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New Jersey man makes one-of-a-kind shadow boxes for fallen Marines, including a sergeant from Spotsylvania County. Date published: 6/9/2008
By CATHY DYSON After Marine Sgt. Joshua Frazier was killed by an Iraqi sniper last year, his family received sympathy cards from as far away as the Netherlands. The outpouring from friends, neighbors and strangers was comforting. "I'm in awe that people we will never meet would do that," said his mother, Shelia Cutshall of Spotsylvania County. "It helps to recognize what he did, what he gave." Last month, Cutshall received an even more impressive honor for her son from another stranger. It's a 20-by-20-inch shadow box, filled with the 11 medals, five It was assembled by New Jersey resident Frank DeAngelis, a World War II veteran who has made it his mission to honor every Marine killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. "You have to remember, I came back from the war. I was one of the lucky ones," DeAngelis said during a phone interview. "God was good to me in my lifetime, and now it's my turn to give back." The retired contractor has been building one-of-a-kind shadow boxes for more than 40 years. He has put together collections for every branch of the service, from privates to generals, for Navy buddies he served with and Medal of Honor recipients he never met. For decades, he worked in his basement, and no one knew about his work except the recipients. That was fine by him. Then in 2003, after he read, "Band of Brothers," DeAngelis started doing shadow boxes exclusively for the 101st Airborne members of Easy Company. The soldiers made him an honorary member--something they had never done before, according to the Band of Brothers Web site. The press got a hold of the story, "and all hell broke loose after that," DeAngelis joked. He got letters from across the world. A few years later, he made shadow boxes for Rhode Island Marines killed in Iraq. He had been cutting back on the boxes because, after all these years, he was getting tired of the assembly. But, then, he got such touching letters from the families who received them that he rededicated himself. He vowed to create a shadow box for every Marine killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Date published: 6/9/2008
This man lives the Marine Corps motto! Semper Fidelis, always faithfull. God Bless him, his work, and all those who have made the supreme sacrifice.
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