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WWII Vet Launches Memorial in Little Italy

Gaetano “Tommy” Avila has had a decades-long dream: a World War II memorial in Little Italy.

The World War II veteran and longtime resident of the area wanted to dedicate it to some of the local servicemen who never came home.

Avila’s dream is now coming to fruition at the intersection of Fir and India streets. The site was dedicated July 16, and organizers are in the midst of fund-raising efforts.

Depending on the final design, the project will cost between $120,000 and $160,000, said Marco Li Mandri, chairman of the Little Italy Association. Locally based landscape architectural firm Environs is designing the project.

So far, $80,000 has been raised. Grants of $25,000 came from county supervisors Greg Cox and Ron Roberts, and an additional $30,000 came from the office of City Councilman Byron Wear.

Li Mandri said he expects to raise the rest privately. The Marine Corps and Vietnam veterans’ organizations are likely to support the project, he said.

The memorial will have a list of the men from the area who fought and died in World War II, Li Mandri said.

It will be named after Marine Sgt. John Basilone, a Medal of Honor awardee who died in early 1945, he said. Basilone was killed at Iwo Jima, in an action for which he was nominated for a second Medal of Honor.

When Avila shared his goals for the war memorial, Li Mandri realized the idea could work alongside his own group’s plans.

As Little Italy continues to become more densely populated, the association wanted to establish more public spaces in the area, Li Mandri said.

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