My walk today was dedicated in honor of
Army SPC Gennaro Pellegrini Jr, Age 31 of Philadelphia, PA
KIA Aug. 9, 2005 Operation Iraqi Freedom
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Philadelphia
He was killed when a mine exploded and enemy forces attacked using small-arms fire as he was investigating a rocket-propelled grenade incident in Bayji, Iraq.
He was the first Philadelphia police officer killed in the Iraq war. The son of a cop, Pellegrini joined the department in 2001 and inherited his father’s badge number, 3722. While in Iraq, he convinced schoolchildren to collect 350 pairs of flip-flops for Iraqi children.
He is survived by his parents, Edith and Gennaro Pellegrini Sr.
We had a great 5.50 Mile walk this morning. The weather was a little damp but we had a great walk. We walked to the city police headquarters and then continued on to the War Memorial Park down town. I want to thank my friend Robert for walking with us today. I want to thank all who honked, waved, and saluted in help us honor this hero. We had 125 honks this morning. I would like to thank Smartbank for flying our beautiful colors.
Army SPC Gennaro Pellegrini Jr will not be forgotten !
