Obama Inauguration Evokes Memories for Smethport Veteran

The Bradford Era

President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration scheduled for Tuesday has evoked memories for a Smethport veteran who was among the soldiers who cleared snow from the White House area in preparation for President Lyndon B. Johnson’s inauguration in 1965.

Pete Castelli, then a U.S. Army private, had recently completed basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., and about three weeks prior to the inauguration, was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Va., with the 340th Combat Engineers. Read more >>