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I came to America from Italy in 1931, when I was 6 years old. At the age of 17, I enlisted in the Air Force. That was 1942. I was honorably discharged in 1945 at war's end.

America gave me my freedom, and all these years later, I've enjoyed it. America has given you your freedom, which is why Memorial Day is so important. That's because many in the military wars we fought did not come home. They died for our country. They died for our country's freedom.

With that in mind, I found this write-up at Ancestry.com, which is appropriate for today's Memorial Day holiday:

NSBNEWS.net photos by Sera Frederick. Columbus, off of Atlantic, is the last of the closed streets due to nearly 20 inches of rain over the past seven days that ended Sunday as shown in these photos taken on Memorial Day. Only Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach fared worse with as much as 27 inches of rain.  

NSBNEWS.net photos by Henry Frederick. At left, Alan Ayoubee, district 19 commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4250 and a Vietnam veteran, proudly holds the American Flag at a Memorial Day Ceremony at Riverside Park In New Smyrna Beach. Among the 150 in attendance were Mayor Sally Mackay, who addressed the gathering, and Vice Mayor Jack Grasty, also a Vietnam War veteran stationed in Thailand in 1969, at right. 

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Alan Ayoubee served in the Vietnam War, but he's particularly partial to World War II on this Memorial Day. That's because his father, Raymond, who died three years ago, served in that war.

NSBNEWS.net video by Sera Frederick. New Smyrna Beach Mayor Sally Mackay talked Monday about the recent flooding at Riverside Park Monday as part of her twice monthly Q&A segment with NSBNEWS.net.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- U.S. Reps. Suzanne Kosmas and John Mica sent a letter to President Obama today urging him to expedite the review process and issue a Major Disaster Declaration for Volusia County, which endured a week of flooding from as much as 27 inches of rain that resulted in more than $50 million in property damage.

May 26, 2009: Thomas P. Greiner and Susan K. Gibbs, New Smyrna Beach; Neil E. Bonds, Rocjledge, and Kelly L. Foreman, Edgewater; Paul J. Delfino, New Smyrna Beach, and Kimberly A. Adamson, Springfield, Mo.

May 27, 2009: Dwayne D. Wood and Jennifer L. Huckle, New Smyrna Beach.

President Obama’s declaration today of a major disaster in Florida is triggering the release of federal funds to help affected
residents recover from the recent rainfall event in Volusia County that began May 17. The assistance will be to individuals and households.
Public assistance has not been declared at this time, Shelley Szafraniec, a county spokeswoman.

To apply for assistance, residents must be a homeowner, renter or business owner in Volusia County with disaster-related damage or loss

DELAND -- The special meeting of the Volusia County Council , scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday has been canceled.

The meeting was to be in training room one of the Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center, 123 W. Indiana Ave., for the purpose of providing an opportunity for the council to discuss proposals for the county’s telephone system solution.

The meeting has not yet been rescheduled.