Stephen Flemmi - Korean War

Korean War

Flemmi enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17, and served two tours with the 187th Infantry Regiment. He also served as a paratrooper during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1955. He was highly decorated, being awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for rescuing his fellow soldier James W. Lang in a battle with the Chinese Communist Army. He renewed his friendship with Lang after meeting him 35 years later at a veteran's reunion in Norfolk, Virginia.

At his friend's urging, Flemmi joined the International Association of Airborne Veterans (IAAV) and traveled the world jumping out of planes with active paratroopers in South Africa, East Germany and Thailand. While an IAAV member, he fraternized with military generals, sending them small gifts after returning to Boston. In 1993, he donated $3,000 to a Korean War memorial in Charlestown, Massachusetts, where his name is inscribed on a granite bench reading, "In memory of the paratroopers who made the supreme sacrifice on the battlefields of Korea."

In later years, Flemmi was dubbed "The Rifleman" by the Boston media for the sharpshooting skills he had demonstrated in combat.