Anthony DiFabio is one of four local World War II veterans being honored at this year’s Kennett Memorial Day Parade.
KENNETT SQUARE — World War II veterans Ralph D. Doss, Anthony L. DiFabio, Raymond Natale, Sr. and Horace J, Brown (deceased April 11, 2016), were selected as this year’s Grand Marshals for the Kennett Square Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 30. They will lead the 100-plus organizations through Kennett Square, as the town honors all its local veterans, past and present.
“This year’s two-hour parade promised to be one of the best ones yet,” says Bill Taylor, chairman of the Kennett Square Memorial Day Parade Committee. “Many of our local veterans will be riding in convertibles and antique military vehicles or marching in color guards and other military units.”
Horace Brown
The Kennett Memorial Day Parade is one of the region’s largest Memorial Day parades in the region, attracting over 10,000 people, all joining together to honor the region’s veterans. The parade kicks off at 10 am from Kennett High School. The parade route includes South Union Street, Cypress Street (between Union and Broad), North Broad Street, State Street, and North Union Street to Union Hill Cemetery.
Among the military units expecting to march are the Delaware Military Academy Band and Cadets, Glasgow High School and Coatesville High School Jr. ROTCs, William E. Taylor US Naval Cadets, Civil War and Revolutionary War re-enactor units, fife and drum corps, Calvary horses and much more.
Ralph Doss
Civilian units, such as the Joseph A. Ferko Mummers String Band, the Chester County Emerald Society Bagpipe Band, local high school marching bands, drumlines, barbershop quartets, bluegrass bands, and gospel singers on a float are expected to be in the parade. Local service clubs, Scouts, Little League and other youth groups are expected to march in the Kennett Memorial Day Parade. Unique antique cars and bicycles, fire companies, and local businesses will also participate.
Raymond Natale Sr.
A Memorial Day Ceremony is conducted at Union Hill Cemetery by the Kennett Square’s American Legion and VFW Post at the conclusion of the parade. A luncheon is hosted at the American Legion Hall on Broad Street for veterans and their families that participate in the parade.
About the Grand Marshals
Ralph D. Doss
Ralph D. Doss enlisted in the Navy on March 20, 1943. He trained in Sampson, New York and serviced on the USS Sigourney and USS Duluth in the Pacific. Doss earned the Pacific Theater Ribbon, American Theater Ribbon and the WWII Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged on February 10, 1946 and returned home. Ralph worked as a self-employed house painter in the Kennett Square area.
Anthony L. DiFabio
Anthony L. DiFabio enlisted in the Army on January 6, 1943. He received basic training and field artillery training in Augusta Georgia, Camp Polk, Louisiana, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. DiFabio served in New Guinea, Luzon, the Phillippines and Okinawa. He helped disarm Japanese soldiers after the surrender. He was discharged on January 6, 1946.
Raymond J. Natale, Sr.
Raymond J. Natale, Sr. is the last of five brothers that served in WWII. He entered the Army in June 1944 and did his basic and field artillery training in Camp Hood, Texas. He also had training in Fort Jackson, and Camp Shank, New York. Natale served in England, France, and Belgium and invaded Germany with his field artillery battalion. He was discharged in 1946. Natale was a Pennsylvania State Trooper until his retirement.
Horace J. Brown (deceased April 11, 2016)
Horace J. Brown lived and worked in Kennett Square all his life. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and trained at Fort Meade, Maryland, Texas, and California. Brown was deployed to New Guinea, Yokohama, Japan, and the Philippines. He served as an assistant machine gunner, under General Douglass MacArthur. Brown was discharged in 1946. He recently received nine medals he earned while serving his country.
