The Roma Lodge Newsletter

Order Sons of Italy in America

Roma Lodge #254

3097 Magic Hollow Boulevard Virginia Beach, Virginia 23453

(757) 468-2029

December 2010 PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the first week of January, we will all be receiving our Roma Lodge dues renewal notices. Please take the time to read the enclosed letter which is accompanied with a convenient stamped self-addressed envelope. Roma Lodge will certainly welcome your continued support and welcomes you to be a part of our growing membership which has recently seen a resurgence. In the past 14 months or so, we have welcomed an average of over 4 new members per month into our lodge and there is no reason to think that this growth will let up anytime soon. This appears to be due in part to the dedication of all those who strive to make our lodge a better place to visit. But please note that a member who chooses to renew but who finds that they haven't the time to visit our lodge for our events is just as much a valued member as a member who happens to be able to attend our lodge on a regular basis*. I have also found that the topic of treating each and every member with the same respect is encompassed in our Order Sons of Italy in America's principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity: We should have the liberty of choosing to what degree in which we decide to participate in our lodge; all members should be treated equally regardless of the degree of involvement that which they choose; and finally we should extend a fraternal hand to those who show a desire to take things up a notch with their help and their creative suggestions when they offer to do so in order to make our lodge a better place to visit. So 'welcome back' to all members and please make a note on your calendar to respond promptly to your dues letter from Roma Lodge come early January. Have a great Christmas, Hanukkah, and holiday season. * Many organizations have a rule that requires that their members put in a certain amount of volunteer hours to fulfill.

The Order Sons of Italy in America has no such requirement ... The bottom line is that ALL MEMBERS ARE EQUAL.

{Excerpt from Roma Lodge )ewsletter, Presidents Corner, August 2009}

=== MILESTO�ES ===

On December 26, 2010, Nick & Marianne Galella will be celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary and Jo Ann Armistead will be celebrating her 65th birthday on December 1st.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

In memory of Roma Lodge member Ed Jolley who recently passed away. To Ed and his family:

May God bless you and keep you in his arms and may the memory of our beloved Ed live on in all of us. ____________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for your trust and may God bless, John William Del Russo, Sr. President, Roma Lodge 254

Website: www.roma254.org / Mail: RomaLodge254@verizon.net

LIBERTY EQUALITY FRATER ITY

Roma Lodge Council 2010 - 2011

President John William Del Russo, Sr. 479-0240

Vice President Albert Marra 301-8797

Past President Bruno Cardo 495-6711

Orator Anthony Alfano 424-9546

Recording Sec. John Luizzi 490-6448

Financial Sec. Mario Canu 575-8714

Treasurer Mark Zito 495-7802

Trustees Russell Cerro Mary Del Russo Joseph Casto

624-9189 479-0240 481-3860

James �ovelli Peter Langlands

426-1970 428-0938

Mistress of Ceremony

Diane Gossett Bonnie Ostrander

368-3632 435-8244

Guard Jose Rodriguez 340-8536

Lodge Chaplain Gerald Hyatt 436-0477

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STATE OFFICERS

State President - Marie F. Siebeking

Immediate Past State President - Paul Siebeking

Trustees: John Gossner

Mario Minervini

OSIA FOU�DATIO�

Recording Secretary - Lorraine Gossner

Ex-officio - Marie & Paul Siebeking

�ational Delegate - Paul Siebeking

Arbitration Commission: Bruno Cardo

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�EWSWORTHY �OTE

If any member hears of another Roma Lodge member being sick or going into the hospital or any other significant event that may befall any of our members or a member of their family, please call our Sick & Welfare Chairwomen Florence Alfano (424-9546) or Adrienne Marra at 301-8797. They will ensure that these members get rendered the proper respect and/or visitation from other lodge members who might otherwise be unaware of their situation. Thank you.

Get Well cards were sent to Anne Brenner,

Richard Shafanda, Norma Russo, Genevieve Kelly

Sympathy cards were sent to the Family of Ed Jolley upon Ed's passing, and to Richard Petta and Family (Richard Petta is past state President) for the loss of his Mother Alice Petta. **************************************************

Decembers’ Friday �ight Menus

Please note that there are no Friday night meals

in December BUT we will be having a...

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'DECK THE HALLS' MARKS

LAST FRIDAY OF 2010

AT ROMA LODGE

There will be a "Deck the Halls" night on Friday, December 3rd at 6:00pm IN THE CERINO ROOM. We will be having heavy hors d'oeurves, lots of finger food, champagne punch, and much much more, including the traditional decorating of our lodge Christmas tree out in the main hall. The price is: $8 per person

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Birthdays

and

Anniversaries

BIRTHDAYS Jo Ann Armistead (65th) Joseph A. Beck Antonella (Toni) Caragiulo Enrico Castellano Joseph Costello Flo Dunn John William Del Russo, Sr. Salvatore Ferrera Ray Guernic Anna Mullins Costantina Natividad Ernesto Peralta Helen Pichardo Catherine Senisi Luana Simpson

A��IVERSARIES

John & Carmel Adamo Edward & Dolores Kerr Nick & Marianne Galella (50th) John & Marina Lohndorf Robert & Martha Giovanelli Don & Michele Marcari Ray & Mary Guernic

�OTICE

If anyone learns of the passing of one of our Roma Lodge members, please promptly notify any Council Member shown above. The Lodge President will then decide when to activate the ‘Phone Tree’ with information that the surviving family member(s) want announced. It is very important that the wishes of the surviving family member(s) are followed to the letter.

