— On Nov. 10, 1967, 20-year-old Pete Celentano wrote home to his mother and father about surviving the Battle of Dak To in Vietnam, noting that he was injured in battle, which they might read in the newspaper.
Little did he know that very letter and a local news report of the battle published on the same day, would be at the crux of a congressional inquiry to the Department of the Army. The documents would provide proof that the now 78-year-old Jackson resident was deserving of the Purple Heart.
Congressman Chris Smith appealed directly to Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth in November to investigate and if warranted approve the hallowed medal, reserved only for those injured in combat. He sent the Secretary Celentano’s letter to his parents, as well as an United Press International (UPI) article that ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the battle that was discovered by the Ocean County Library’s Jackson Branch at Smith’s Office request, and other evidence.
It was on the slopes of what the Army called Hill 724 when Celentano’s foxhole took a direct hit, instantly killing two soldiers. When he came to, he found the fourth man in the foxhole unconscious with a whole in his back. Although stunned, Celentano had enough wherewithal to apply pressure to slow the bleeding until they could be medevacked to a military hospital.
“We were told to dig deep because the enemy had us surrounded, per aviation spotters,” Celentano told Smith. “They were going to attack us. All hell broke loose in the afternoon. My foxhole took a direct hit, either an RPG [rocket propelled grenade] or a mortar round. Sgt. Earl Lawrence and Gary W. Schnitt were killed instantly. Sgt. Eddie Ingram was across my lap with a hole in his back. I used direct pressure with my chin to stop the blood flow. I had shrapnel wounds to my face, neck, arms and hands. I was choppered out to the medical area where I was treated and bandaged.”
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Nov 10
Dear mom & dad,
How is everyone doing back home? I hope everything is coming along fine. We are now in the fire base taking it heavy. We had 140 men in our company and now we have a grand total of 60. You will probably read about us in the papers. We got hit with a regiment of NVA [North Vietnamese Army]… .
(excerpt of above letter)
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In his 1967 letter to his parents, he wrote: “My bunker took a direct hit, killed two of my men in my squad and injured my squad leader and gave me shrapnel in my hand.”
The Army accepts dated wartime letters to help establish proof of injuries, among other documents. The UPI news account of the battle was closely similar to the content Celentano’s letter home.
On Friday, Feb, 21, Smith presented Celentano with the Military Order of the Purple Heart at Smith’s office in Toms River. Present were his wife, Joanne, children and grandchildren, and a half-dozen of his fellow Vietnam veterans who turned out, plus Col. John Wildermann of the 99th Readiness Division at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
“Thank you to Pete for his bravery, for obviously waiting far too long to receive this Purple Heart,” Smith told the assembled group. “It’s amazing that you had not received it to date, but better late than never. I think for your grandkids and your sons, it’s certainly a great opportunity to remember just as heroic you are.”
Smith noted that another veteran, Pete Pagani of Connecticut, who was at the battle and who wrote to Smith in support of Celentano getting the Purple Heart, recounted how Celantano saved his life when he had been separated in nighttime maneuvers, and Celentano risked his life to come back and find him.
“He told us how you saved his life,” Smith said to Celentano. “You found him and got him to safety and as he told us, he would not have made it if it had not been for you. He couldn’t say enough about you, and he lives and thrives today because of you.”
Pagani was unable to attend for medical reasons, but expressed his admiration and congratulations to Celentano via phone.
PHOTO: Pete Celentano addresses friends and family after being presented with his Purple Heart at the presentation ceremony at Smith’s Toms River Office.
