Community to honor slain Kiski soldier on Friday
Residents are rallying to honor a recently fallen hero.
A public memorial service for Second Lt. Michael Girdano of Kiski Township, who was killed in combat in Afghanistan, is set for Friday at 7 p.m. at Owens Field in Apollo.
Gates will open at 6 p.m.
Friends have been planning the service for the popular Kiski Township resident who died last Friday from wounds from a homemade bomb that took the lives of three other soldiers near the Pakistan border.
Dubbed the all-American boy by a former superintendent from the Apollo-Ridge School District, Girdano, 23, was captain of the school's football and baseball teams. He also was the school newspaper editor whose honors included the National Honor Society and listing in Who's Who Among American High School Students.
Before his death, Girdano realized his dream to graduate from West Point Military Academy.
He was the third Apollo-Ridge School District student in the past decade to graduate from the elite military school.
Girdano's death has stunned the tiny and close-knit Armstrong County communities where the outpouring of grief has included plans to retire Girdano's football number (22) along with the number of Joshua Henry (65). Another soldier who was Apollo-Ridge alumnus, Army Spc. Henry, 21, was killed in action in Iraq in 2004.
According to John Simon, the school's head football coach, both numbers will be retired during a ceremony at the school's first home game against Summit Academy, Sept. 5, at Owens Field just before kick-off.
Residents honor 'hero'
Earlier in the week, friends ordered eight custom T-shirts commemorating Girdano, according to Todd Fusillo, a friend of the soldier's family and a salesman for Tees-N-Tops of Vandergrift.
The T-shirt's simple tribute includes a photo of Girdano, his dates of birth and death and the words "Our Hero."
"Now we're at 189 T-shirts orders in less than 24 hours," Fusillo said, "and we expect that number to hit more than 200." According to Tees-N-Tops co-owner Dan Albert, the shop is selling those shirts at cost.
The Apollo Copy Center is donating services and supplies for the memorial program and local business Kujak Testing Inc. of Apollo has provided additional money for expenses such as custom-made pins honoring Girdano.
Gulf War veteran Russ Walker of Apollo will be offering up his disc jockey services for Friday's memorial program.
And there are additional donations from the Blossom Shop of Apollo and Pugliese Flowers of Vandergrift.
"I'm not surprised by all the attention," said Fusillo who tended bar with Girdano's sister, Tina Girdano, at the Bari Club in Vandergrift. "Michael was an outstanding kid, always in a good mood and very personable."
Girdano's family is impressed by the support from the community and friends, according to Michael's brother, Nunzio Girdano, 26, of Fort Lauderdale.
"I know Michael would appreciate this," he said. "He touched all these people and their lives in different ways. This is really nice."
Not surprised by the public support for the memorial service, Terri Emehizer of Apollo, family friend of the Girdanos, helped organize a similar service for Joshua Henry.
"When I turned and looked at the stadium, I was overwhelmed by the number of people that I could hardly speak," Emehizer said.
She is expecting a turnout of more than 250 people for Friday's memorial service.
Friends knew of Girdano's death before the Pentagon released the information, according to Emehizer.
"Everyone knew and was out at his parents' and all the children were consoling his mom," she said. "That's how much everybody cares. We're all family and when one suffers like this. We all feel it."
Staff writer Chuck Biedka contributed to this report.
Additional Information:
Video
View a 10-minute video commemorating the life of Second Lt. Michael Girdano on YouTube . Additional Information:
Army memorial
The Army will hold a memorial service for Girdano and the other soldiers killed with him on Friday morning at Fort Hood in Texas.
Girdano was killed by a homemade bomb in Chowkay Valley, Afghanistan.
Also killed were Pfc. David J. Badie, 23, of Rockford, Ill.; Spc. WIlliam J. Mulvihill, of Leavenworth, Kansas; and Pvt. Jair De Jesus Garcia, of Chatsworth, Calif.