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Help us to celebrate

your special day

by President John William Del Russo, Sr.

If you have noticed that your birthday or anniversary was missed in our newsletters, we extend our apologies. For quite some time, several members' birthdays and anniversaries went unnoticed in our monthly newsletters. Over the past year, we have been trying to fix this problem by cross-checking these monthly newsletter listings with our master roster and have begun the task of ensuring that all birthdays and anniversaries are henceforth honored. However, we have found that many birthdays or anniversaries are not even listed in our lodge's master roster to begin with. This makes it difficult to properly list all of these dates in our monthly newsletter. Having these dates will help us to honor you and your family on your special day in our newsletters. Again, if you have noticed that your birthday or anniversary was missing from being mentioned in our newsletter listings over the past year or so, we extend our apologies and we further urge you to call John (479-0240) or Al (301-8797) so that we can continue to fix this problem. Thank you. **************************************************

MEMBERSHIP

As of October 31, 2010: 295

We are up 46 members from one year ago

(October 31, 2009: 249)

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Cultural Corner

A CAMPOBASSO CHRISTMAS Part 1 of 3

The author recalls how he and his wife celebrated the

Holidays with his Italian family 40 years ago. by Dr. Albert F. Marra

“Sono arrivati! Finalmente sono arrivati!”

Zia Giovanna broadcast the news of our arrival to the whole building from her perch atop the stairs as she buzzed us into the entrance to Via Tiberio, 14. One floor below, we were breathing a momentary sigh of relief after finally arriving at our much anticipated destination. Defying her 70-plus years, Zia literally flew down the steps to welcome us. “Grazie a Dio, finalmente,” the old woman kept uttering as she hugged and kissed us half to death in the doorway. That was followed by more hugs and kisses from the other

relatives. With each hug and kiss came another Buon Natale wish as we stood in the foyer for a few moments shaking the snow off our hats and coats. But even when we entered that toasty warm apartment we could not shake off the chill we had brought with us from the train station, nearly two kilometers away. Warming up would take a couple of hours and at least a few strong Christmas drinks. Adrienne and I had just arrived for the traditional Italian Christmas Eve supper at about 9:00 p.m., some two hours later than expected. We had come all the way from Valencia, Spain, where we both attended graduate school. For months we had been making plans to spend our Christmas vacation with my mother’s uncle, Domenico Colitti, Zi’ Mimi, and his family, in Campobasso, the capoluogo of Italy’s South-Central Molise region. We did not plan at all on the major winter storms which followed us from Spain and buffeted us for the better part of the following day from Genoa, through Rome, and on to Campobasso. Before we sat down to the traditional Christmas Eve repast – with the requisite seven fishes -- we recounted for our relatives an abridged version of our odyssey, which the abysmal winter travel conditions had greatly complicated.

Our storm-plagued voyage

Our trip began when Adrienne and I caught a city bus in front of our two bedroom piso in Valencia on December 22, 1970. For just one duro each (nine cents back then), the Molinell-Alboraya line took us right to the train station, where we bought two second class tickets on an overnighter to Barcelona, thus shaving both time and money off our trip. Although pensions, hostels, and small hotels did not cost much in Franco’s Spain, we were still struggling students, so every peseta meant a lot. Besides, sharing stories, politics, and food and drink with the type of Spaniards who traveled by second class had always turned out to be a cultural high, so why not this trip too? Sure enough, the crusty bread, the pieces of salchichon and manchego, and the cheap bodega bought wine, combined with Spanish Civil War stories told by an elderly couple from Castellon, made that first night fly by. Sleep was a less important commodity, one which we could certainly acquire later on in Italy. Barcelona has always had a lot to offer, even before hosting the Olympics, but on December 23, 1970, with just over 36 hours left before our Christmas Eve supper, every minute touring would be deducted from our travel time. So from the station we passed up the fabulous Barrio Gotico (seen on prior occasions) and went directly to the port and the afternoon ferry. The seagoing part of our trip would take almost 18 hours, crossing from Barcelona to Genoa. Our vessel bore the name Canguro, although our trip, which ran right into a ferocious storm at sea, fell way short of the easy hop we were expecting. We could find only one good thing to say about being tucked away in the deepest recess of the kangaroo’s pouch from Barcelona to Genoa. The storm which tossed us about for half the night exercised a tremendously equalizing effect on both crew and passengers. So, no matter what class or type of ticket or accommodations, just about everyone ended up

