| Veteran Memorials |
| S/SGT Ralph E. Sirianni, Jr. |
| U.S. Army Air Corp. |
Sources:
| Boston Globe (Subscription) |
| - Winthrop Sergeant Prisoner of Germans, May 6, 1944 |
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Selected later mentions
- 171 Pass Tests for Appointment to Police Depts, Dec. 15, 1948
- Winthrop Warns of Polio, Urges Harbor Cleanup, Aug. 17, 1962
- Know Your Legislators, Jun. 9, 1966
- Beyond Deer Island, Jun. 5, 1968
- Sirianni Bill Asks MPA Get Going on New Airport: Time Table Cited, Sep 23, 1969
- Probe of Hathorne school building opens, Jul. 9, 1970
- Snowmobile fight upcoming, Dec. 26, 1971
- Mass. House advances bill to ban cheap handguns, May 3, 1974 |
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| Ralph E. Sirianni, Jr. (1923-2010) - U.S. Army Air Forces, WWII - flew as a right waist gunner on a B-17 bomber. On a mission over Germany in February of 1944 his plane was attacked and shot down. Ralph, severely injured, bailed out and was taken prisoner. Returning to Winthrop after the war Ralph joined the Winthrop Police Department. He also served as the Director of Public Health in the town. In 1963 he ran for, and won election as a State Representative. |
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| "Ralph Sirianni exemplified the best of Winthrop over the latter half of the 20th Century. He was: a B-17 waist gunner; a Winthrop Policeman and Public Health Officer; Representative to the Massachusetts General Assembly; and Member, Massachusetts Public Health council. More importantly, Ralph was a great friend, a wonderful neighbor, a truly respected member of our community. |
| Naming the intersection of Winthrop Street and Wadsworth Avenue "Ralph E. Sirianni Square" is an appropriate, deserved tribute to a person who served and represented Winthrop, Massachusetts, and the United States of America with distinction....MORE. " |
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| "The end of an era was marked this past week with the passing of Ralph Sirianni, who for more than five decades served this community in many capacities..." |
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Memorial dedicated: May 26, 2019
Memorial location: Corner of Winthrop St. and Wadsworth Ave. |
| View Google Map |
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| Recommendation for naming square for Ralph E. Sirianni |
| Richard Duval, Former Commander, American Legion Post 143, December 2018 |
| Ralph Sirianni exemplified the best of Winthrop over the latter half of the 20th Century. He was: a B-17 waist gunner; a Winthrop Policeman and Public Health Officer; Representative to the Massachusetts General Assembly; and Member, Massachusetts Public Health council. More importantly, Ralph was a great friend, a wonderful neighbor, a truly respected member of our community. |
| Naming the intersection of Winthrop Street and Wadsworth Avenue "Ralph E. Sirianni Square" is an appropriate, deserved tribute to a person who served and represented Winthrop, Massachusetts, and the United States of America with distinction. . |
| Being a distinguished citizen is not a gift -- it is earned. On March 23, 1944 as a waist gunner in the belly of a B-17 F bomber, young Ralph Sirianni began paying his dues. |
| This was Sirianni's seventh mission with the 8th Air Force's 563rd Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group. "Mission #34" was to drop bombs on military targets at Brunswick, Germany. With no protecting allied fighters yet still being required to maintain formation the 388th was an easy target for the furious swarms of enemy F\V-190 German fighters. Sirianni remembers the exploding 20 mm German cannon rounds, Sergeant Ernie Alcorn putting tourniquets on both of his shattered legs, then bailing out before the burning plane crash landed. |
| He was captured near Neinburg, Germany. Staff Sergeant Ralph Edward Sirianni, Prisoner of War #3959, spent the remainder of World War II in Stalig Luft I near Barth, Germany. |
| His imprisonment is notable for: its only basic medical care; rudimentary shelter with insufficient heat; overcrowded conditions; and starvation. Sergeant Sirianni was skeletal, limped badly, was infested with lice, and profoundly happy to be going home on May 1, 1945. That was the glorious day Russian troops liberate berated Stalig Luft I. |
| For his service, Staff Sergeant Ralph E. Sirianni was awarded eight medals and one citation. Among these decorations were: two Purple hearts; the Air Medal; Good Conduct Medal; and the Presidential United Citation with individual citations. |
| During his transition into civilian life, two life altering choices set the trajectory of Mr. Sirianni's life. The first is marrying Mary Moriarty, the love of his life, on September 15, 1946. Within a few years they bought the Wadsworth house at 275 Winthrop Street. Here their daughter Kris was raised, grandchildren and great grandchildren baked cookies, friends visited, and together Mary and Ralph lived their lives in a town they loved. |
| And having grown up in Winthrop Ralph and Mary had lots of friends. They were active, good friends, connected with fellow veterans, and supported civic projects and community events. Ralph enjoyed getting things done. |
| As with many World Wat II veterans Mr. Sirianni probably felt uneasiness with his comfortable civilian life. The sense of service to community and country is gone. Family, friends, a good job, are not enough. |
| Whatever his reasons, Mr. Sirianni clearly stated a desire, a need to commit himself to public service. To this end he joined the Winthrop Police Department in 1949. And Mr. Sirianni again began paying his dues. |
| Being a policeman was a fine job Officer Sirianni enjoyed. The shifts were never boring. Most of all he enjoyed helping people which is a major part of every shift. Never the less, more and more Officer Sirianni felt police work didn't fulfill his need, his desire for public service. |
