WWII Veteran Funeral – Private 1st Class Vincent Pagliaro
Event Date
11/13/2015
Event Time8:30 am;
Location
Inglesby & Sons Funeral Home
Cove Road
Pennsauken, NJ
WWII Veteran, Private 1st Class Vincent R. Pagliaro, marched into eternity on November 9, 2015. He was 95, just short of his goal to “live to be 100.”
Pagliaro, a graduate of South Philadelphia High School, was drafted into the Army Air Corp in 1941. Prior to reporting for boot camp, he married his wife, the former Dolores Marie (Dee) McPeak.
An Airplane electrical mechanic from 1941-1946, Pagliaro served his country honorably in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theatre of war. The warriors assigned to the CBI theatre had a collective mission to “stop against an aggressive enemy from enslaving the people and plundering the resources of East Asian countries, specifically China Burma and India.”
Every pilot who flew required four technical specialists to ensure the safety and reliability of their aircraft. Like Pagliaro, they performed their duties in spartan structures amidst unforgiving terrain and with the looming threat of enemy bombing raids.
Private first class Pagliaro was presented a patch from the Flying Tigers, officially called the American Volunteer Group, who were known for their planes with iconic shark faces on them. His skills, like those of the other airplane mechanic specialists, played an important role in the collective war effort.
Pagliaro was officially discharged from military service at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA after enduring several months at sea “on a very slow ship” coming back to the States.
Upon his return to the civilian sector, Vincent capitalized on his skills as a typesetter and worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer for over 35 years, advancing with the emerging technologies from handset typesetting to machine typesetting.
With a sharp intuitive mind, Pagliaro was remembered for building his own television in the late 1940’s when the post-war boom saw Americans transitioning from their dependence on the radio to the new media.
Marie and Vincent Pagliaro raised their three children, Marie, Donna and Vincent, in Pennsauken, NJ and had five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
A patriotic American, Pagliaro was a member of the American Legion and was a past Commander of VFW Post 1270 in Pennsauken. Three years ago, he had the pleasure of joining other WWII and Korean veterans on an “Honor Flight” that left from Williamstown High School and brought the honored guests to visit their monument in D.C.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his memorial visitation on Friday, November 13, 2015 from 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. at Inglesby & Sons Funeral Home, located at 2426 Cove Road, Pennsauken, NJ. A Memorial Mass will follow at 10 a.m. at St. Peters Roman Catholic Church in Merchantville. Inurnment will take place at New St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bellmawr with military honors. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Wounded Warrior Project, www.woundedwarriorproject.org/Donate, P.O. Box 75817, Topeka, Kansas 66675. To post a picture or share a memory visit www.inglesbyfuneralhome.com.
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