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KATONAH, N.Y. In honor of Veterans Day on Friday, The Daily Bedford is profiling a member of the community who served in the military and gave his or her time and best efforts to support the United States of America.
A resident of Katonah, Louis Bonomini served in the United States Army during the Korean War in the beginning of 1952. Stationed in the topographic unit, he established firing points for the artillery, which sometimes put him in very dangerous positions on the battlefield.
After returning from the war in 1953, Bonomini used the skill set he had acquired from his time served. For 50 years, he was an engineer for metropolitan construction companies. He helped improve Americas roads, helping to construct the Garden State Parkway, the Connecticut Turnpike, the New Jersey Turnpike, and the New York State Thruway.
But even with the improvements he saw at home, he is equally proud of the help he gave the Korean culture because of his efforts overseas. When he was able to visit the country just six years ago, he saw the vast improvements in their culture.
I was amazed how the people in Korea appreciated what we did for them, Bonomini said. When I was in the service, there was nothing there but mud huts and straw roofs. But when I went back, it made me proud to see how the country had developed into something they appreciate.
For Bonomini, even though his service was long ago, the lessons he learned have stayed with him throughout his journey, affecting him in a most important way.
It makes you self-reliant to be in the service, he said. It gives you self-confidence. When I finished basic training, we felt like we could take on the world. No matter what the situation was, we had a solution for it, and we knew we could carry it out.
It never leaves you, he said.
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