I wish you could see the photo that accompanied this article - an old chap in a security uniform with coke-bottle glasses and a natty beret.
quote:Trained seniors ready as Delray's homeland security force
By Dani Davies, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 22, 2002
DELRAY BEACH -- Alone in a German forest with three bullet wounds in his shoulder, Frank Andreiuolo had a pocketful of rations and his devotion to America to sustain him.
Now, the 82-year-old has a new target for the patriotism that fueled his survival those two weeks more than a half-century ago.
He is one of eight natty veterans who will serve in the police department's newly formed Volunteer Homefront Security Program. Wearing blue berets, American flag pins and stars-and-stripes patches, the specially trained seniors will stand guard at city hall, Old School Square, the public golf course, the library, post offices and the city's garage.
"They've stepped forward," said officer Skip Brown, who runs the program. "They did this in 1944 and they are going to do it again in 2004."
By training World War II veterans like Andreiuolo -- who were infuriated by Sept. 11's threat to the freedom they fought for -- the department is tapping an abundant resource in South Florida, where able retirees have time on their hands.
Starting Wednesday the volunteers, who were trained to notice crimes or unusual situations, will notify authorities of them on police radios. Patrolling in cars and on foot, they will answer questions and listen to concerns from the public. They also will be trained to handle threats of bioterrorism, specifically looking for suspicious packages or people.
The idea of using seniors came from several members of the police administration, said Brown, a volunteer coordinator and elder-issues officer.
Five years ago, as Brown visited Hospice by the Sea to sit with former police volunteer Phil Kastner, the officer penned a tribute to members of the the "Greatest Generation."
"As I look at each of their faces and listen to their voices, I ask myself what sacrifices did they make in their lifetime to be here now?" he wrote. "... From the great depression to World War II, from steel pennies to rations of food, they gave and gave and never complained. Their sense of community was entwined in their very lives, because they knew nothing else."
Andreiuolo, who said he left the Army in 1946 with a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart, is the norm among the home front security squad.
"I lost a lot of friends," Andreiuolo said. "I feel that I gave all my life to my country and my family, and I will continue to do that for Delray Beach."
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