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Sgt Louis A. Dorio
Mecklenburg County Veterans Memorial
Clarksville, Virginia
Vera Dorio Buchanan is the daughter of Louis' brother, James, and lives with her husband, Buck, and family in Clarksville,
Virginia.
The Buchanan Family was instrumental in the creation of this Veterans Memorial. Thank you Vera, Buck and all the
Buchanan Family for this beautiful memorial.
Louis entered the Army Air Corps in 1943. He was the tailgunner on the B-29, Z Square 7. Three of his brothers also served
in the war. James was in the Navy in the southwest Pacific, Michael was in the Navy stationed in Virginia after a tour in
Italy, Anthony entered the Army in October 1941 and was with a motorized unit in France. The youngest brother, Alfonso,
was too young for the military but served with the Civil Air Patrol.
Louis was the only son who did not return home after the war. His B-29 Superfortress bomber was shot down in Tokyo Bay
on May 24, 1945 after participating in one of the largest air operations in the history of the world.
Louis was born the fourth of nine children. His four brothers were James, Michael, Anthony and Alfonso. His four sisters
were Mary, Josephine, Tillie and Vera.
Their mother, Elvira, was born in Chieuti, Italy and their father was born in Serracapriola, Italy. They came to this
country seperately, met and married here in the United States.
The Mecklenburg News-Progress
Memorial Day Edition
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Monument A 'Dream Come True'
One Man's Vision Becomes A Reality With Hard Work, Help Of Many.
Clarksville, Va. - The 12 members of the Mecklenburg County Veterans Memorial Monument Committee will more
than likely be breathing a sigh of relief come Memorial Day and the monument's dedication, but the memories of their work
over the past year will surely remain with them for the rest of their lives.
"I've been dreaming about this for so long.I can hardly believe it is coming true," committee chairman Stuart
Buchanan said last week. "So many people have so much into this, it's just beeen an incredible thing from the beginning."
Creating a monument to Mecklenburg County people who died while in service to their country had been in Buchanan's
mind for the past four or five years.
"I just felt like the County needed a symbol of the men and women who fought and died," he said. "And I thought
that the time was right for that."
"It was an uphill battle all the way," Buchanan said. "But it was a good battle because we had the backing
of a lot of people who really came forth and supported this project. It's been dollar by dollar, little by little, some of
the way, but I'm really proud of those who have supported this."
Much of the labor and many of the materials for the monument - which contains 43.5 yards of concrete and 14,000
pounds of black granite for the centerpiece - have been donated or discounted and for those contributions committee members
are grateful.
"I think this has been a wonderful experience for all of us," Buchanan said. "And I think people are going
to be proud of what they see in this monument."
Members of the Mecklenburg County Veterans Memorial Committee,led by Stuart Buchanan, have spent the better
part of the past year working on the tremendous task. These people have spent countless hours poring over records, contacting
people and raising money to ensure that the monument is the fitting tribute it should be.
Committee members are: Harrison Blanks, Iva Sizemore, Mike Sizemore, Janice Edwards, J.T. Taylor, Winnie Blanks,
Marianne Buchanan, Grace Taylor, Stuart Buchanan, Glenn Edwards, Ronnie Bugg and John Bowman.
The Mecklenburg News-Progress
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Veteran's Memorial Inspiring Similar Efforts
Clarksville, Va. - The Mecklenburg County Veteran's Memorial not only stands as a tribute to American military
personnel who gave their lives while serving the country, it is now inspiring other communities to construct similar memorials
in their areas.
While many believed the dedication was the culmination of work that began in 2003, it was truly only the beginning
as the Memorial Monument Committee continues to improve and maintain the granite structure emblazoned with the names of all
of the county's war dead.
"We may never be finished in a sense," said Memorial Committee Chairman Stuart Buchanan. "At our last meeting
we decided not to disband the committee - down the road we need to make sure the monument is taken care of properly."
"We are really proud of this monument, and the great community spirit here that made this dream come true,"
he said. "When you get a community like ours behind you, there is nothing you can't accomplish."
I want to extend my most sincere personal thank you to Stuart Buchanan and the Memorial
Committee for their interest and committment to the veterans of our country. You should be very proud of the creation
of this wonderful tribute.
Frank Grube
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