Canonsburg man to serve as grand marshal of the Pittsburgh Veterans Day Parade
Paul Paterra/Observer-Reporter
A decorated Korean War veteran from Canonsburg has been chosen to serve as the grand marshal of the Pittsburgh Veterans Day Parade.
John DeFillipo, 94, said he was honored to ride in the parade, which will step off at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Nov 11. One of the largest and longest-running Veterans Day parades in the country starts at the intersection of 10th and Liberty avenues and proceeds along Liberty in downtown Pittsburgh.
Joining DeFillipo for the ride will be his wife of 70 years, Patricia.
DeFillipo, a U.S. Army veteran, served in Korea for about a year and a half, from 1951 to 1953, and saw action in the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge.
He recalled being pressed into duty upon his arrival.
“They put me on a truck and took me to Heartbreak Ridge,” he said. “I got there at night and the only light there is at night is the moon. A sergeant told me I was going to be on guard duty that night. He put me in a position, gave me a walkie-talkie and said, ‘Keep an eye out, because we might get hit.’ All night long I looked, and dawn came and I found I was looking at the sky all night long, I should have been looking down at the mountain.”
Years later, DeFillipo was awarded the Purple Heart after being injured in the battle.
“I was placed in a ditch, a trench that was about three feet wide, about chest high,” DeFillipo said. “We were being shelled all day and all night. We were really getting bombarded. At the last second, I heard three motors going off and one of them landed and it was close. I put my hand over my eyes under my helmet and got down on the ground as far as I could, and that’s all I remember. A medic finally found me and brought me around. Where I had my hand over my eyes I had shrapnel all through my hand. The concussion was so great it blew my eardrums out. The medic was pretty concerned. They pulled about seven pieces out. They eventually sent me to a medevac hospital. They operated and I was fine.”
Like many other war veterans, DeFillipo was hesitant to talk about his time in Korea for many years.
“He never talked about it when we were kids,” said his daughter, Terry Graham. “We just knew he was in the war.
“I heard they were giving medals out to people who served in Korea that didn’t get them. I asked Dad why he didn’t get them and he said, ‘I left. I wanted to go home.’ I asked if I could send for them. They came and they presented them to him and now he’s got them.”
While DeFillipo is rather modest about being named grand marshal, his family intends to rally around him at the parade. In addition to Graham, he has three other children, Kathy Horvath, John DeFillippo and Gary DeFillippo.
“We’re all going to roar when dad goes past,” Graham said. “He’s got four kids and a bunch of grandchildren and we’re all excited as heck.
“We’re absolutely thrilled for him to be honored like that at this point in his life,” added daughter Kathy.
DeFillipo has remained active throughout his life and still plays golf. He worked as a contractor for a number of years.
He also was a member of the Canonsburg VFW, served as president of the Lions Club and belonged to the Knights of Columbus. DeFillipo also has served as Canonsburg magistrate and a member of council and is currently chairman of the borough planning commission.