seasick and drained before night’s end. As we disembarked we did not feel much like breakfast or doing anything at all. We simply hopped a cab with two fellow ex-pats to Genoa’s train station, and there we boarded (actually we were hustled along and packed in like sardines) a crowded express train to Rome. It was in Rome where the real fun began. It seemed like half the city’s population -- and a third of the whole country -- had descended upon the Termini Station that Christmas Eve. Making things worse, the crack Italian railroad staff, who could barely contend with a normal day’s crowd, failed miserably to handle the onslaught of that horde of homeward bound humanity. Nor did they seem to care. While we patiently stood on the platform, waiting for the scheduled late afternoon train to take us the last leg of our journey to Campobasso, they announced changes in several trains from one track to another. This resulted in people pushing, shoving, and running (if able) to get to their newly assigned platforms. Okay, we thought, now we had the right track. After all, we spoke Italian and understood the announcements, didn’t we? But somehow we ended up on a train with no direction sign that was headed to Napoli! Adrienne broke out in tears when we finally realized our mistake. That prompted the sweet young lady next to her, who apparently understood our dilemma, to gently tap Adrienne on the shoulder while repeating several times in both English and Italian, “non piangere, ci sono altri treni da Napoli a Campobasso. Don’t cry, there are more trains to Campobasso from Naples.” Our kind Neapolitan friend was right. The Napoli train was an express, so we could always board another train from Naples to Campobasso and still make it “home” for Christmas. Besides the extra little ride would give us a chance to catch up on some lost sleep, albeit in the upright position, clutching our suitcases and leaning on each other and the human cargo compressed tightly around us. After a jolt of espresso at the Naples station we finally found and boarded the last pre-Christmas train to Campobasso. We were thrilled when that little train chugged its way uphill, struggling to gain altitude soon after leaving Naples. In the glow of the street lights of each little town we passed, we noticed the rain slowly giving way to sleet and then snow, until our two-car train began plowing its way into a winter wonderland. The snow scene outside ironically gave us cause for relief, since it confirmed that we were nearing Campobasso, which at 2,000 feet above sea level, had become known as one of the coldest cities in South-Central Italy. We exited the train with the last few holiday stragglers and looked around the empty station before discussing what to do next. Stupid me, I had forgotten Zi’ Mimi’s telephone number, and of course the pay phones in the station (in those pre-cell phone days) had no directories. With not a taxi in sight (after all, it was la vigilia di Natale, Christmas Eve, in a typical Italian cittadina), we had no better option than walking the last leg of our three day voyage. Luckily, I knew the way, since I had walked that same route just six months before. The difference was that we were now exhausted and we would have to trudge through what had become a swirling, blizzard-like snowstorm. By nightfall the storm had already dumped

nearly a foot of snow on the ground, and bitter cold temperatures and winds out of the east had converted our little city in the southern Appenines into a vision of Mother Russia, well over a thousand miles away. Little did we know that Mom’s first cousin, Tonino, had been waiting in his car at the Campobasso train station for more than an hour. With all the snow and confusion, we never saw him. And of course he never saw us. Sensing unusual delays or some other trouble on our part, Cousin Tonino decided to return to his father’s house to check out the reason for our delay. But on his way Tonino got stuck in a snow bank, he had to abandon his car, and he too ended up walking nearly two kilometers through the blizzard. Hatless (and hapless!) Tonino got back home 15 minutes after us and nearly twice as cold. No worries, he told us, he needed the exercise and his car would be fine where it had landed. We had been with Tonino twice before and we knew him to be a free spirit, but he really proved himself extraordinarily nonchalant in the face of such a challenge from old man winter.

La cena

With the combination living and dining room fully illuminated by a single large chandelier, several candles, and a tacky white aluminum Christmas tree (which flashed red, green, and blue in our faces), the entire family finally sat down to enjoy the ceremonial supper, beginning with large platters of mixed hot and cold antipasti. I felt a sense of true pride to be in the company of my Italian family for only the second time, this being the first time with Adrienne. Assembled with us were: Zi’ Mimi and Zia Giovanna; Cousin Tonino, the eldest of their three sons, his wife, Mariuccia and their two grammar school age sons, Mimo and Michele; Cousin Renato, the middle son and his wife, Angela, and their two young daughters, toddlers Gabriella and Giovannina; and my young bride of just five months, Adrienne, now known as Adrianna. With a maiden name like Rinaldi, how could they call her anything else? Toast after toast, glass after quickly re-filled glass, we all eagerly “cin-cinned” to each other’s health, good fortune and long life, alternating with rounds of heartfelt wishes of Buon Natale. There followed a series of hearty “buon appetito” wishes to accompany each new platter or bowl of tasty antipasti making its way around the perimeter of the elongated table. The din of the children’s laughter, our robust conversation, and the generalized merry making, combined with the free flowing wines of every possible Italian denomination and origin, clearly overloaded our sensory capacity. That evening’s meal spun by in such a maelstrom of wondrous confusion that I had a tough time recalling the details in the morning. Was there more food after the seemingly endless antipasti? When and how did the feast move from a flurry of antipasti to that heaping dish of steamy anchovy tinged seafood pasta? I vaguely remembered that those fresh tagliatelle noodles were followed quickly by several varieties of baked, fried, and cold pickled fish. But did we reach the requisite traditional number of seven? Nobody

seemed to care, much less count! The supper was a truly unique experience that lasted well beyond two hours and effortlessly encroached upon the midnight hour. That’s when some more fun got underway. The following events may be hard to believe, but if there be any deviation from the truth, it is clearly understated.

