The crew of the Jamaica Ginger, the B-17 bomber, Joseph Spataro served in, was photographed in front of a B-17 in Knettishal, Enland, on April 22, 1944. They are, from left, S/Sgt Richard H. Thompson - Richmond, VAS/Sgt Gordon B. Porterfield - Bluefield, WV, 2nd Lt Von W. Bottenfield - Nelson, NE, 1st Lt Frank C. Prendergast - Jamacia, N.Y., 2nd Lt Joseph P. Spataro - Slippery Rock, S/Sgt Elden R. Mullarney - Watertown, N.Y., 2nd Lt Chester L. Pietrzak - Erie, PA.Eighth Air ForceHistorical Society PHOTO

Tombstone inscriptions erode and grow illegible. Old photographs yellow and crumble.

Survivors and descendants move away or die in their turn. Those who gave all for their country are forgotten, their sacrifices erased.

Memories are short and time is long.

That's why Memorial Day, a day set aside for remembering those who died while serving in the country's armed forces, is much more important than the unofficial start of summer and a chance for a three-day weekend. Or it should be.

Harry Spataro, 87, is a Slippery Rock native who has lived in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove for nearly 60 years. Recently he returned to his hometown to honor the memory of his brother, Joseph Paul Spataro, who died far from home more than 70 years ago.

Harry Spataro, said his brother, was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, in June 1920.

His father, James, came to the United States, followed eight years later by his wife, Mary Elizabeth, and young Joe.

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