Anthem resident honors father-in-law
MARC BUCKHOUT ~ MANAGING EDITOR ~ 6/16/2010

Frank Giordano is looking forward to being alongside his father-in-law, Aymer Nelson on Veterans Day 2011. On Nov. 11, 2011 the two will be among the honorees at the dedication of Anthem’s Veterans Memorial.
Giordano, an Anthem resident, was amongst the first to purchase an engraved paver, which will be a part of the memorial, planned to be built in Anthem Community Park.
“I like the whole concept, especially how it’s a home grown Anthem project, with a local artist doing the design and how it will play into the environment and beauty of the community park,” he said.
The memorial consists of five marble covered pillars of diminishing sizes, dedicated to each of the five branches of the Armed Services, and each with an elliptical opening, engineered so that on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour (11:11a.m.), the sun’s rays will pass through and illuminate a mosaic of The Great Seal of the United States. The pillars and Great Seal will be set in an Honor Circle of brick pavers engraved with the names of veterans.
As much as he’s a proud Vietnam veteran Giordano said the opportunity to recognize his father-in-law, a World War II veteran, is more meaningful.
“Everybody in the family is extremely proud of what he did,” he said of the 97-year-old Nelson. “The service men from that generation were real patriots. They believed in what they were doing and didn’t want to be treated as though they were special when they came back. He never says much about what he did, but he was a part of the D-Day invasion and also was involved in the Battle of the Bulge. That six week battle is what is credited with changing the war.”
Nelson lost much of his hearing during that battle, but Giordano said he has quite a story about his experience.
“The U.S. was trying to get air support in during the battle, but the overcast weather wasn’t making that possible,” Giordano said in recounting Nelson’s story. “Apparently General {George} Patton talked to his senior religious officer. They came up with prayer cards that were handed out by Patton to each solider. At the same time they all read the cards with the prayer for better weather. Until just a couple years ago he still carried that card with him in his wallet at all times.”
His tour of duty also included freeing Jews from concentration camps.
While Nelson came back to the United States after serving in WWII from 1942- 45 and was thought of as a hero Giordano said that the reception he received following his return from Vietnam was nearly as favorable.
“He and I talked about the responses we got when we came back home,” Giordano said. “People looked down on you if you were a Vietnam vet. We were called baby killers and treated like we were terrible people.”
Giordano said he considered his service time, from 1968-70, very gratifying.
“You never here any of the good things that we did, but because of my experience I was fortunate to get to do a lot of projects in South Vietnam, to help the local villagers. We built small bridges, small schools, a library.”
Giordano said that one such project was particularly fulfilling.
“They had a well that was on the opposite side of a river and they had to walk down stream four or five miles to cross to get water and then had to come back. We were able to build a pipe line across the river that saved them all that work and time. They had a huge party. We were very well liked because of the work that we
helped them with.”
On his second tour he would meet his wife to be, Fay.
“We were building a library and she was an English teacher with the Peace Corps assigned to put together the library,” he said.
The couple would eventually marry and settle in New York, where Giordano had grown up, before eventually moving to Anthem.
On the 50th anniversary of D-Day they went on a cruise with Nelson to England.
“We visited Normandy,” he said. “We visited the cemetery at Omaha Beach. We found the grave site of his captain, who was killed in battle, and they had an emotional talk.”
Giordano said he’s hopeful that his father-in-law, who lives in Minnesota, will be around for another ceremony, this time to view the memorial in Anthem where the two will have bricks with their names and military service dates next to one and other in the Honor Circle, reserved for Veterans in Anthem Community Park.
Pavers can be purchased through www.OnlineAtAnthem.com by clicking on Veterans Memorial icon. They can also be purchased at the Anthem Community Council office at 3701 West Anthem Way or at the Anthem Community Center, which is located at 41130 N. Freedom Way. Veterans Pavers cost $150 and Pavers for friends, Business and organizations cost $200. General donations are also accepted and appreciated.
Leading up to next year’s dedication ceremony The Foothills Focus will periodically share the stories of North Valley veterans that are going to be honored in the Anthem Veterans Memorial. Contact us at ffeditorial@hotmail.com to help us share your story.