Following his time in the Marines and as a police officer, he has earned several life skills he applies to his daily life.
By KRYSTAL NURSE
The Sun
Cpl. Ray Paterno served in the U.S. Marines Corps from 1983 to 1987, when he was honorably discharged, and since then, he’s been a member of the American Legion Post 452 in Mullica Hill. As a veteran, Veterans Day, for him, means to show appreciation for what veterans have done for the country.
“It’s when we honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those that sacrificed their future for us,” said Paterno.
Through the American Legion, he has participated in Memorial Day, Independence Day and Patriot Day (9/11) ceremonies at which fellow veterans and the military have been honored.
In January of Paterno’s senior year in high school, he didn’t know what he wanted to do following graduation. He said his grades weren’t the best and he had no clear-cut plan until his friend asked him to join him in talking with a recruiter from the Marines.
“A good friend of mine wanted to talk with the recruiter in high school and he wanted me to go with him to talk to the recruiter, and he backed out, and I signed up,” said Paterno. “At the time, I didn’t have any thoughts about joining until I talked to the recruiter.”
Paterno joined an infantry in the Marines and was stationed at Camp Lejeune (Marine Corps base in North Carolina). From his time spent in the Marines, Paterno was able to travel to 14 countries including Japan, Norway, Holland, Morocco and Honduras.
“When you have great people with you, you make great friends,” said Paterno, reflecting on his experience. “You have a lot of fun even though you don’t know it at the time and you look back and realize how much fun it was.”
From his tenure in the Marines, he has earned the Legionnaire of the Year award in 2014, two overseas ribbons, a good conduct ribbon and a meritorious promotion, a promotion based on a Marine’s ability to handle higher-grade responsibility and duties in an effective manner, according to the U.S. Marines Corps.
Following his time in the Marines, Paterno became a police officer at the Port Authority of New York, New Jersey and retired two years ago. He added that someone is in a tighter knit group in the Marines than in the police force, usually.
Now, he works at the federal courthouse in Philadelphia and is in and out of the Mullica Hill American Legion for various events or activities.
“Like any job, [the courthouse] has its good points and its bad points,” said Paterno. “You get to sit in a lot of interesting cases and meet some good people and some not-so-good people.”
While his two daughters, Francesca “Frankie” and Daniella “Dani,” aren’t enlisted in any branch of service, he said that he still teaches them the beliefs from the Marines to have “professionalism, self-discipline, never give up on what you want and just be a proud American.”
He went on to add the Marines’ motto “Semper fidelis” (always faithful) best fits how he would describe his entire experience in the branch.
With the community honoring local veterans throughout the year, Paterno added he hopes other veterans will come out for both a run and a Nov. 11 ceremony, and assist other veterans and the community each and every day.
Paterno and several other members of the American Legion Post 452 will partake in the annual Veterans Day 5k Run, 1 Mile Walk event on Nov. 10 starting at 9 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the organization.
The race takes place at the American Legion Post 452 and runners can sign up by emailing the coordinator at [email protected]. For the 5k, civilians pay $35 and veterans, active-duty, and minors pay $30. For the one mile walk, civilians pay $25 and veterans, active-duty, and minors pay $20. Those wishing to register the day of the event are asked to come at 8 a.m. Participants will be given a commemorative T-shirt following the run.
The Veterans Day ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial at William Wilt Soccer Complex starting at 1 p.m. on Nov. 11.
