Transcript of Memorial Day Speech, May 26, 2008, Memorial Gardens, Naples:

My Father the War Veteran

Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you on this hallow day to commemorate and honor those who have served our county so that we might continue to enjoy a life of security and freedom. Today is special day for many of us for many different reasons. Today 63 years after the end of WWII I would like to share with you one veteran’s experiences.

My father was born in 1915 in Elmira, NY. His parents were immigrants from Italy who move to America in pursuit of a better life. He grew up during the depression and demonstrated an ability to master several languages and received an Art scholarship to NYC University. He married my Mother in 1939 and I was born in 1942. His life as well as many other men and women at that time, was caught up in beginning of WWII. The Army recognized his unique talents in speaking four languages and trained him to serve in the military intelligence. He served in the European theater were he spent a good part of this career behind enemy lines gathering intelligence and organizes the resistance.

He was loaned to the British and French Intelligence services to work with the European Underground were he commanded one of the famous IS-9 Escape and Evasion teams. This organization was instrumental in “bring out" hundreds of downed airmen and others who were escaping or evading in enemy held territory. Many of the escape tools and devices used in this work were designed and developed by my Dad. He could speak several dialects of French and was able to pass for a native. Behind enemy lines he poised as an artist, railroad worker and laborer. He worked closely with the European Underground, moving on when it became apparent the enemy was getting suspicious. He was picked up once and was a waiting questioning when he noticed clerks running around carrying papers. My father grabbed a bunch of papers and looking important carried them out the door, threw them away and made good his escape. Another time in Paris he was in front of Gestapo Headquarters when he learned the Nazis were pulling one of their surprise checkups on civilians. He had no credentials and there was no escape. He saw a pile of coal and a wheelbarrow. So he delivered a dozen wheelbarrow loads of coal to Gestapo Headquarters while the searchers worked the street. Than we walked away.

  He was wounded on two different occasions both of those times when he was returning to the allies front lines. On one occasion the vehicle he was driving hit a mine. He was sent back to England to recover. While he was in recovery the world renowned news correspondent Edward R. Murrow meet up with my father and sent a telegram to my Mother tell her that my father was going to be all right. My mother was totally confused as she had never been notified of my father’s injuries. Today that telegram is one of my family’s prized possessions.

During the Korean action Capt. Coletta was chief of the Army Special Intelligence Section were he trained American and Allied Intelligence personal in the art of Clandestine Intelligence, sabotage, escape, survival,and guerrilla warfare. My father returned to civilian life but his wartime experienced had changed him. Like many veterans he found solitude in being with other veterans. It was his war time experiences that led to more than 2,000 speaking engagements nationwide were his topic was “Behind Enemy Lines". During his speaking career he was rated as number two in the country with Lowell Thomas being number one.

Later in life my Dad worked for the Central Intelligence Agency as a civilian during the Vietnam War. In that capacity he helped develop the machinery to create smoke screens for landing helicopters and the special listening devices that were placed along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.


My father passed away Nov 2, 1991 at the age of 77. In closing I would like to salute Capt James N. Coletta Sr and thank him and all veterans who gave their lives, or a part of it, in the service to our country.


Thank you.

Note: When my father died I was too traumatized by the events leading up to his death to speak at this funeral services. This opportunity to speak at the Memorial day services has helped to bring a closure to my father’s passing.