Veterans Stories 2019
Jerold Weinberg
In October of 1966, Jerold “Jerry” Weinberg was drafted into the army as a Spec. 4 during the Vietnam War. He was sent over to Thailand. During the Vietnam War, many Americans were sent overseas -- some to fight and some to protect. In this case, Weinberg fell under the “protect” category. His base on Pattaya Beach was a safe spot, just in case any US troops needed to flee during combat. Since he was not facing a battle in his time overseas, he almost felt as if he was on a vacation. When Weinberg had free time, he learned how to surf, horseback ride, and water ski. On the 100 °F days, a monsoon and a double serving of ice cream was just right to cool down. This stay provided “the most gorgeous views ever!” Weinberg even got to meet the Princess of Thailand and unlike most of his buddies, he was not interested. Weinberg also kept a journal, recording what he did every day. He claimed to have only been homesick on the plane ride there. While in Thailand, he frequently wrote letters to his mother to let her know that he was alright. Because of his good behavior, Weinberg was released three months early. He also received a Good Conduct Award. Although Jerry Weinberg did not fight in any battles in his 21 month stay in Thailand, he still played a huge role in the Vietnam War.
Firoino Brienza
Fred Brienza Jr. represented his father Firoino “Fred” Brienza Sr. Brienza Sr. enlisted in the army from 1945-1949 then reenlisted until the end of the Korean War. He served in Germany and Italy in the first four years, then when he reenlisted he served in Korea. When he was sent overseas, his son was only 10 days old! With this, his wife often wrote him letters. He never replied though because he thought they might be for another Brienza. Despite this bit of goofiness, Brienza was awarded the Bronze Star and Bronze Star Cluster, both for heroic action. Brienza also helped organize the Greater Haverhill Korean War Veterans Association.
Peter Matvichuk
Service date: Korean War 1950-1952
Six weeks after coming home from his honeymoon, Peter was enlisted and had to leave and head over to a base in Maryland. Every Friday, he would hitchhike back to Peabody to see his wife. Then on Sundays hitch hike back to the base. There was one Sunday where he was dropped off at a corner and tried to get someone else to pick him up for the rest of the ride. He asked this man in a huge pick-up truck, but the man refused. Once Peter got a ride, they saw a bunch of police cars huddled around one spot. Peter got a better look and realized it was the pick-up truck! It tipped over on the highway! Peter had a little sigh of relief when he realized how lucky he was that he wasn’t in the truck. That one moment created a philosophy that Peter still lives by, “Everything comes from above, and it just wasn’t my time”.
Michael J. Karpowicz
service date: 1968-1972
service date: 1968-1972
Michael was enlisted and went to Texas for Basic Training and onto Arkansas for Air Force Training. He got to travel and he had the opportunity to be moved to Thailand, where he was stationed for a year. He served from 1968-1972 in the air force, where he was an airman first class.
Tom Devina
service date: Vietnam War from 1966-1969
service date: Vietnam War from 1966-1969
Tom Devina enlisting into the military during the Vietnam War. Graduating from high school in 1965 to going right into the military. Tom Devina was in a military school for 8 hours a day for 5 days of the week for the next three months until he went to Vietnam. Mr. Devina was on the special landing force, where helicopters would drop them into an area and the whole group would not be able to contact the people in charge of the helicopters and in charge of their unit. Mr. Devina’s group was always the first one in the fighting. His unit was either dropped from a helicopter or smaller boats would take them almost all the way into on the shore. Before going to see what was felt of Ash Valley Tom Devina and his unit got 7 days off for some rest and relaxation. Going into Ash Valley Tom Devina’s unit was alone in a remote location, looking for the enemies but also some of the unit getting sick. As they went through the jungles of Vietnam the Tet offensive was a turning point in the Vietnam War for the special landing forces. Tom Devina was most active in the years 1967-1968 for the Vietnam war. After Vietnam, Mr. Devina went on the Caribbean Cruise to have the feel of the ocean and helping work. As Tom Devina moved forward, he found work as an iron worker and worked on the siding of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School. He married Mary and settled down in Peabody and had a family.
David DiPirro
service date: 1977-2001
service date: 1977-2001
David DiPirro enlisted into the Army because at that time he was single and had no children to take care of. So he left that it was his duty to go into the military so a man with a family did not have to get up and leave for war. David DiPirro said that he would have loved to go into the fighting and protect his country, but his unit was not full. But that does not mean he did not do anything for the nation. Mr. DiPirro and his unit had his close bond. He and his brothers depended on each other. While in the Army, DiPirro got many awards including the Shooting Medal, Mentor Service (23 years), Good Conduct Medal and Oversea Ribbon. Now David DiPirro resides in Peabody with a family that had gone through the school systems in Peabody.
