L'Italo-Americano

PAGE 22 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2012 "I Really Like This Guy" SALVATORE DIVITA CONTRIBUTOR 11, 2001, Sal Giunta was attend- ing classes at John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On that same morning, about a thousand miles away from Cedar Rapids, commercial airliners were being intentional- ly crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. as well as a field in Pennsylvania. News of the disaster eventual- On the morning of September Sal found a job working nights at a local Subway sandwich shop, taking and filling orders for hun- gry customers. It was while he worked at Subway that he saw a television commercial about Army recruiters in the mall handing out free T-shirts. He freely admitted, "I'm a sucker for a free T-shirt." So it was the offer of a free T-shirt which ini- tially drew him to the recruiting After graduating high school, until July 2008. It was during this second tour of duty that he would experience a life-changing phenomenon which would occur in the space of just three minutes. Shortly after nightfall on October 25, 2007, Sal and the rest of the seven troops of 1st Platoon had just finished a day- long overwatch of 2nd and 3rd Platoons in a dangerous valley. The term "overwatch" is defined as a small unit support- was born in Clinton, Iowa, on January 21, 1985, to an Italian- American family and grew up in Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha, Iowa. His father, Steven, worked as a medical equipment technician, and his mother, Rosemary, a preschool teacher. ly reached Sal and his class- mates. He was stunned and bewildered by what he heard and he reacted on impulse. His primary concern was for the safety of his two young siblings. Upon leaving school, he went first to pick up his brother, Mario, from middle school and then his sister, Katie, from ele- mentary school. Once they had all arrived home safely, he seemed to relax. His mother was not surprised at her son's behavior, since Sal was known for his natural inclination to be protective of his family and his friends. "If the world falls part," his mother said to him, "I guess we can count on you." This sim- ple act of picking up his siblings from school and bringing them safely home was a testament to his character. Salvatore Augustine Giunta Sal immediately sprinted towards cover and fired at the enemy. The platoon medic, Hugo Mendoza, had been shot through the femoral artery of his leg and was dying from loss of blood. Seeing that his squad leader had also fallen and believing that he had been injured, Sal raced towards his squad leader, helped him to cover, and administered medical aid. While administering first aid, enemy fire struck Sal's body armor and his secondary weapon. He returned fire before throwing a number of grenades, using the explosions for cover in order to conceal his position. The team continued forward The Taliban were so close to the platoon that the Apache heli- copters overhead could not pro- vide close air support. While under heavy enemy fire, President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta in the East Room of the White House, November 16, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy) event and led to his subsequent enlistment in the Army on a November day in 2003. Sal says he was not being patriotic nor was his enlistment a response to 9/11. He was curious about the world and was looking for some- thing beyond his life behind the counter of a Subway sandwich shop. Sal attended basic training and ing another unit, while they are executing fire and movement tac- tics. The overwatching unit takes a position where it can observe the terrain ahead and search for likely enemy positions. Although it was dark, there was infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia. From March 2005 until March 2006 he was deployed to Afghanistan. And after a short respite, he was again sent to Afghanistan from May 2007 sufficient moonlight so that night vision equipment was not need- ed. Having completed the over- watch assignment, the platoon was returning to its combat post. The men were walking about ten to fifteen feet apart from one another. Suddenly, the squad was ambushed by ten to fifteen insurgents from behind cover. DOT ANDERSON CONTRIBUTOR also interesting destinations for late fall travel. You can find away the week leading up to November 25th you'll still be able to catch the last days of the Roma Jazz Festival 2012, one of the most important events on the international jazz scene. This year's theme is "Visual Jazz" and capture the trends and the evolution of jazz music including the influences of the Internet and social media. Rome, Venice or Florence are on flights and accommodations and have more money in your budget for extras such as splurges on meals, Italian cook- ing classes, tickets to musical events or just shopping for the holidays ahead. If you love jazz and can get ly enjoying Italy's largest cities more like a local resident than like a tourist. Crisp air outside is counter pointed by the wonderful aroma of handmade pastas, exquisite sauces and desserts to be savored in some of the most beautiful venues in the world. Right now you can find deals November is a natural for real- hour cooking class with Sara Cossiga that starts with an early morning shopping trip to the Rialto Market to purchase the freshest ingredients for a truly seasonal meal. Cossiga also hosts exclusive private dinners for six thing, consider taking a cooking class either in one of the major cities or as part of a side trip out to the countryside of Rome, Venice or Florence. For classes in Rome those conducted by Chef Andrea Consoli are popular choices. [See cookingclassesin- rome.webs.com for details and contact information.] In