World War II centenarian veteran’s award ceremony disrupted

A US Second World War navy veteran was faced with a frustrated crowd during his award ceremony. The south east campus of Portland Community College in Oregon witnessed the felicitation ceremony of centenarian Dario Raschio, a one-hundered-year-old WWII US navy veteran. He was honoured with a frame of medals which he took in memory of those who sacrificed themselves in the Second World War. In that frame, he was awarded with various medals such as the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the US Naval Aviator Badge, the World War II victory Medal, the “Ruptured Duck” Award, the US Navy Honourable discharged pin, and the American Defence Service Medal.

The United States senior senator of Oregon, Ron Widen, was there to honour him as well. During the felicitation, the town hall was crowded with over a hundred agitators who were shouting and disrupting the award ceremony. The protesters were demanding the freedom of Iraq from US military, the Fox News reports.

It was Dario Raschio who stopped the crowd from shouting for their demands saying, “Give me a chance, let’s show a little respect for this occasion, and you people that are here for a cause whatever it might be show respect to Sen Widen.”

At the end of his speech, he said “God bless America”. Following this incident, Sen Widen state that “we are certainly going to reschedule this. It is important to be able to throw open the doors of government to everybody. That’s why town hall meetings are so important.”

Ian Harvey

Ian Harvey is one of the authors writing for WAR HISTORY ONLINE