A not so “very small thing”
“In 1972, the Vietnam War was so prevalent. It was ever-present,” said Okatie resident Donna Pernice. She was a sophomore at St. Helena Catholic School for girls in the Bronx, N.Y. “College students were protesting the war, but we were too young to protest. The college generation started VIVA (Voices Vital in America) to engage the younger generation, and about 100 girls paid a $2 or $3 donation and got a bracelet with a small piece of paper with the name of a soldier,” she said. “It was a very big movement, and a very small thing we could do.”
VIVA distributed millions of POW/MIA bracelets, each bearing the name of a missing or captured American service member to raise public awareness about their plight and garner support for their return. The wearer was to keep the bracelet on until the service member named on it was returned to the United States, at which point they would present the bracelet to the returning individual.
Pernice has worn her bracelet since 1972. Her soldier was Ray Salzarulo from West Virginia.
“Wearing mine and promising to only remove it when he returned, I decided to wear it forever and honor him. It has made me aware of keeping commitments and keeping his name alive,” she said. When Nixon ended the war, Pernice watched for Salzarulo’s name on lists of service members designated as returned or deceased, but his name never appeared.
“I’ve been wearing my bracelet for 53 years,” Pernice said. “It’s silver and glossy and it’s part of me. The engraving says: Capt. Ray Salzarulo 9-4-66. So next year it will be 60 years since he went missing. He wasn’t listed as alive, so I didn’t want to take the bracelet off. I’m wearing it to acknowledge his service, but it is also about keeping my word.”
Around 1991, Pernice went to a job interview and a man saw her bracelet and asked her to come into his office. He knew Ross Perot and provided Pernice with a helpful link to search testimonials. Ross Perot’s involvement in the Vietnam War issue focused on accounting for missing service members. Throughout his career, including during his presidential campaigns, Perot was a vocal proponent of the POW/MIA cause.
Years later, Pernice found a book on eBay for a penny, called 2,355 Days – A POW’s Story by Spike Nasmyth who had spent 2,355 days in the Hanoi Hilton, a POW camp, along with John McCain. “The book was enlightening,” Pernice said. “It gives an account of the mission and what happened to Ray in only a few pages of the book.” She learned that Nasmyth was a pilot, and Salzarulo was his co-pilot and that their plane was hit by a bomb. Salzarulo was killed instantly. Pernice got in touch with Nasmyth and exchanged emails with him to learn more about Salzarulo. Ironically, Nasmyth’s book was autographed for someone named Don – which just happens to be Pernice’s nickname.
“It’s a page of history of the young men who served our country.” Salzarulo’s remains were returned on September 13, 1990, Pernice’s tenth wedding anniversary.
Pernice recently honored Salzarulo at the Bluffton Veterans Memorial by purchasing an engraved brick. Located in Buckwalter Place Park, the Memorial features engraved bricks to honor veterans. The brick-lined courtyard is a result of a partnership between the Town of Bluffton and American Legion Auxiliary Unit 205.
Pernice will return to the Bronx for her 50th class reunion in November. Most likely, she will be the only attendee still wearing the POW/MIA bracelet, but she hopes it will spark memories and conversations about their bracelets and the pledges they made and the soldiers they represented.
Edwina Hoyle is a freelance writer in Bluffton.