Venice you can take a 4- vacation packages with airfare and 7 nights hotel accommoda- tions to Rome for just over $1,500 on Orbitz.com. US Airways has November round trip airfares from LAX to Rome for just under $1,300 on the usa.wego.com. Priceline.com lists $1,200 roundtrip fares [not counting baggage fees] from LAX to Venice and Florence and some packages including hotel for around $1,600 Visit Kayak.com for a broad compari- son of fares, flights and accom- modations. If culinary exploration is your your culinary muse with a cook- ing class conducted by Mauro and Manuela. He grew up in to eight guests, including a som- melier-guided wine tasting in a palazzo apartment in Venice or in an historical Art Déco Villa with garden located in Lido. [See venicevenetogourmet .com]. Check out slowtrav.com for even more choices including orienting your entire vacation to culinary experiences. In Florence you can indulge and upon reaching the wounded soldiers, Sal realized that some- one was missing, separated from the rest of the platoon. Sal then took a position on the crest of a hill and observed two insurgents carrying away an American sol- dier; it was one of his best friends, Staff Sergeant Brennon. He immediately fired upon the enemy, killing one and wounding the other who escaped capture. Upon reaching Brennon, he administered medical aid, as his squad caught up to him and pro- vided support. The ambush had lasted only three minutes: It seemed like hours. The next day, when Sal heard cial citation, the president stopped, turned to look at Sal and then turned back to the audi- ence and said, "Now, I'm going to go off-script here for a second and just say, 'I really like this guy.'" There was laughter and East Room of the White house, President Barak Obama present- ed the Medal of Honor for con- spicuous gallantry to Staff Sergeant Salvatore Augustine Giunta, United States Army. During the reading of the offi- White House announced that Staff Sergeant Salvatore Augustine Giunta would be awarded the United States' high- est military decoration, The Congressional Medal of Honor. On November 16, 2010, in the Salvatore Augustine Giunta was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant. On September 10, 2010, the actions saying, "For all intents and purposes, with the amount of fire that was going on in the conflict at that time, he shouldn't be alive." In August of 2009, Specialist were outnumbered. You stopped the fight. You stopped them from taking a soldier." Later, Gallardo described Sal's that Brennan died during surgery, he did not take the news well. Staff Sergeant Erik Gallardo took Sal aside to con- sole him. "You don't under- stand," he said to Sal, "... what you did was pretty crazy. We Michelin starred Met Restaurant in the Hotel Metropole. Here your meal will be served in a set- ting of Venetian antiques over- looking the lagoon in Castello. Or book Locanda La Cusina, a hotel restaurant in San Marco with a terrace overlooking Santa Maria della Salute across the Grand Canal. And no stay in Venice is complete without at least one trip to the iconic Caffè Florian to sip coffee or hot chocolate. applause from the audience. The President then said, "I think anybody ... we all just get a sense of people and who they are ... and when you meet Sal and you meet his family... you are just absolutely convinced that this is what America is all about." Sal, in keeping with his per- sona, accepted the Medal of Honor from his Commander-in- Chief with humility, dignity and grace. grand view. In Rome try to land a reservation at the Michelin starred Mirabelle Restaurant on the 7th floor of the Hotel Splendide Royal. This restaurant overlooks the Villa Borghese and includes a panoramic sweep of the 19th century palaces of Pinciano, Villa Medici, Trinità dei Monti, Saint Peter's and the Gianicolo. Another great choice for a view of St. Peter's is Les Etoiles on the sixth floor of the Hotel Atlante. Restaurants to try in Florence include at the upper price range Borgo San Jacopo with wonder- ful views of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge along with its delicious seasonal menu choices. For less money and noteworthy food try Acqua al 2 which offers sam- pling plates and a classic Florentine steak in balsamic vinegar. A popular choice for grabbing a quick meal is Trattoria ZàZà, near Piazza Mercato Centrale Square. To burn up all of the extra calo- Caffè Florian, Venezia on your agenda, dining out in Venice is a treat any time of year, but especially in the fall when all of Italy is buzzing with talk of truffles, olives and grape harvests. For a high-end meal make reservations at the Sardinia and she was raised in Taormina so they both share a love of seafood, superb risotto, Tuscan food and wine. [See cookeatitalian.com] Even if cooking classes aren't of November 5 –11 and you'll be in the city in time for Restaurant Week so that you can save money on some fantastic meals. During this week participating restaurants in Rome offer special fixed price 3-course lunches and dinners for €25.00 per person. [Drinks are extra.] Book in advance at restaurantweek.it. Should you decide to have a grand meal, why not include a Get away to Rome for the week ries be sure to take some long atmospheric walks outdoors. If it rains, you can always plan your day to include museums, art gal- leries and shopping. Italy's big cities are ready to give you a big city experience that is totally dif- ferent from what you may have experienced in the summer. Moreover, you really can make this trip all about you and what you really want to experience from you travel. Plan it yourself or get help from a travel agent or a travel consultant familiar with the city that you want to see.

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