Dear Editor,
I would like to recommend Reggie Desidero a local Medal of Honor
winner killed in action during the Korean War as the person the new
school should be named after.
Dear Editor,
I would like to recommend Reggie Desidero a local Medal of Honor winner killed in action during the Korean War as the person the new school should be named after.
Reggie served in the army during the Great Depression then returned to high school to complete his final years at Gilroy High School. He also joined the local National Guard. This unit consisted of local men and boys, many sets of brothers, fathers and sons. It was called into national service before Pearl Harbor and served with honor during the war.
Like many, the unit was combed for new units which needed officers. This was Reggie. He served in Europe during the war with many decorations. After the war he stayed in the army and was sent to the Korean conflict as a company commander in the 27th Infantry Regiment 7th Division. At some lonely hill he gave his life in the defense of this country in a now-forgotten war. But to any veteran of service to this country, his service and the service of any veteran will never be forgotten.
To the millions who have served and are serving, and to the men and women that will serve this nation, the naming of a school means so much it is hard to put into words.
Reggie served in a war fought under the United Nations banner. I wonder if this would be done today. Today, everybody wants a fast war over in weeks and on the six o’clock news. But as any veteran will tell, you must fight until we can have peace. Men of Reggie’s era are the men and women of the greatest generation and are dying off at the rate of 1,000 a month.
We have the finest military in the world, but only a fraction of the size of WWII, and this military is made up of all volunteers. No draft. Where do we get these young men and women to go forth and defend this nation? We build them with history. So please keep our history and name the new school after Gilroy’s Medal of Honor winner Reggie Desidero
David Rodriguez,
GMG-3 U.S. Navy, Gilroy
