VETERANS

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A R I Z O N A V E T E R A N S M A G A Z I N E
SERVICE TO COUNTRY LASTS YOUR ENTIRE LIFETIME
WORLD WAR II VETERANS GROUP
Terravita Golf Club - Scottsdale, Arizona
No cost to join the WWII Veterans Group, Lunch $13
Meeting dates are: November 4th, December 9th, Feb. 3, March 3
More info about the World War II Club, call Harold at 480-437-1055.
HAROLD CORMAN — 92 YEARS OLD
Harold moved to Arizona in 2006 and wanted to meet
other World War II veterans. Harold served in the US
Army Air Corps as an Aircraft Machinest during World
War II. After the war, Harold spent 37 years as a Real
Estate Broker and was married for 57 years.
He started the World War II Veterans Group that grew
to over 150 members. They meet at the Golf Club on
Terravita in Scottsdale.
WES WATHEY — 90 YEARS OLD
Wes is from Brooklyn, New York and served in the US
Army as a Scout. He was hit by a German mortar and has
2 Purple Hearts. He had 68 stitches in his leg and almost
lost his leg. He spent 3 months in the hospital. After the
obtained teaching degrees from New York University and
was a Teacher and then became a Principal of the
Wheatley School of Westbury, New York, which was
ranked as one of the top ten high schools in the country.
Wes has been married for a remarkable 64 years.
AL TYLER — 95 YEARS OLD
Al Tyler is from Chicago, IL and was drafted in the US
Army in 1941. He was a tank commander and spent 20
years in the Army and retired as a Major. After the war,
he moved to Everett, Washington and worked for Boeing
for 20 years building Minute Man Missiles and he also
built 747 aircraft.
RALPH COPE — 90 YEARS OLD
Ralph Cope, his father and his grandfather collectively
served 85 years. Ralph is from North Carolina and comes
from a long line of family to serve our country. Ralph
served in the US Navy for 5 years as an electrician.
Ralph's father served 30 years in the US Navy and was a
World War I veteran. Ralph's grandfather served 50 years
in the US Navy, starting as an 8 year old as a cabin boy
on sailing ships. After the war, Ralph lived in Chicago
and was a dance instructor because there were no jobs
because of so many returning veterans. He then worked
for General Motors for 30 years as an engineer. In 2013, Ralph spent 3 days
in Washington DC with Honor Flight and was the first group to visit the US
Naval Academy.
SANDY SHIFRIN, 89 YEARS OLD — DIED SEPTEMBER 23
Sandy was born and raised in St. Louis and was
drafted in the US Army. Sandy was trapped in a foxhole
in Belgium surrounded by German Nazi soliders. He
spent 13 days in the foxhole during the cold winter with
no food and no shelter. To this day, Sandy is still
surprised that he survived. Most of his fellow soliders
that were trapped were killed. After the war, the US Army
sent Sandy to Yale University to study engineering.
According to Sandy, "I was drafted at 18 as a boy, and
came out of the Army at 21 as a man."
VERN SQUIER — 90 YEARS OLD
Vern is from Orland, California and spent 3 years in
the US Army and was a Tank Destroyer Gunner in
France. He landed on Omaha Beach after D-Day. After
the war, he worked for Shell Oil for 30 years. Vern has
been a very active volunteer for the Joe Foss Institute
and has taught patriotism to over 30,000 students in
Arizona. In one year alone, he lectured to 10,000
students.
MARY JANE LAWS — 98 YEARS OLD
Mary is from Indiana and served in the US Navy as a
Nurse, spending 2 years in Camp Lejune Naval Hospital
in North Carolina. She was married in 1947 in Arizona
and has been here since. After the war, she spent her
career as a Public Health Nurse.
At the World War II Club meeting l-r: Dr. Teresa Juetten-Iannacci, Jerry
Iannacci, Harold Corman, General Schneider, and David Lucier.
JERRY IANNACCI
Jerry Iannacci is a former Homeland Security Special Advisor. He is an
internationally recognized published criminologist who is an expert in
homeland security, financial crimes, safety, internet related crimes and
document forensics.