| In 1954 Winthrop needed a Health Officer and Mr. Sirianni accepted the appointment. Health and sanitation regulations are broad and all encompassing. They include everything from communicable diseases, to trash and housing, to food borne illness. Health Officer Sirianni truly enjoyed his work. At its core a genuinely good Health Officer works with people to solve real problems that improve the entire community. |
| During his time as a policeman and health office Officer Sirianni stayed involved. He was there for clean-up days, always involved in improvement projects and, always interested in ideas to improve Winthrop's quality of life. Most importantly Ralph Sirianni was competent, capable and willing to lead. Over time there were so many issues and projects that involved him, it is difficult to pick just one good example. |
| If the Winthrop Public Landing isn't the best case study it certainly is a good one. Where or when the public landing notion came from is unknown. But in the late 1950's a public boat landing on the vacant land east of the Winthrop Yacht Club became a concrete proposal. |
| Over the next ten or so years the public landing idea developed momentum and community support. Ralph Sirianni was always at the forefront. Organizing meetings, speaking out, developing necessary plans, soliciting funds. Ralph's voice and energy pushed the Public Landing Proposal forward. |
| In 1963, Officer Sirianni's life took another tum. He decided to become candidate Ralph E. Sirianni and stand for election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Candidate Sirianni defeated three opponents in the 1964 democratic primary. That November he defeated a lifelong friend, neighbor and respected Republican, Mel Carver, to become Representative Ralph E. Sirianrri. He remained popular, involved, accessible and never lost an election. |
| Representative Sirianni didn't change! He paid his dues. He worked tirelessly representing Winthrop, earning respect, even admiration, of his fellow members. He also evolved, developing acknowledged expertise in a number of complex issues, especially Massachusetts public health challenges. Representative Sirianni became influential; persuasive in the House Democratic caucus; chairman of the Public Health Safety Committee and chairman of several sub-committee's: shepherded innumerable impactful bills to final reading; passage by the House; and ultimately becoming Massachusetts General Laws. |
| Of his accomplishments picking the most important is challenging. The most gratifying accomplishment however is an easier choice. Over the years Representative Sirianni shepherded the Winthrop Public Landing proposal through the legislative labyrinth, state government bureaucracy, to its dedication at final completion in the 1960's. Over time the Public Landing has evolved. With its views, Harbor Master building, and Municipal Marina, it has become a landmark as well as symbolic manifestation of the slogan "Winthrop by the Sea". |
| Representative Sirianni's accomplishments were not limited to the General Assembly. In 1974 Governor Endicott Peabody appointed Representative Sirianni to a six year term on the Massachusetts Public Health Council. In 1971 Governor Frank Sargent reappointed him to another six year term extending his service until 1978. In all Member Sirianni contributed a dozen years of service to the Massachusetts Public Health Council. |
| In 1974 Mr. Sirianni decided to retire and did not seek reelection to the House. The hectic years of public ser vice, his wounds, and PTSD had taken full measure. Looking forward Ralph anticipated time with Mary, reconnecting with friends, vacations, and pleasant summers up North. He felt his dues were paid. |
| Retirement from public life lasted until 1989 when he was asked to serve Winthrop again on the Board Health. During the eight years he served on the Board, member Sirianni again stood tall on important and sometimes controversial issues. |
| Banning the sale of cigarettes in Winthrop ·was the most controversial. This proposal was one of the first of its type in the United States. It brought national attention to Winthrop's leadership in the discussion of an important public health issue. Ultimately the ban was not adopted however, this does not diminish its importance! Finally, in 1998 Ralph started the New Year happy and returned to a deserved permanent retirement. His dues earned him the right to be called "respected public servant". |
| Reflecting on Ralph Sirianni's life of exemplary service finding a single defining act or accomplishment is difficult. A good choice might have happened on March 23, 1944. |
| Staff Sergeant Sirianni had head and arm wounds with tourniquets on both legs, was about to bail out of a shattered B-17 bomber when he heard firing from the tail gunner's position. "I was afraid he (Sergeant Walter Pawlesh) did not know we had been told to bail out. I crawled back almost to the rear wheel well so that I could see Walt. I picked up two spent .50 caliber shells and threw them at him. They hit him on the back and he turned around. I was stunned when I saw his face. He had been wounded in the head and there was blood all over his face. . .When he looked at me, I yelled to him that we were bailing out. He acknowledged that he understood." Sergeant Pawlesh survived being shot down, imprisonment, the war and returned home in 1945. |
| Throughout his life Ralph put others first. He served his country, his state, and his community with courage, distinction, and energy. Winthrop will bring great credit to itself by naming a square after the Honorable Ralph E. Sirianni. |
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