Belleville Veterans Day parade leads to squabble over timing of hero monument's unveiling

From NJ.com: Belleville Veterans Day parade leads to squabble over timing of hero monument's unveiling
BELLEVILLE — The Belleville Veterans Day parade is a quintessential small-town tradition.

On a crisp autumn day, residents line Union Avenue to honor service members, hear marching bands and wave at politicians. This year, the town honored one of its own fallen heroes, Pfc. Henry Svehla, with a new monument.

A soldier’s silhouette adorns the nine-foot rectangular monument honoring Svehla, a 19-year-old Belleville native who died in the Korean War in 1952. In May, Svehla was awarded the Medal of Honor for throwing himself on a grenade to shield other soldiers.

Today, a squabble about whether the monument should be unveiled at the parade or another event later this week spiraled into a shouting and shoving match.

"I think we should be honoring veterans instead of arguing back and forth about something so trivial," Mayor Raymond Kimble said as he walked the parade route.

For most attendees, the sideline skirmish likely went unnoticed. But things got pretty heated between township residents Joseph Fornarotto and Richard Yanuzzi.

Despite being warned by the police chief, Fornarotto removed the black sheet covering the monument. Yanuzzi quickly covered it back up. When Fornarotto started pulling the cloth off again, the two began yelling and shoving each other.

Fornarotto, the parade organizer for some 25 years, said this year, Yanuzzi and the Belleville Board of Education are trying to steal the show. Yanuzzi said the school district’s Thursday event was suppose to feature the unveiling.

"He’s trying to take credit for everything," Yanuzzi said today.

Fornarotto shot back: "We have nothing to do with the Board of Education. Why are they here? That’s my argument."

Veteran Fosco Oliveti, 80, of Nutley, sided with Fornarotto and said it’s all politics for the other side.

"We’re having this big event and they want to keep it covered. It’s ludicrous," Oliveti said. "They want to make a big splash for their own benefit."

In the end, the covering stayed off.

Kimble said the town will simply "rededicate" the monument Thursday.

The mayor was joined by other officials, including U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-8th Dist.). Svehla’s nephew Anthony Svehla, 48, of Belleville, and several other relatives also attended.

Pascrell, who has known Fornarotto for more than 15 years, said the 86-year-old veteran isn’t shy about fighting for veterans.

"He’s dedicated to veterans. Sometimes he’ll drive people up a wall. But sometimes you need that or (things like the monument) don’t happen," Pascrell said.