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Medals from A1family received the news that %John had been killed in combat. The family resisted telling Elvina Fuore and on March 17. three days later, she died as well.“I always thought.” said John J Pignatelli, a boyhood friend of Fliore’s, “that somehow she knew. Somehow, her mother’s instincts told her before she passed.-'The South Korean government wanted to honor Fliore and others by awarding them the Korean WarService Medal. But in 1951. U.S.soldiers could not accept medals from foreign countries. The law was changed in 1954. but by then, a majority of the veterans were no longer enlisted.In 1998, the South Korean government renewed its offer, and this time the U.S. government accepted. F\iore was one of those eligible for the medal.Smitty Pignatelli explained that he began making inquiries into getting Fliore’s medal several months ago. But he was informed that the backlog for awarding such medals was more than a year.He enlisted the aid of U.S. Rep John W Olver, D-Amherst, who expedited the process. Yesterday Pignatelli also credited LawrenceCaprari. veterans’ agent in Pittsfield, wnth helping as wellAs part of the ceremony. Sgt. John Fuore was also officially awarded the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and Order of the Purple Heart.And in a touching sidelight. Pignatelli also thanked Robert Winslow of Pittsfield. Winslow was a fellow Korean War veteran who read Fliore’s story in The Eagle and offered the Fuore family his service medal until the government could send them Fliore’s.Winslow, who lives in Florida and Pittsfield, had never met Fliore or the Fliore family, but wanted to help out a fellow veteran. said Pignatelli.“I think it sort of tells you the bond these men have with each other, that Bob Winslow would make such a gesture for a man he didn’t even know.” said Pignatelli.Winslow was in Florida, but Pignatelli publicly thanked him.Several members of the Fliore family thanked Pignatelli, Olver and others for assisting them.Love of sportsThe final speaker of the day was John J Pignatelli. Smitty’s father, who grew up with John Fliore on Pine Street and who shared a love of sports with him.“When the first blade of grass would pop through in the spring. Johnny and I would be out hitting high flies to each other, all day till dark. said John Pignatelli. In 1940, he recalled, the Lenox Highbaseball team won the BerkshireCounty championship.“Johnny played right field and Iwas in left,” he said. We had a big game against Lee that year. And we were ahead, but it had started to rain in the top of the fourthinning. So our coach told us to go up there and make three outs so [that] we would play 4 1/2 innings and the game would be official.“Well, the first guy got up and made out pretty quick,” Pignatelli recalled. And the second guy made out pretty quick. So Johnny was up, and our coach told him just before he went out to hit just [to] swing three times and get out of there, and Johnny nodded.“But Johnny kept fouling off pitches,” said Pignatelli. “And our coach was going crazy. Finally he strikes out, and comes back to the bench. He must have hit seven or eight foul balls. And coach says, ‘What the heck were you doing out there?’ And Johnny says. Coach. I was trying to miss, but the damn ball kept hitting the“He was my baseball buddy and my good friend,” said Pignatelli. “And I think if he were here today, he’d be here with a smile on his face. He was someone you’d really have enjoyed knowing.Armorv, where he delivered a from A1 Veterans Day address.
Newspaper Details
The Berkshire Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US
Mon, Nov 12, 2001
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Lenox L.
MA, USA 14 May 2021
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