Chris Gallagher
service date: Persian Gulf (1991-1993)
service date: Persian Gulf (1991-1993)
Chris was born in 1973 in Danvers, Ma. He enlisted into the Navy in 1991 for a better opportunity and since his father was a veteran he wanted to follow in his footsteps. During the time before he served he did not like Saddam Hussein and wanted to kill him like all his other classmates at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School. Chris describes the food as being good, plentiful, and quick while he was there. When he first arrived there he was overwhelmed with everything going on. He did not know what to expect since he had never been to war before. His military rank was E-3 and he was awarded the National Defense Metal. We greatly thank him for his dedicated service.
Howard Bruce Manning
service date: Vietnam War from 1966 to 1972
service date: Vietnam War from 1966 to 1972
1968 Tet offensive entailed Vietcong which attacked 36 cities, it was supposed to be a quiet holiday. This was known as the real beginning of the battles, at this time only 400 men killed but after this point, 60,000 were confirmed dead. Marines on the amphibious force called it the helicopter war. The helicopters would fly marines into various cities, most came back in pieces. Howard described how the 18, 19, and 20-year-old marines were the backbone, but sadly they were also the ones who died.
The Vietnam war was not a popular time. It was the first war broadcasted daily and throughout the night on television. After returning from the war the veterans were being treated very poorly. He got rejected from the VFW, it wasn't just him though, they were rejecting all of the veterans. During his 22 months in service, he was on both lands and on a ship. In order to join when he was seventeen years old he needed his dads’ permission, he was living in South Peabody at the time. The sole reason for him joining the army was due to how President Johnson was presenting how active the war was getting and he simply just wanted to serve his country.
When Howard went to Vietnam he was in C131, he was shocked and totally surprised. The very first thing that they handed him was an M14 and gave him an order to sit and watch from the roof. He was there for a total of 36 months. It continued like that for 10 months, his second tour was a year long. He wanted to go back because he felt as if there was a void he needed to be filled and returning would fill that void. He was never a prisoner of war.
In order to stay in touch with his family, Howard would write letters. Navy was a family thing, it kept them all connected. His cousin that was 20 years old served in Korea and was also in the navy. He said the food was really bad and for the most time he just tried to keep his head down. His favorite source of entertainment was reading his second choice was listening to music. Although he did make lifelong friendships if you knew each other's first name that was considered getting to close to each other. He kept no diary. He attempted going to college when he returned, he went for one day and got treated very badly. He decided that maybe not going to college and getting a job would be better. I never went to any reunions but did think about going back to Vietnam. He thought some things over and decided to work and go back to school and became vice president of a very large company.
The Vietnam war was not a popular time. It was the first war broadcasted daily and throughout the night on television. After returning from the war the veterans were being treated very poorly. He got rejected from the VFW, it wasn't just him though, they were rejecting all of the veterans. During his 22 months in service, he was on both lands and on a ship. In order to join when he was seventeen years old he needed his dads’ permission, he was living in South Peabody at the time. The sole reason for him joining the army was due to how President Johnson was presenting how active the war was getting and he simply just wanted to serve his country.
When Howard went to Vietnam he was in C131, he was shocked and totally surprised. The very first thing that they handed him was an M14 and gave him an order to sit and watch from the roof. He was there for a total of 36 months. It continued like that for 10 months, his second tour was a year long. He wanted to go back because he felt as if there was a void he needed to be filled and returning would fill that void. He was never a prisoner of war.
In order to stay in touch with his family, Howard would write letters. Navy was a family thing, it kept them all connected. His cousin that was 20 years old served in Korea and was also in the navy. He said the food was really bad and for the most time he just tried to keep his head down. His favorite source of entertainment was reading his second choice was listening to music. Although he did make lifelong friendships if you knew each other's first name that was considered getting to close to each other. He kept no diary. He attempted going to college when he returned, he went for one day and got treated very badly. He decided that maybe not going to college and getting a job would be better. I never went to any reunions but did think about going back to Vietnam. He thought some things over and decided to work and go back to school and became vice president of a very large company.
Lloyd Lynn Cockreham
service date: Vietnam war from 1967 to 1971
service date: Vietnam war from 1967 to 1971
Lloyd was living in Lake Worth Texas in the time when he had received a draft notice. He was being asked if he would consider joining the NSA. He decided instead of being drafted for 2 years, he would rather enlist for 4 years. He described himself as always being late to everything (was even late to the breakfast). There was a 2 week waiting period before basic training started and he had to leave. After leaving basic training he had 10 weeks before his school started. I had to go to Missouri for training. Lloyd was never a prisoner of war. While he was in Ethiopia there was a Civil war going on, he was in Ethiopia at the beginning of their own revolution. He stayed in contact with his family by writing letters. He described the food as being really good under the circumstances and where he was at the time. There were plenty of supplies and he said overall it was not a lot of pressure. He said it was almost like a job and not like actually joining the army. He was doing electronic surveillance on USSR. He traveled, went to movies, he had a motorcycle, visited the Red Sea, and went water skiing to entertain himself during the downtime. He liked his fellow officers. He sent over 200 letters during his time in Ethiopia. After coming back Lloyd went to Salem State University to get an education. His education was supported by the G.I bill, it ended up being controversial about paying in-state tuition due to the fact he lived in Texas before. He obtained a few friendships from his time being deployed, multiple from different parts of the country. He became an accountant. His experiences being in the was ultimately made him a different person, now he describes himself as more assertive and a more confident person.
