First Posted: 1/15/2015
HUGHESTOWN — Amy Aplaugh, 77, went to great lengths to honor the legacy of her late father, Carlo Ninassi, by ensuring he still received the Purple Heart he was never awarded. Her hard work finally paid off.
At a special ceremony held in the Hughestown home of Alpaugh she was presented the Purple Heart Medal along with the World War I Victory Medal in honor of her late father.
In attendance at the ceremony Thursday were Pittston AMVETS Post No. 189 Honor Guards Jerry Gurnai and Tom Skrzysowski and U.S. Rep. Matthew Cartwright.
Cartwright delivered a speech and presented the medals to Alpaugh.
“People who know me know of my deep and abiding commitment to America’s veterans,” said Cartwright. “That makes this kind of thing the most enjoyable, by far, part of my job.”
Ninassi was born in Valdopina, Italy and immigrated to the United States in his late teens. He enlisted to join the U.S. Army at the age of 19. He served as a private in the U.S. Army and served in combat in France during World War I with Battery B, 109th Field Artillery Brigade, 28th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces.
Ninassi was wounded in combat in the Battle of Fismes in Fismes, France, part of what is known today as the Second Battle of Marne in August 1918. He suffered the loss of fingers on his left hand and wounds to his head and right shoulder with shrapnel, which are fragments of a bomb shell.
Alpaugh said her father would sleep with his arm in the air due to the shrapnel moving around in his body and was in constant pain. She said she was unsure why he never had surgery to remove them, believing possibly nothing could have been done.
Ninassi passed away of a heart attack in 1974 at the age of 77, and Alpaugh said she was the last one to hear his voice having spoken to him earlier that day.
She said it holds a little bit of meaning to her that she was the last one to speak to him.
“In a way I wish I was there with him (when he died),” said Alpaugh. “But, I was so thrilled that I was able to hear his voice for the last time.”
Upon realizing Ninassi did not receive a Purple Heart for his services, Alpaugh spent a good year piecing together the documentation to prove he was eligible and called Cartwright’s office.
“I was shocked,” said Alpaugh. “He never talked about his medals or anything, so when I found the documents I thought I should search and see if he did get a medal.”
When she got the word that Ninassi would indeed be receiving his long overdue Purple Heart, Alpaugh was thrilled that her late father would finally get the recognition he deserved.
“I was overwhelmed,” said Alpaugh. “I was so thrilled and I was wishing that my dad was here to see the medal, but I was just overwhelmed; I couldn’t believe it, he got the Purple Heart. To me just a victory medal would have made me feel great.”
Alpaugh and her husband, Tom, have three grown children, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, but unfortunately none were able to attend the ceremony in Hughestown on Thursday. She said she knew they would have been there if they could have.
With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face as she was presented the medals, Alpaugh knew her father would be grateful as she thanked everyone in attendance.
“Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Alpaugh to Cartwright. “I will treasure this always, and so will my children. My dad was such a good person.”
Alpaugh then grabbed the photo of her dad in his war uniform with his dog tags dangling from the frame, and with a whole hearted smile said, “Dad, this is for you.”