[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MARINO SIMONETTI HONORED

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 1999

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my good 
friend Marino Simonetti, who will be honored by the Italian American 
Veterans of Luzerne County at their Past Commanders Ball on April 24. I 
am pleased to have been asked to participate in this tribute.
  A 1948 graduate of Wilkes-Barre Township High School, Marino served 
in the U.S. Navy from 1948 to 1952, a period that included the Korean 
Conflict. Marino returned to the Wyoming Valley following his discharge 
and worked as an electrical inspector. He also operated Simonetti's 
Pizzeria.
  Marino is active in all local veterans organizations. He is a member 
of the Korean War Vets, the Catholic War Vets, and the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars. He is the Bersagliere for the Italian American Vets, 
overseeing the color guard. He is best known for his dedicated 
volunteer activities at the Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs Medical 
Center, each year portraying Santa Claus and entertaining hospitalized 
vets on Saturday mornings at his own expense. His Halloween costumes 
are now a tradition in the halls of the Medical Center each October.
  Marino is a member of the Korean War Vets Memorial Committee, the 
Committee to Preserve the Memorial at Letterkenny Army Depot, and the 
Committee to Restore the Italian-American Honor Roll Memorial in the 
Italian Cemetery. He was a guard at the ``Moving Wall'' Vietnam Vets 
memorial when it came to our area and he carried the American Flag on a 
march with the Canadian Legion on two occasions.
  In 1992, Marino received the Humanitarian Service Award from the 
United Cerebral Palsy Association and in 1993, he was named ``Man of 
the Year'' by the Italian-American Veterans of Luzerne County.
  Mr. Speaker, Marino Simonetti is a proud example of the strong 
tradition of patriotic volunteerism of our area veterans. Our veterans 
rise to any occasion to assist and support each other and are an 
integral part of our community in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I send my 
very best wishes to Marino on this special occasion and to all of my 
good friends in the Italian-American Veterans of Luzerne County.

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