Lighting up the snowy night

Picture this if you will: an endless cornucopia of coffees, pastries, fruits, nuts and digestivi still line the table, when cousin Tonino proceeds to force open the half frozen floor to ceiling doors leading out to the tiny balcony. He spreads before us the now delightfully tranquil winter scene in the back yard of the small condominium complex. Snow is piled high all around. One can frequently glimpse tiny reflections of light twinkling off the last of the powdery white crystalline flakes as they fall silently onto the ground and the snow laden trees. Beyond the trees and high above on the highest point of this provincial capital accent floodlights softly bathe the walls of Castello Monforte in the whitest of white-on-white illumination. The vista is a truly magnificent, almost breathtaking one, especially given the solemnity of the night, the Christmas Vigil. As they say on TV, “but wait, there’s more!” Tonino then pulls out a large cardboard box hidden under the table which he drags across the dining room on to the now crunchy snow lining the balcony floor. Adrienne and I look at each other and with puzzled expressions we shrug our shoulders. I was about to ask what they were going to do. Before anyone could answer, out of that box poured an assortment of fireworks that would satisfy any aficionado of Independence Day festivities at the Washington monument. No, we thought. He can’t; he won’t. But he does! Cousin Tonino, the forty- something hyperactive teenager, now takes out his trusty Zippo (remember, this is Italy, it is late 1970, so everybody smokes) and right there in the living room he lights up the first Roman candle. The sparks start streaking out and lighting up the now semi-darkened room as he points the rocket out into the snow covered back yard. All four bambini start yelling, screaming with glee and jumping for joy (as if the kids needed more stimulation on a snowy Christmas Eve). Meantime, Adrienne and I shrink back in disbelief that anyone, much less a middle aged, college educated manager of a bank, would do such a foolhardy thing as light fireworks in his father’s living room and shoot them through the balcony door into a shared back yard. But wait, there’s more! Tonino now prompts me to come over, to step outside a bit and help him keep lighting various types of fireworks non-stop. He planned to get several of them shooting out simultaneously for greater effect. Of course, silly me, one at a time would hardly be special enough. Why didn’t I think of that, right? That’s when I notice that we were not alone. Not just our crazy Colitti group had appeared to have lost their minds. No, it seemed like a couple more houses in their building and several more in the surrounding quartiere had already been setting off all types of fireworks, the kind that made noise and those that featured more lights and colors. Around here, it certainly looked like the concept of “Silent

Night, Holy Night” had years ago lost out in favor of a generalized case of semi-controlled Christmas Eve pandemonium. So this, I thought, was the chaotic fun which we had missed by growing up in the States. What a boring group of so-called Italians we had become in the US. Sure, we always ate those seven little fishes, but we had adopted the traditions of many other Americans: we attended church at midnight, we sang some carols, we enjoyed a hot toddy or wassail, and then off to bed we went after exchanging a gift or two. Compared to our Italian cousins on “the other side,” we Italian-Americans had evolved into a very boring group indeed! I had already known about my Italian family’s propensity for enjoying themselves, since I had spent two weeks with them on a similar trip to Campobasso the previous spring. But the sheer exuberance of their Christmas Eve festivities had clearly taken me by surprise. The two of us had started to give up on thoughts of ever getting a good night’s sleep until safely out of Italy again, when the party suddenly ended. They either ran out of fireworks, or it got too damn cold in that room, or we wore each other out from the eating and drinking. Most likely all of those factors combined to put an end to the evening’s partying. Thank God that soon after midnight things quieted down not only for the Colitti family, but for most of the neighbors too. As I tried to calm myself down before bed time, what else would pop into my head but that last phrase of every American child’s favorite Christmas poem by Clement Clark Moore, A Visit from St. Nicholas. I almost wanted to shout from the balcony the poem’s final message as my personal advice to all those hyper-active Italians, “and to all a good night.” Finally, let’s all get some much needed sleep, I wanted to say. After all, the whole lot of us needed to gather our strength for tomorrow’s big celebrations. We would be doing this all over again. And then some!

