Adolph Massa

My wife and I wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of this true American Hero, US Army (Ret), WWII – Korean War Veteran, Master Sergeant (MSG) Adoph Massa. We thank you for your service to a grateful nation, may your family find peace in knowing you served proudly and comfort in the months to come. May you rest in peace for your mission is now complete. I salute you.
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Robert “Bob” White
USA (Ret) 1SG
Vietnam Era
Jul 72 – Aug 94
Ofallon, MO

Riding in Memory of:
F.C. White, Sr, Tec 5 USA, WWII (Father)
G.A. Thompson, Pvt, USA, WWI (Grandpa)
D.A. Thompson, MCPO, USN (Ret), Korea (Uncle)
G.A. Thompson, Sgt, USMC, Korea (Uncle)
L. Norris, Msgt, USAF (Ret), Vietnam (Uncle)

Riding in Honor of:
F.C. White, Jr, Ssgt USAF, Vietnam (Brother)
F.C. White, III, Pfc, ARNG (Nephew)
D.B. White, PO2, USN, Vietnam Era (Twin)

April 29, 2019

I want to start by saying that never have I been so proud as I was Monday April 29, 2019 to have 4 RCs stand with me as we honored my uncle, John Valenti. Tom, Mark, Steve, and Chappy are not only great RCs, they are great friends that I’m privileged to have in my life.

Again, we had lousy weather for a mission with lots of rain, but everything turned out okay. Mark, Tom, and I arrived around 8:00a – 8:15a and staked flags along 58th street by the main church entrance. Steve drove in from his home in Watertown and, in-spite of heavy traffic, arrived before the hearse. We stationed ourselves by the rear entrance and waited for the hearse to arrive, which it did about 9:20a. After my uncle was inside, we moved our vehicles to 58th street between the hearse and the lead FH car so that we would be lined-up for the escort. Around 11:00am the rain let up to a light sprinkle, so Chappy went home and jumped on his bike. Marines!

In addition to the main entrance, there was a side entrance by the parking lot. We stationed 2 RCs at each entrance. There was a very good turn-out of family and friends during the visitation and church service.

We stood down at 11:30a for the service. As I was a pallbearer, I was inside the church when the service ended. I realized that I hadn’t discussed with Tom where to stand during the dignified transfer of my uncle to the hearse after the service. As I got up to go outside to quickly review with Tom, I was called to the front of the church along with the other pallbearers. Not to worry. When we exited the church, the guys were standing with their flags and saluting as the casket was loaded into the hearse. Yes, my eyes were damp seeing that sight. Never saw the flag line from that perspective.

The procession took a slight detour to the cemetery as we drove past my uncle’s house. Not sure what time we arrived at the cemetery, but I believe it was between 1:00p – 1:30p. Uncle John was moved into the chapel, followed by family and friends. The priest said a few words and the Navy honor guard and VFW/Legion (not sure which) performed military honors. The 5 of us then walked single file to the front, lined up shoulder to shoulder facing the casket, saluted (hand over heart for me), and then I presented the plaques to my 2 cousins, uncle John’s only children. I forewarned Tom to be prepared to do this for me as I was not sure what emotions I would have when I turned from the casket to face my cousins and family. I’m told that I did a good job, but it’s a blur to me. After I presented the plaques, we handed the dog tags to the grandchildren. I want to thank Steve for suggesting to me beforehand to ask the grandchildren to stand to make it easier to identify who they were.

I received many, many words of thanks and appreciation for the PGR being there. Although I probably received most of the adulation because I’m family, I want to pass this on to my fellow RCs to make sure that they know how much they were appreciated by the Valenti family.