Jerry started his career post college as a Police Officer in New York. He
was later recruited to manage the Safety and Security Operations for
Marriott Hotels and Resorts. Several years later, he was yet again recruited
to one of the world’s largest financial institutions as their Deputy Director
of Investigations worldwide. He traveled around the world on assignment
and became a recognized expert in financial crimes and terrorism. He was
then later identified to help establish the U.S. Secret Service Federal Task
Force (MWATF) in Washington D.C. The Task Force helped organize one of
the world’s most successful cooperatives between the government, public,
and private sectors in the quest to reduce organized crime. After only two
years of operation, this consortium of financial investigators from the IAFCI,
local police, and federal agencies received the Attorney General’s award for
its successes. Jerry’s skills continued to be tapped by the Federal
Government and he was later appointed as an Intelligence Advisor to the
Pentagon and was on “special assignment.”
In 2002, the Governor of Maryland appointed Jerry to the Transition Advisory
Team to help establish the new office of Homeland Security as the Homeland
Security Special Advisor. Having accepted the honor of this post, our nation at
war, homeland security was his focus in the aftermath of 9/11. During this
tenure, Jerry was challenged with helping to address matters involving
preparedness and intelligence issues with the Council of Governments.
Jerry is a Past President of the International Association of Financial
Crimes Investigators (Mid-Atlantic States), in addition to being a member of
the organization’s International Board of Directors and serving as the
Training and Education Chairperson.
Jerry retired to Arizona and became the volunteer Chief Executive Officer of
Operation American Patriot. Jerry is married to Dr. Teresa Juetten-Iannacci.
He has lectured internationally on crime and the importance of joining
forces in fighting crime and proper sharing of intelligence. A significant
honor was given to Jerry when he was requested by the Queen of England’s
Counsel to be the key note speaker at the International Fraud and
Corruption Conference addressing the prestigious cabinet and judiciary
branch of government.
Jerry has been called upon by CBS News Washington, D.C. to consult
during several of the major school shooting tragedies and terrorist events
over the years.
Advocacy: Jerry has always aspired to help children. In the wake of a rash
of school shootings and bullying events across the country, Jerry established
many school based programs to help address this growing concern. He
published and assisted the Maryland State Police to introduce before the
Maryland General Assembly a bill on child pornography and internet-related
crimes, which did become law in 1998. Then, in 1999, he was requested by
the Maryland Senate to help pass the Fraud Identity Takeover Act, which is
also now law and has been replicated across America. His community
advocacy continued and Jerry was appointed by then Secretary of State -
General Colin Powell and Bill Milliken the founders of America’s Promise /
Communities in Schools as the Associated Chairman of the Board of
Directors in Maryland for the National Alliance. He continues this advocacy
today for children as the National Chairman for the Public Safety Volunteer
Partnership. This public school based organization is also an Alliance
Partner of America's Promise and a member of the National Crime Prevention
Council. Via education partnerships, the program promotes public bio and
leadership with our youth.
In January 2010, Jerry was appointed to the Veterans Coalition by
Senator John McCain of Arizona. Jerry is volunteering his expertise to assist
on Veteran’s issues as well as other strategic initiatives. Jerry is currently
the Volunteer CEO of Operation American Patriot, a non-profit that aspires
to help veterans and their families past and present.
Jerry is an alumnus of Saint John’s University and Hood College in New
York. He is also a graduate of the New York State Police Academy, The DEA
Forfeiture School, the IRS Criminal Investigations School and is certificated
by Johns Hopkins University in Legal Issues and Public Health Preparedness.
“God bless your mom and dad as well as your
grandparents. Thank God we have hopefully
grown up to be what our mom and dad tried so
hard for us to be. Often we take our parents for
granted. Undoubtedly, there have been times were
we have disagreed with the methodology but, I for
one have personally grown to know that they
really tried to do their best. We will always be
viewed as their children and that is often hard to
understand. But one thing is for certain a mom
and a dad are just like a soldier who would give
their life to protect our country. A parent would do
the same and a mom would lead the charge.”
— Jerry Iannacci
Jerry Iannacci
Changes the World