(Part 2 of 3 will be in next month’s newsletter)

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My First Christmas by Mario Minervini

It was Anno Domine MCMLXI (1961) I came to America the same year on December 4. My family came in 1958. I was in the Italian Navy at the time. My Parents, with one sister and two brothers, rented a rail-road-room apartment in Hoboken, N.J. So did my Aunt Liz even though she owned her apartment house. My mother’s brother Uncle Tiberio and his wife, Aunt Mary, invited us and Aunt Liz, my mother's sister, to pass the holiday at their home in Fort Lee, NJ, a town near the George Washington Bridge; they had what we considered then, a FABULOUS one family home. I had never seen such a big recreation room before, or a one family home with so many private bedrooms, and a living room with wall-to-wall carpet. For years, that was my dream house.

We were seventeen people all together. We got there, about three in the afternoon. It is our tradition to make stuffed frittelle the night of Christmas Eve. Frittella is a very thin piece of dough, round, in the center goes a heaping tablespoon of fried onions with very little tomato and spicy ricotta cheese. The circle is folded in half to become a crescent. It is sealed tightly on the side and deep-fried in oil. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! In America it's called calzone. Of course the stuffing can be changed to you taste, like mozzarella tomato and parsley, tuna, any kind of cold cuts, any stuffing is fine. Yes, it was deep-fried, BUT at the time, we had no idea of cholesterol or high blood pressure. Now we make the same frittelle at my daughter's house but we bake it. And they still taste very good. So the first job was to make the dough, lots of dough, probably ten pound of flour was used. And that was only the start, then came steamed broccoli rape with olive oil and lemon juice, many kinds of fish from stuffed calamari to not-to-be-missed baccala, eels shrimp, and clams, black mussels, etc. All the food was set on a large table. When I looked at that table my eyes widened up and were just about to came out of the sockets. Never in my life I had seen such abundance of food in one house. I knew then that I was in America. Naturally, I was very impressed to look at the first Christmas tree of my life, a gigantic very decorated one. Looking around the neighborhood, I admired all the homes decorated with the holiday lights. I was impressed with my uncle's house, very well decorated inside and outside. It was the best holiday ever, which I will never forget. What a beautiful night that was. It got even better, after midnight it started to snow. I'd never seen so much snow in my life. It was so much that we could not drive back home. We all passed the night laughing and napping on and off in the large living room with a thick shag carpet. That must have been the first time that I said: I never had this good. BUON NATALE!!! **************************************************

Let no one be alone

for the holidays!

by President Del Russo and Vice President Marra

Although our Lodge has many significant goals (charitable contributions, membership recruitment, etc.), there is a higher priority that is not listed anywhere in any committee or any event calendar at our lodge. It is the concern for members who are living alone with no family in the area. If you can, please stop for a minute and think about visiting or calling any member you know in this situation. It will do them and you a world of good. (Come to think of it, they DO have family in the area -- since each of us are brothers and sisters!). And with the Thanksgiving and Christmas season upon us, we should make sure that each of our brothers and sisters has a "home" for the holidays. If you know of Roma Lodge members, especially those living alone, please invite them to share your home for a fine holiday meal or two. In Tiny Tim's words, used in a Bocelli song, "God Bless Us Every One."

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"Halloween for the Kids 2010"

was a very enjoyable event for all

by Erica Filpi

We are making new memories for our children and our members to last a lifetime that is a huge thing. Please feel free to contact me with suggestions, comments, and critiques for another one of these Halloween events for next year! All comments are welcome, but please realize I may have a few questions as well. I hope as a result of the increasing celebrations coming around we bring our neighbors children with us so our lodge is more widely known, resulting in a larger membership of a new generation ensuring our Lodge continues on. So again, thank you to each and every member who actively helped and participated with moving tables, manning areas, and passed out candy to children running walking to tables. Thank you for your applause, patience, and smiles for the children. And last but certainly not least, a big thank you to everyone who volunteered for this Children's Halloween Party held Friday, October 29th, namely Tom Orlowski, Karen Zito, Flo Dunn, Adele Griffiths, Al Marra, Isabel Amante, Vince Filpi, Bernie Galante, Ale' McRae, Brianna McRae, JoLinda Jackson, Tony Jackson, Tammie Soccio, Marie Caragiulo, Toni Caragiulo, Roma Lodge for approving the budget for the treats, and all fellow members who stayed, watched the children, and gave them treats. If I'm forgetting anyone my sincere apologies. I truly appreciate everyone's contribution large and small. Hope to do it again in 2011! **************************************************

Talent Show II

scheduled for

Friday, January 28th

For those of you who are familiar with our Roma Lodge Talent Show procedures, it's simple: Bring your talent and show us what you've got! Juggling, joke telling, famous impersonations, playing the guitar, banjo, saxophone, trumpet, singing solo, singing along with karaoke, etc. etc. ..... there is no limit! This event will be held immediately following our 'birthday night' celebrations where we will be honoring all members whose birthdays fall in December and January. (Note: there is no Friday "Birthday Night" in December). If you are interested in performing, no booking is necessary, just show up and be ready to go at 7:00 pm. See you on stage!

