Clarifying Lt. Chappetto’s Burial at Sea
Dear Editor: I would like to thank senior reporter Bill Miller for writing a wonderful article about 2nd Lieutenant Peter Chappetto. He captured the essence of my presentation.
During my lecture, I mentioned that 2nd Lt. Peter Chappetto was incorrectly categorized as Missing in Action on the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) website and erroneously memorialized on the Walls of the Missing when he really died of his wounds from the battle of Angaur aboard the USS Sumter on 26 September 1944 and was buried at sea with honors. He was not Missing in Action. Miller explained these facts in his well-written article.
I read the letter to the editor from Vincent Maligno (“All Praise for Bishop Chappetto’s Uncle”) in the Oct. 19 edition of The Tablet. In reference to the question of why Peter Chappetto is misclassified at the American Military Cemetery in Manila — I, too, share Maligno’s bewilderment.
I have contacted ABMC about the accounting mistake and asked them to change Chappetto’s status from Missing in Action to Buried at Sea on the webpage. In addition, to help with my ongoing research, I asked the ABMC to clarify the reasoning behind their policy of merging the Missing in Action and Buried at Sea categories in the official commemoration process at American overseas cemeteries.
Erik D. Carlson, Ph.D.
Fort Myers, Fla.
The Attentive Heart Retreat
Dear Editor: I would like to openly thank Jessica Easthope from Currents News for her engaging presence at, and compelling coverage of, the first-ever Attentive Heart Retreat, which took place at Thomas Berry Place in Jamaica Estates, Queens, from Oct. 10 to 13.
This retreat introduced CALLED, an initiative that seeks to improve preaching in the Catholic Church and beyond by redefining what preaching is. Every person who has a story to share of how God is working in and through their joys and sufferings is a preacher.
Ms. Easthope immediately connected with this transformative perspective and was able to enter into the retreat experience as not only a reporter but as a participant.
The CALLED team appreciates the good work of Currents News in highlighting the Attentive Heart Retreat and the creative power of the Holy Spirit at work.
We hope that Ms. Easthope will be able to join us at the next retreat. For more information on CALLED, please visit: sundaytosunday.net/called.
Father John Gribowich
San Francisco
Editor’s note: Father Gribowich, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Brooklyn, is the director of CALLED (Curriculum, Sunday to Sunday Productions) and instructor of theology at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School in San Francisco.
Salute Our Veterans on Veterans Day
Dear Editor: Nov. 11 is the day to think about our honored veterans. For 248 years they have fought to
defend those freedoms we all hold most dear.
I myself served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam era and was proud to have done so. This part of my life was one of the proudest of my life. I felt I was serving the greater good and preserving democracy in the free world.
Veterans Day is a time to remember all veterans.
We need to remember all those who gave their lives and the many veterans who lost limbs, hearing, and sight, not to mention those who are suffering from various mental conditions from being in combat.
Frederick Bedell, Jr.
Bellerose