Charles DiMare
date served: Post-Korean War
date served: Post-Korean War
Mr. DiMare joined the service in 1953 and served as a Petty Officer in the United States Navy. Since Charles joined the Navy at the tail end of the Korean War, he was never deployed. He was stationed in Newport, Rhode Island for the entirety of his active duty. He never intended on making the military a career, he marched for the Navy for as long as he can remember and spent most of his time in the service either cooking or practicing with the drill team. To him, however, the most difficult part of the service was being deployed to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Carol in 1954. He was responsible for helping Rhode Island rebuild and served as a first responder. Due to the wreckage and lingering of the storm, DiMare and his comrades could not leave Northern Rhode Island for over five weeks, an event he says he will never forget. Dimare was discharged in 1954 and became a school teacher using benefits from the G.I. Bill not long after. Although Mr. DiMare’s time in the service was not the longest, to this day he enjoys reminiscing on his favorite moments during his time in the Navy. He says that he often misses the past and how simple life was. He liked to sneak off base on the weekends with his friends and drink beer on the beach. He learned to cook and loved making Gelatin and Mayonnaise the most. And most importantly, he learned lessons about life that he says only the military can provide.
Barbara Allen
Barbera Allen is a native of Somerville Mass, an emerging town during the Vietnam War. As she was growing up, Allen saw soldiers coming home to riots calling them murderers and other heinous names. As a teenager, she also learned quickly about the G.I bill. These factors were the driving force in Barbera enlisting in the U.S Army in 1973. She attended boot camp, a rare sight at the time. She says she was one of only two women on the entire base. They were not respected amongst their male counterparts, and the only job she was able to obtain was a supply clerk. As Barbera’s experience and career in the Army grew, she became a drill sergeant. She says, it was then when her military career began. She would soon after be deployed to Germany. Some of her favorite life memories happened there. She says on the weekends she would often travel to other countries to visit friends that she had made since all the borders were open and so close. “My commanding officers, I remember, were incredibly down to Earth and really did not mind me doing this” is something she often says. While in Germany, she touched a weapon for the first time. Even more impressive, it was a German standard issue at the time. She mastered firing an assortment of German weapons before she ever touched an M16, the American standard issue at the time. She would later be able to fire both American and Foreign weapons of all kinds better than almost everyone who challenged her. In Allen’s opinion, the only weapon that scared her was the claymore mine. Allen was discharged in 1986. She was a Staff Sergeant at the time. She got what she wanted and used her benefits from the G.I. Bill to go to art school. In 1988, she graduated with a degree in Fine Arts and became an illustrator.
Dick Champagn
date served: Vietnam from 1966 to 1967
Dick Champagn was in an engineer unit, and he was charged with driving trucks around to help supply camps. At one point he was surrounded in a valley by the NVA. Here he was on lookout, where he and the other were shot at. So they went up the hill. There the Sargent pulled them back down. This scary experience made him and the person on duty with him very close friends. Georgia rules were strict, and they were given two canteens of water. When they reached Okinawa they were given much more freedom. They were given passes to go anywhere.
Robert Theriault
date served: Vietnam from 1955-1959
date served: Vietnam from 1955-1959
Robert Theriault knew that he wanted to serve his country when he enlisted into the Airforce. In the year of 1955, Robert began serving in places like Georgia and Texas, where he played a lot of sports alongside some friends and saw some amazing places, his favorite being Georgia. Through Robert’s service, he earned several Accommodation Awards.
Harry Gardner
date served: Vietnam from 1969 to 1972
date served: Vietnam from 1969 to 1972
Harry Gardner’s overall sense of patriotism encouraged him to enlist in the Navy to begin serving in 1969. In Little Creek, Virginia, Harry took SERE training to learn survival skills to escape capture and mock POW camps. He met close friends along the way as Harry and others were sent over to Vietnam to serve together. Harry traveled up many rivers throughout Vietnam transporting munitions to troops on the YFV64 WWII boat.
Robert Stevens
Robert Stevens was born in Reading, Massachusetts on July 24, 1950. Robert enlisted into the Navy during the Vietnam War from September 1968 until he was discharged in September 1972. During his service, he held the rank of Petty Officer Third Class. He received the Vietnam campaign as well as other basic medals after his service. He states that the reason he enlisted in the Navy was so he could travel and see the world as well as have more time to think about what he wants to do with his future. He served as a Navy Corpsman and in battle he would provide gun support for the Marines. He says his most memorable part of the service was traveling to Hong Kong after months of fighting in Vietnam. After his service, he went to Northeastern University and went into the medic field. He now lives happily retired with his wife.