal with Bronze Star. Mr. Keefe holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Montclair State University, and he is Director of Combat Paper NJ. That’s a socially engaging program that teaches veterans to transform their uniforms into paper, sharing their stories with others in the veteran community and helping bridge the gap between veterans and civilians. He has workshops at Veteran Centers, VA Hospitals, and with veterans from across New Jersey and from Maine to Washington, DC. You can see examples of these works in a display on the third floor of the Administration & Records Building.
