All 4 One SALUTE TO SERVICE

by Maria Merlino

Frank G. Criniti’s love for his family and country inspired him to create a Veterans Memorial called All 4 One at 18th and Bigler Streets in South Philadelphia. The triangular monument was officially unveiled on November 13th, 2022, with a ceremony that included VFW Post 8714 of Glendora, New Jersey, and representatives from several military branches. Criniti, who lives across the street from the monument, is a retired Army veteran who wanted to honor his late brother Joseph, who served on the USS Ranger, and fellow veterans, with his work.

“This was done with no expense to the city and not a drop of donations, which I don’t want,” he said. Before his brother Joseph died in January of 2020, Frank asked him to buy a flagpole for a flower bed so he could raise a flag on his own property.

Feeling the angst of bereavement, Frank channeled a vision of a plot of land on which to memorialize and honor the heroes of war. Frank always dreamed of being an architect, but Uncle Sam had other plans for him. He was drafted in 1972, he says. “I was number 43 on the list. I’m the last of the draft because six months after that is when the war in Vietnam ended.” He served in the Army until 1975. “I was sent to South Korea, but instead of making blueprints, they made me a cook. Which was fine with me, because I was in the food business since I was 10 years old and cut meat for my uncle at 13.”

You will see all kinds of flags pertaining to the Armed Services including a POW flag and a few more that are new, such as the Space Force, donated by Citizen’s Bank Park, and a flag with an original design of all four branches of the service with the motto All 4 One. Frank re-purposed and recycled much of the material.

“The cobblestones are from my property. They were six feet in length and I had them cut down to two-foot lengths. Jay Agnes helped, though he doesn’t want a lot of acknowledgements, but he did some of the landscaping for us. Marino Construction poured the concrete and the pavers, gratis. I took care of all the materials. All the expenses were mine, but it was really a team effort.”

There are small flags from each war placed in the flower bed, but the monument is not yet complete.

“The stones are going to be engraved with each war. For instance, during the First World War, we fought Germany. We’ll have a German flag and the dates. For WWII, the flags will be Japan, Germany and Italy and the dates. There will be 10 different wars starting with the 13 colonies. This will honor anyone who lost their life in battle.”

A monument like this is unique with no other like it. An honorable man has given Philadelphia a place to honor all veterans, living or dead, past, present, and future. PRH