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y

Why OSIA of Tidewater

became incorporated

by Bruno Cardo

Few lodges of the Order Sons of Italy in America have their own building as Roma Lodge does. Many Sons of Italy lodges across America actually rent space in local churches and restaurants for their meetings and events. We are blessed to have and to maintain our very own building. The main purpose of incorporating was for that very reason and also to establish and cultivate mutual friendship and fraternity in order that all of our members can enjoy the comfort and benefits that go along with having their own building. In addition, the moral, social, and educational welfare of our membership was deemed a necessary point of consideration upon incorporating. These all illustrate the main ideas as to why we were incorporated back in April 1976.

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A �OTE FROM

BRU�O CARDO, PRESIDE�T,

OSIA of TIDEWATER Inc:

“Hello Everyone. At The Last OSIA of TIDEWATER Inc. Special Meeting, held on Sept. 20th 2010, While discussing the B.Y.O.B. for the Cerino Room, State regulations for the same and the main hall possible tile replacement/fix Sister Rita Orsino made a

suggestion that I misunderstood. I wrongly attached her name to a notice posted in the Cerino Room. I’m hereby correcting my mistake and will like to apologize for any inconvenience

created by my misunderstanding.

Thank-You

BRU�O CARDO PRESIDE�T,

OSIA of TIDEWATER Inc.”

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Phil Coviello and his

service in WW2 A Veterans' Day post script

by John William Del Russo Sr.

(Reprinted and edited from the original article which

appeared in the Roma Lodge )ewsletter of May 2006)

Several years ago, I interviewed Phil Coviello about his

service in WW2. The story was published in our Roma Lodge

newsletter in May of 2006 and herewith is reprinted and

edited from its original content. To me, Phil represents the

best from the best of those who managed

to keep us a free people.

LEST WE FORGET A BRAVE A�D

U�FORGETTABLE GE�ERATIO�

One of Roma Lodge's veterans, Phil Coviello, served and protected our country while the world was threatened by savage tyrants abroad during World War ll. Philip Coviello was born in Melfi, Italy in 1921 and came to America in 1930. He quickly learned the language of this new country and was one of a few bi-Lingual students at school. For a while he held a job as a machinist and enjoyed a hobby as a golden gloves amateur boxer in Bronx, N.Y. before being inducted in the U.S. Army in April of 1944. Although he continued his boxing in the Army as a member of his regiment's boxing team, he would soon shift his fighting skills from the ring to the war front. Phil was combat trained in Florida in anticipation of being sent to Japan; however, last minute changes sent him to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) eventually to serve under the Commanding General of the Third Army, George Patton. As part of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 345th Infantry Regiment, 87th "Golden Acorn" Infantry Division, he sailed from New York City to Europe first stopping at Scotland then taking a train to the south of England where he sailed to Le Havre, France. From there, he did what he was trained and paid to do - to be a United States Army infantryman, to kick ass, and take names. Foxhole living was the norm as he spent countless hours in and above the ground. "It got cold and the ground was so hard you couldn't dig in it so we had to camp right on our rubber raincoats that doubled as our bedding but after a while you got used to it. And forget about lighting a fire for warmth, because that would've alerted the enemy. For a period the snow was knee and waist deep; some guys got bad frostbite and they had to be hospitalized" Phil recalls. Then there were the moments that brought back memories of home and Italian cooking. While staying with a family in France, he introduced them to a meal of potatoes and eggs. Phil says, "It was delicious and they went nuts for it but the only thing that was missing were the bell peppers." At another house in Brussels, Phil had mixed a can of fruit cocktail (that his mother had sent him) with some snow from their front yard. Phil says that even though it wasn't the caliber of spumoni, it was the best dessert they had in a long time. In late 1944, Phil marched across and fought the enemy in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, and was in the thick of the Battle of the Bulge. He fought the enemy there in the Ardennes forests, the same forests that his father Vincenzo who, about thirty years earlier, was a part of the U.S. Army's 77th Infantry Division from World War I and had also fought the German army. (In World War I, Vincenzo had received a Purple Heart for being blinded by mustard gas; he later regained his sight). In February 1945, the 2nd Battalion advanced 6000 yards through and beyond the Siegfried Line. Hitler's Siegfried Line was a Nazi defense system stretching over 390 miles with 18,000 bunkers, tunnels, and traps. This stance was an ill-fated attempt by the Nazi army to reverse the course of the war. Due to the 'extraordinary heroism and savage aggressiveness during advances on the Siegfried Line' where Phil and his fellow soldiers of the 2nd Battalion had attacked, Major

