By ARIELLA MONTI
"He opened his hand, and in it he had his father's dog tag. He said, 'This kept my dad safe while he was in World War II, and I want you to take this and when you come home safe, return them to me.'"
Sgt. Tom Yannelli, a native of Rockville Centre and the son of Village Justice Frank Yannelli, came home in April after a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq with the 216th Rangers Infantry. While there, the 35-year-old was stationed Sadr City, one of the most dangerous areas in Baghdad.
Yannelli joined the Army after a neighbor, Marine Ronnie Winchester, was killed in Iraq four years ago. Winchester's heroic death inspired Yannelli, and he headed to his parents' summer home in Maine to get in shape before enlisting.
"Clean air, clean water, no distractions, just me alone in the woods," he said. Shortly afterward, Yannelli had that memorable conversation with Smith.
According to an editorial Smith wrote for the Waterville (Maine) Sunday Sentinel, when he was a boy and his father, Clarence, served in World War II, he memorized his father's dog tag number. The number brought Earl comfort, and he said he believed the act of reciting the digits would bring his father home safely. "Here at home, I still recite the number, hoping the tag and the memories of it will bring [Yannelli] safely home as it did my father," he wrote.
"Talk about chills," said Yannelli of Smith's story. Yannelli is training at Fort Riley, Kan., for another possible deployment, this time to Afghanistan, next summer. "For my entire time in Iraq and in training, that dog tag has been around my neck."
While he was separated from his wife, Sheila, and newborn son, Dylan, during his tour, Yannelli said the tag soothed him while he risked his life for his country, as Clarence Smith had 60 years before. "There were times I would take it out and look at it and rub it between my fingers," he said. "The history of it is kind of humbling."
The separation has been hard for Yannelli and his young family. Dylan was born during his tour, though he was fortunate enough to be home for his birth. He left to return to Iraq shortly afterward.
Despite the sadness of leaving his newborn son and his wife, Dylan's birth kept his father at ease during his time in Iraq. "It's very, very, very dangerous, and if something happens to me out here, I know that my son, my name, will live on," Yannelli said. "It was very comforting to know that he was back at home and safe."
While Yannelli is stationed in Kansas, his wife and son live in a condominium in Great Neck. With another tour of duty looming, the couple decided it was impractical for Dylan and Sheila to move away from the family support they have on Long Island.
Tom visits them every three- and four-day weekend that he can. "I've been burning up my frequent flyer miles," he laughed. "The separation is tough, and I keep telling them every day to stick it out a little longer."
Yannelli has another year and a half left, and then he will come home to his family. Prior to his enlistment, he was in the marine biology field, and he said he wants to continue on that career path. Working for the "U.S. Fish and Wildlife department would be my dream job," he said.
As for Smith's dog tag, Yannelli said he wants to pass it to another Waterville resident, Ryan McCarthy, who has recently enlisted and is being deployed to Afghanistan. Yannelli said he hopes it will keep McCarty safe, as it did for him.
"This dog tag has way too much history, and it's going to be passed among the patriots for their tour of duty," he said.
Comments about this story? AMonti@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
