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Lenox vet’sfamily given his medalsfrom KoreaBy Derek GentileBerkshire Eagle StaffLENOX — On Feb. 14, 1951, Sgt. John Fliore was part of an Army convoy that was ambushed two miles north of Hoeng-song, Korea. He and 39 other GIs were killed by enemy forces.Just days before that, in the most agonizing of tragic coincidences, the U.S. Department of Defense had granted Fuore a furlough to visit his dying mother, Elvina Fliore.Yesterday, in a moving ceremony that was part of the town’s first Veterans Day observance, Fliore’s family was presented with the Korean War Service Medal with a Bronze Star, as well as several other medals for which Fliore was eligible but had never received.About 30 family members were in attendance. William and Richard Fliore accepted the medals on behalf of their late uncle and his family.The ceremony was arranged by Selectman William “Smitty” Pignatelli, who first heard Fliore’s story several months ago at a meeting of the Red Cross board of directors.Six brothers enlistedFliore’s story is a tale of painfulserendipity and small-town heroism. A1941 graduate of Lenox High School, Fliore enlisted in the Navy shortly thereafter. He and all of his brothers, Joseph, Daniel, Richard, Henry and Julian, enlisted to fight in World War II. All survived and came home. Daniel still lives in California. A sister, Anne Fuore. is also alive and in a nursing home in Great Barrington. W'illiam Fliore conveyed her regrets that she could not attend.When the Korean War broke out, John Fliore re-enlisted in the armed service, this time in the Army. He served two years in Germany and then was shipped to FCorea in 1950.That year, according to Korean War veteran Arthur Brule, was the most brutal winter in the history of the country, with temperatures regularly dropping to 50 degrees below zero. Yet in a letter of Fliore’s read by a nephew’s wife, Becky Fuore, yesterday, John Fliore merely acknowledged that the weather was“cold.”Mother’s last wishIn February of the next year, Elvina Fliore had fallen gravely ill. She had but one request: to see her son before she died, a wish that was readily granted by the Defense Department. But before John Fuore could be tracked down, hewas killed.He was initially listed as missing in action. But on March 14, 1951, the FlioreMEDALS, continued on A4
Newspaper Details
The Berkshire Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US
Mon, Nov 12, 2001
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Lenox L.
MA, USA 14 May 2021
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