General Frank Culin, Commanding General, 87th Infantry Division awarded them a citation for 'conspicuous gallantry by neutralizing numerous pillboxes, bunkers, and for capturing 366 enemy prisoners'. His company E was also instrumental in the liberation of the concentration camp at Buchenwald, Germany in the spring of 1945. As VE day drew near, the Nazi evacuations resulted in a swift liberation of that concentration camp. But Phil and his fellow soldiers were about to see exactly what the Nazi monsters they'd been fighting were capable of as he witnessed first-hand the horrors of the holocaust at Buchenwald -- emaciated victims, dead bodies piled upon one another, lamp shades made of human flesh, and medical facilities with many glass jars containing human parts including month for month progression experiments of human fetuses. Phil states, "If you heard that the holocaust was not true, I am here to tell you that I saw it with my own eyes." Phil continued, "There were hundreds maybe thousands there, many of them half dead, hungry as hell, and very glad to see us. We gave them some of our C-rations and they ate them up very quickly." Later he would learn that the victims were of varied backgrounds but were mostly Jewish victims. Throughout his time over there in Europe, many of Phil's close friends and fellow soldiers would never make it back home as they paid the ultimate price for keeping us all safe and free back here in America. In September 1945, the Japanese surrendered just before Phil's transfer to the Pacific front, thus cancelling those orders. He was advanced as Sergeant Philip Coviello then assigned to Fort Dix, N.J. and was in charge of training recruits. Nine months later having done his part, Phil was honorably discharged in April of 1946 and went on to four years of tool and die maker training. He retired from his trade 22 years ago but not before he received an award for introducing and fabricating a widely used cutting mechanism that eliminated frequent and costly machine jams at his job back in Yonkers, N.Y. Seems like Phil was always good at eliminating jams -- first Hitler, then his shop's machines. He and his sweetheart Catherine, who passed away in 2009, were married on March 16, 1947 and have had three children: Madeline, Vincent, and Lucy. Vincent passed away at age 40 and Lucy was one day old when she passed away. Before we got to know them, my wife Mary and I fondly remember seeing he and Catherine at OSIA lodge functions as the couple who as my wife put it 'are the best dancers on the floor'. Phil was an active member of the Elks Lodge in Scarsdale, New York and has twice served as 'Exalted Ruler' (equivalent to Lodge President). He has continued his membership with the Elks Lodge in Norfolk after moving to Hampton Roads and has been a member of Roma Lodge for over 19 years. Of his time in the service Phil concludes, "I don't miss the fighting and the foxholes, but I am glad I did it so that I could pick up where my father left off in helping protect America." Phil, thank God you did, because if guys like you and your father didn't step up to the plate, we'd probably all be goosestepping right now. Thanks again, brother Phil.

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Lodge �otes

Lodge �ews via E-Mail --

To better keep you informed of emergent Lodge news, we continue to assemble an e-mail list of participating Roma Lodge members. Since April 2009, we have amassed 169 email recipients! Join in and send your e-mail along with your name to:

RomaLodge254@gmail.com

Your email address will be added to the Roma Lodge ‘e-mail roster’ and will be kept strictly confidential via ‘bcc’ mailings. We will not give your email address out to anyone else and we promise not to send you any unnecessary emails. What we

will send you is an informative “e-weekly” we call the ROMA LODGE WEEKLY NEWS which contains among other things

the detailed menu (right down to the side dishes) for the upcoming Friday Night Meal. It is emailed every Tuesday,

Wednesday or Thursday.

Just a reminder, Even though the Council Meeting are now

held on the same night as the General Assembly, the deadline for any newsletter articles will still be on the 2nd Monday of the month. This will be strictly enforced.

Please submit it with time to spare.

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Don’t forget to attend our General Assembly Meetings. All members are invited. Unless otherwise noted, they are regularly scheduled at 7:00 pm on the fourth Monday in each month. (This November it will be on the 5th Monday) … Come see your lodge at work and learn to be a part of what makes it tick by voicing your opinions and ideas in this monthly forum … Another way to voice your opinion is to use the “Suggestion Box” on Friday nights located on the bar nearest to Magic Hollow Blvd (thanks to Mary Guernic for making the suggestion box - very creative)! ... If anyone has any ideas or suggestions regarding our building or our food service, call Bruno Cardo, the OSIA of Tidewater Inc. president at 288-9544. He will listen to all ideas and suggestions that you may have. You can visit Roma Lodge via our website from the comfort of your home by going to www.Roma254.org to view many features including past newsletters … Anyone interested in exploring the possibility of getting Roma Lodge involved in ‘Facebook’, ‘MySpace’, or “Twitter”, contact our webmaster Sonja Konlande at 233-1980… Plans were approved at our October General Assembly Meeting to pursue a yearbook-style hardcover book to commemorate our fast-approaching Roma Lodge Centennial. For details of how you can participate in any facet of this memorable event, please contact committee chairman Pete Amante at 430-8473 ... On Thursday, October 28th at Roma Lodge, those in attendance for the Pizza e Parlare were treated to a fine pizza along with great company that accentuated the importance of our Italian language. It was just plain fun to gather again and learn not only about the

