Tag Archives: Peter Belmonte

A navigator on a KC-135 Stratotanker for the Air Force, Peter Belmonte’s job was to usher aircraft toward what he called “controlled collisions” with planes that required refueling. The middle of three children, Peter Belmonte was born in Waukegan, Illinois, to Louis and Eva Spizzirri Belmonte. His mother emigrated from Marano Marchesato in Calabria, and his father’s ancestors were from that same region. Belmonte’s paternal grandmother lived with them, and he saw relatives from both sides of the family weekly. “Sunday was the day of choice,” Belmonte recalls. “Somebody was dropping by somewhere.” His mother made spaghetti with a sauce …

IA Literati 2019 — Casa Italia’s 15th annual celebration of local Italian-American authors — ran from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on June 1 in the Florentine Room of the Italian Cultural Center in Stone Park. The event began with a meet-and-greet with the authors at 9:30, followed by presentations at 10. Additional activities included book sales, book signings, raffles and a light lunch at intermission. Several new authors, including Adam Kessel, Alanna Crisci, Maria Rosaria D’Alfonso and Peter Belmonte, took part in the event along with veteran literati Lou Corsino, Kathy DeNicolo, CJ Martello, Kathryn Occhipinti and Tony Romano. …

By bringing stories of Calabrian-American bravery to light, he is adding chapters to our history that would otherwise have been lost. The saying “history is written by the winners” typically applies to military forces that dominate and subjugate, but one person has turned that notion on its head in the most positive sense. In his painstaking research into long gone Calabrian-American veterans, Peter Belmonte has achieved a victory for scores of humble heroes whose stories would otherwise have been lost in the trenches of World War I. Why do this? It helps that Belmonte is a retired U.S. Air Force …