The Catskill Chronicle

Story and photos by Carol Montana

Back in 2005, Ray McCarthy picked up the newspaper and saw a photo of Barbara Allen and her four young boys. The day before, the Chester family’s patriarch, Lt. Louis Allen had been killed in Iraq.

McCarthy’s heart went out to them. He said to himself, “We have to do something to help these families.” So he started making phone calls to accountants, psychiatrists, lawyers, people who could help start a 501(c)3 …

The result was the Sullivan County Committee for the Families of Iraqi and Afghanistan War Veterans. The organization helps in any way they can – by helping with bills, rent or food, assisting with with available services and more. “We’re working on a project now to help with jobs,” said McCarthy, “because these men and women are coming home and there are no jobs.”

And because he’s always thinking, just recently McCarthy had another great idea. He talked to the River Reporter, Thunder 102, ShopRite and others, and they all thought it was a great idea.

So on Saturday, August 22, the first annual Home of the Free Because of the Brave Radiothon for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans helped raise over $64,000.

Broadcast over Thunder Country 102.1 FM at the Sullivan County International Airport, and hosted by radio personalities Paul Ciliberto, Mike Sakell, Michelle Semerano and Lou Monteleone, the event attracted hundreds of people who volunteered to answer phones, entertain, serve food, tally receipts and do, in short, whatever needed doing.

Event chair, Al Frangipane, knows the need. “We have 21 fallen soldiers in the mid-Hudson area. They were all volunteers. If the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan ended today, the needs of these families would continue for years and years and years. So we’re going to be running these fundraisers for a long time.” Frangipane said that the response was enormous. “All my guest speakers were here on time, all my phone-bank people were here on time, and I never had to ask anyone twice.”

Mike Sakell, afternoon host on Thunder 102 echoed the sentiment. “It’s all about the community. We say Thunder 102 is Sullivan County’s radio station and we aim to prove it and what’s happening here today is a case in point. But it’s not about us, it’s about the committee for the families, the turnout has been tremendous. We’re just really proud to be here and to be carrying the event, it’s a great day.”

And Paul Ciliberto, program director for Thunder 102, and host of the morning show Ciliberto and Friends, cannot help but continue to be amazed by the support of the radio station’s fans, or, as the fans call themselves, Thunderheads. “Our listeners have always been very supportive of the troops with the Sullivan County Armed Forces Support Group and  Operation Support our Troops. And when we heard of the mission of Committee for the Families of Iraqi and Afghanistan War Veterans, it was just a natural to present to our Thunderheads and, boy did they respond. … It’s incredible what our Thunderheads are doing.”

Among the dozens other volunteers on hand were Sullivan County Legislator and veteran Frank Armstrong, and Chief Assistant District Attorney Jim Farrell who said, “This is so important because if we don’t support the folks who defend our freedoms, then we won’t have freedom, that’s the bottom line.” Also volunteering his time, veteran Mike Valentine of Livingston Manor, who not only served in the U.S. Navy and the Army National Guard, but also has a brother who has done two combat tours in Iraq and is going for his first tour in Afghanistan in the spring. “This organization gives them the support they need, and the moral support that’s so very important,” said Valentine.   

Outside the terminal, a tent was set up for the entertainment by Mandy Miller, Alyssa Startup, Caitlin Caporale, Stacy & Friends, Tony Dance from River’s Edge, The Rausch Brothers and Somerville.

And inside the terminal sat Phil Kiver who spent two tours of duty in Iraq, and wrote two books about it: 182 Days in Iraq: Plus a Year of Reaction at Home, and Iraq in Pictures as seen from the eyes of soldiers.

Kiver was a combat photographer and journalist in the army. He was using a steno notebook just to show his friends and family back home. “And as the weeks went by,” said Kiver, “I developed this fear that if I was killed, it was going to be lost, so when I had time I started putting it in e-mails and e-mailing it to myself. I sent some of it to one of my college professors who had written several books about Vietnam and he said ‘You know this is pretty good, you should get it published.’ So I started hunting for a publisher and got a book deal while I was still in Iraq.”

Kiver’s 182 Days in Iraq is dedicated to a soldier he had known for only one week: Sgt. Catalin Dima of White Lake, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. Dima’s wife, Florika, along with her son Christian attended the Radiothon. As Kiver autographed his book for the Dima family, Florika talked about how important the Families of Iraqi and Afghanistan War Veterans was for her family. “It helps out the families,” she said, “There’s tremendous support. You’re his family so the memory stays with us, but it’s good to see that other people have the memory, too.”

To view more photos or to purchase prints from the Thunder Country Radiothon visit the The Catskill Chronicle on Zenfolio.