idiosyncrasies of the Italian language and its dialects, it is a great way to meet and greet some of our members. If you missed this one, there will be another Pizza e Parlare in January or February (date and time to be announced) ... There's always room for musicians: If anyone during the course of our Friday night meals would like to play the piano located adjacent to the stage, please help yourself! As a matter of fact, if you have any instruments you'd like to bring and play, you and your instruments are always welcome! ... Sonja Konlande has typed out and placed our entire list of hundreds of individual Roma Lodge karaoke songs in alphabetical order and into a notebook for your convenience. This will enable all willing karaoke participants to find the song of their choice fast and easy. This was quite a huge task and a great big thanks goes out to Sonja for her efforts ... See our latest Roma Lodge newsletter posted IN LIVING COLOR at www.roma254.org. Also, did you know that you can view past Roma Lodge newsletters back to 2007? So curl up with your laptop and have a nice historical read of what's been happening at our lodge... Keep an eye out for raffle tickets being sold at 3 for $5 for an inlaid work of art of the Madonna and Child made in Sorrento, Italy. This piece measures 18''w X 24''h and is approx 35 yrs old. Some natural aging occurred to the clear coat. It is still in outstanding condition. Will make a beautiful addition to someones home. The winning raffle ticket will be drawn at the Roma Lodge Christmas Party on December 11th. This work of art was donated by the Canu Family and all proceeds will go to our two main charities: Cooley's Anemia and Alzheimer’s Disease...

THA�K YOU!

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Roma Lodge Children's Christmas Party

is set for Sunday, December 19th!

I love those J-i-n-g-l-e Bells! And you will too when you have a peek at what’s in store for the little ones at our annual Children’s Christmas Party. Plenty of

food, fun and presents for all the children, including an appearance by Santa Clause himself. That’s right!

Roma Lodge has called the North Pole and made special plans for ol’ St.

Nicholas to arrive between NOON and 3:00pm. So bring your cameras and

have a very memorable time!

Admission: $5.00 each for the adults.

Children/grandchildren of Roma Lodge members are

FREE! Other children may attend but PLEASE NOTE that the cost

will be $5 for each child accompanying a non-member. Doors open NOON to 3:00pm. There will be food, fun, games and crafts for all to enjoy. Please use the sign-up sheet located on

Continued…..

the Cerino Room bulletin board and PLEASE indicate (as

shown on the Cerino Room signup sheet) the following info:

--------------------- "Boy" or "Girl"

--------------------- Age of child

--------------------- Member/sponsors name

For further details and to volunteer to help set up at 10am on the day of the event,

Call Tammie or Mark Soccio at 471-7953

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Roma Lodge Memorial Mass

January 16, 2011 _____________________________

Mark Your Calendars

To honor our deceased Roma Lodge members, you are cordially invited to attend our Roma Lodge Memorial

Mass on

Sunday, January 16, 2011 at

2:00pm.

Father Jim Parke will celebrate this Mass and our cantor & pianist will be Diane Nestor. A meal will be served after the Mass for a nominal fee. Donations of desserts for this

occasion are needed and will be greatly appreciated. . God Bless!

For details, call Angie Hughes at 499-8667.

Please plan to attend

**************************************************Roma Lodge is not responsible for any typographical errors

or omissions in the newsletter

EDITOR-I�-CHARGE : John V. Luizzi

My E-Mail - luizzi@cox.net

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LATE �OTE This is a letter from Maria and Silverio D'Amico thanking all those Roma

Lodge members who have contributed to their cousin Gino who is 8 years old

and who has bone cancer. Dear Brothers and Sisters at Roma Lodge, Thank you so much for your generosity for our cousin Gino Altieri. Our entire family all appreciates very much your kindness. We are praying that God watches over Gino and keeps him healthy and strong. God bless you all. Love, Silverio and Maria D'Amico and Family 11-3-10

Something to think about this time of the Season

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone, in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone. I had come down the chimney with presents to give, and to see just who in this home did live. I looked all about, a strange sight I did see, no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree. No stocking by mantle, just boots filled with sand, on the wall hung pictures of far distant lands. With medals and badges, awards of all kinds, a sober thought came through my mind. For this house was different, it was dark and dreary, I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone, curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home. The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder, not how I pictured a United States soldier. Was this the hero of whom I'd just read? Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed? I realized the families that I saw this night, owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight. Soon round the world, the children would play, and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year, because of the soldiers, like the one lying here. I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone, on a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home. The very thought brought a tear to my eye, I dropped to my knees and started to cry. The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice, "Santa don't cry, this life is my choice; I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more, my life is my God, my Country, and my Corps." The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep, I couldn't control it, I continued to weep, I kept watch for hours, so silent and still and we both shivered from the cold night's chill. I didn't want to leave on that cold, dark, night, this guardian of honor so willing to fight. Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure, whispered, "Carry on Santa, it's Christmas day, all is secure" One look at my watch, and I knew he was right.

“Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good

night.”

- Anonymous - **************************************************

Something Special - The Sack Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. "I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap," I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. "Where are you headed?" I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. "Chicago to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq," After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. "No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago."

His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. "Take a lunch to all those soldiers." She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. "My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him." Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, "Which do you like best, beef or chicken?" "Chicken," I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. "This is your thanks." After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. "I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this." He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, "I want to shake your hand." Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, "I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot." I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers. Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Soon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. "It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You." Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little... A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America” for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.