On Friday April 17, 2015, the team from ParadoxLabs was honored to take part in the 1st Annual Wild Bill Guarnere Memorial Golf Outing and Dinner sponsored by Gary Sinise and the Gary Sinise Foundation. Our team, along with our friends at O’Reilly Buick GMC, Heritage Homes, Cole Chiropractic Center, Aramark, and Palm Printing co-sponsored this event to raise funds for the completion of the bronze statue of Wild Bill.
A sneak peak into tomorrow's blog post about the Wild Bill Guarnere Memorial Fund. This is some good stuff
Posted by ParadoxLabs on Tuesday, 21 April 2015
Our team sponsored door prizes, beverages on the golf course, and raffle items for the dinner and volunteered to help throughout the day. The volunteers from ParadoxLabs were on hand to welcome all of those in attendance and were touched at the end of the evening when Wild Bill’s son and granddaughter expressed their gratitude and appreciation as it was announced that the funds needed to complete the bronze statue had been collected. The figure was created by sculptor Chad Fisher in his studio and foundry near Harrisburg. The 8-foot-tall likeness, weighing more than 1,300 pounds, shows a senior Guarnere in uniform, standing on one leg and crutches.
Wild Bill was a noncommissioned officer with Easy Company in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division with a prestigious military career. He made his first combat jump as part of the Allied invasion in Normandy, participated in Operation Market Garden, one the largest drops of airborne troops in history, and lost his right leg to artillery fire during the Battle of the Bulge while trying to save fellow Easy Company comrade, Joe Toy. For his heroism, he was awarded the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts.
After the war, Bill returned home and married Frannie, his “schweetheart,” and dedicated his life to giving back to the military community and various children’s causes. When he died on March 8, 2014, Bill’s family decided that he needed to be remembered not only for his heroic deeds in WWII; but also for his heart of gold that touched so many.
Bill’s time with Easy Company was depicted in the 2001 HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers. “Actor Frank John Hughes nailed the performance,” said Wild Bill’s son, Gene. When Band of Brothers aired, Bill was no longer just the family’s hero; he became America’s hero as viewers witnessed the courage, determination, and bravery of a kid from South Philly. Gene said that he thinks that his father’s tenacity and unique character was part of the appeal.
Highlights from the event on Friday began with the singing of the National Anthem by James Clark, a sophomore from Ridley High School. His voice was both powerful and sincere. Many guests, including some veterans were in tears following his performance.
Shortly after the National Anthem, Dennis Murphy, who serves in the Board of Directors for the Delaware County Veterans Memorial, took the stage with a special announcement: the bronze statue of Wild Bill would have a home and will become a permanent part of the second phase at the Delaware County Veterans Memorial on West Chester Pike. This was fantastic news due to the fact that, for months, the Guarnere family had been searching for a location that the Wild Bill statue could call home. Sites for consideration included the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn’s Landing.
The statue will become the centerpiece in the open air meditation chapel of the Delaware County Veterans Memorial. The nondenominational prayer spot and garden will provide a place for individuals and groups to dedicate an engraved paving stone and offer a viewing of veterans’ names etched into the walls of the memorial so every visitor can take a moment to contemplate the sacrifices made by those the memorial honors.
Bill’s son commented that he “likes the fact that it is a place for all veterans.” Dedication for the statue is scheduled for D-Day, June 6; however, the actual statue is not expected to be placed on the grounds until September.
Debi, Bill’s granddaughter, is thrilled that a major component of the memorial is to provide education to inform visitors and students about the dedication, courage and commitment of our Nation’s veterans. “Gramps often went to the schools,” said Debi. “The educational portion would make him very happy.”
The evening also included Philadelphia Councilmen David Oh and Gene Guarnere presenting the Wild Bill Guarnere Legacy Award recognizing excellence for efforts to preserve and protect the achievements and memory of the men of Easy Company. The award is intended to honor those that make exemplary efforts in promoting dialogue about respect and appreciation of those men who served. The award is given to individuals displaying the characteristics of scholarship, high motivation, initiative, integrity, leadership qualities, civic responsibility and/or exceptional judgment.
The award recipient was a high school senior from Garnet Valley, Nick Iacovelli. Nick says he learned about Wild Bill Guarnere when he was in middle school and asked permission to spend all of his saved allowance on the boxed set Band of Brothers DVDs. Nick watched all of the episodes over a few nights, and then asked his mother if she would watch the episodes with him, because he knew that she would enjoy them as much as he did (he was right). Nick was astounded to learn that one of the men from Easy Company grew up in South Philadelphia. Nick couldn’t believe that he lived so close to the hero Wild Bill Guarnere.
During Nick’s junior year at Garnet Valley High School, he and his history teacher, Amanda Reid-Cossentino, were selected as one of 15 student-teacher pairs to attend the Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom, Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute. Nick embarked on a rigorous one year study of D-Day and WWII; participating in scholarly study at home and in Washington, DC which culminated in the Silent Heroes Project. Nick and his teacher were charged with researching a soldier from their home state who fought at Normandy and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today. For the project, Nick created a website detailing the life and service of Staff Sergeant William E. Davis, Jr. from Conshohocken, PA who was buried in the American Cemetery in Normandy, France after being shot down on an intelligence gathering mission.
Nick’s final goal for the Normandy Scholarship was to submit a project for National History Day. When Nick learned that the theme for National History Day 2015 was Leadership and Legacy in History, Nick knew exactly who he wanted to research: his hero, Wild Bill Guarnere. On a snowy day in March, Nick presented his website detailing the Leadership and Legacy of Wild Bill to the local judges at the Chester County Historical Society. Nick qualified to move on to states level and will be competing at Millersville University on May 12th.
Nick has stated that he considers himself fortunate to have been afforded the opportunity to learn so much about the courageous men and women who fought and paid so dearly for the freedom we have today – so that he may pick up the torch and ensure their stories are never forgotten.
The Wild Bill Guarnere Memorial Fund considers themselves to be fortunate knowing that young men and women across our country will not let the memory of the heroic actions of the men of Easy Company disappear.
The team at ParadoxLabs also wishes to congratulate Nick on his accomplishments and looks forward to the great things he will do in the future. We consider it a true honor to be part of continuing a legacy, making a difference in the community and ensuring Wild Bill’s memory stays close in the hearts of all who he touched.