Thanks to a nine-year-long effort on the part of West Hartford, Connecticut resident, Tom Guzzo, the United States Congress has approved legislation that will guarantee U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs gravestone markers for families of deceased veterans.
The bill also provides medallions or bronze plates for veterans' headstones that were privately purchased.
Guzzo was motivated to take up this cause in 1989 when his father, Agostino Guzzo, died at the age of 70 after rebuilding roads in the Philippines during World War II. The family then discovered that Mr. Guzzo did not qualify for a government-funded marker.
Congratulations to Tom Guzzo for his patient persistence in pursuing this campaign. We're proud to know that the efforts of a Connecticut resident resulted in this legislation.
A full article on this story appears in the Christmas Day edition of Newsday.
