By Howard Goldstein
But to America's veterans and their families, Nov. 11 will be a profound, reflective day, as the horror of war and the joy of peace intermingle in the memories of those who faced death in the wars that nations make.
Ralph Montagna is a 76-year-old veteran of World War II. A Brooklyn native who has lived in Bellmore for the past eight years with his wife, Rose, Montagna sees the special significance of Veterans Day. He joined the services at the same time that his four brothers were already on the ground in Europe and the Pacific.
We were all in the Army, but in different branches, said Montagna, who was enlisted in 33rd Infantry Division in the 6th Army in 1944.
The first of the five Montagna boys to join World War II was Frank, who went to Europe in 1941. Following him was Vincent in 1944, who took part in the Aleutian Campaign, the successful defense of those subarctic Alaskan islands from Japanese invasion; Charles in 1942, who flew missions over China, Burma (now Myanmar), and India; Richard who joined the Armored Division in Europe in 1943; and finally Ralph who served under General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines.
All of us survived the war, said Ralph. It was my mother's hard praying. Can you imagine having all five of your sons fighting in a world war?
The Montagna boys saw a lot of action, too. Frank and Richard were both in the Battle of the Bulge, one of the bloodiest and most-important battles of the Second World War that successfully evicted the Nazis from Western Europe and heralded the defeat of Germany in 1944. Soon after, Russian soldiers entered Berlin, and Hitler committed suicide.
Charles' story is even more amazing. He survived several years in a prisoner-of-war camp in Rangoon, Burma, after being shot down over the Indian Subcontinent.
I don't think Charles ever forgot what he saw in those years, Ralph said quietly. The camps in Rangoon were...well, not many men survived.
Ralph remembers those years well. Ralph was not thinking about what college he wanted to attend as an 18-year-old high school graduate; he was helping to subdue Japan, and the experience gave him a wisdom and appreciation beyond his young days.
Being in the service had many affects on me. One was that I really appreciate what we have here in this country, he said.
As a soldier I've seen lots of poverty and hardship. Children barefoot, dressed in rags, scrounging for food, he recalled, his eyes brilliant with sad and vivid memories.
We really take for granted what we have. It is important to remember those who are not so fortunate in this world. It's a lot of people.
Ralph recalls other things of that time and the subsequent years. Friends were forged amidst the clamor of war, and sometimes human beings learned to connect even as their governments rained destruction upon one another.
I remember, years ago, taking my usual 9 o'clock coffee break. I was working for the Port Authority at Kennedy Airport; I worked there 35 years. I was in a bar, and I just got this feeling that someone was staring at me. Every time I looked up, I saw this Asian man looking my way. When I was about to leave, I felt a tap on the shoulder, and it was that man. He asked me if I was Ralph Montagna!
"And then I knew it was Fariko Orzawa. I met him in 1945 during the occupation of his country, Japan. I was stationed in a village and became friends with a little Japanese boy. This was his father. Turns out the boy went to college and got married. I was so happy to hear that!
Talking about the occupation reminds him of his best war memory:
Hearing first that the war was over, and then,
