An interruption in the rain came in time Sunday for Geneva veterans to place American flags on the gravestones of those who served their country in the military buried in the city’s West Side Cemetery and Oak Hill Cemetery, as a way to honor them on Memorial Day weekend.
“This is a way to bring attention to the world about the importance of remembering our servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives for our country,” Geneva American Legion Post 75 Cmdr. Mike Ferrari said. “If we don’t keep the tradition, people will forget over time.”
Ferrari, 56, was joined by about a half dozen other Geneva veterans in decorating the graves of military servicemen and women buried in the two cemeteries.
Ferrari enlisted in the Army out of high school, thinking he would go to college after his military service.
“There was a recession in the mid-1980s, and I couldn’t get work as a welder. My dad was in the Army, so I decided to enlist,” he said.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1986 to 1990. Today, he manages The Red Team for Motorola Solutions which develops radio and video systems for law enforcement.
“These are mission-critical communications devices for police,” Ferrari said.
Ferrari is in charge of the team’s “offensive cyber security” that tests the company’s products during development stages to ensure they are safe for use.
“We hack into all kinds of devices, radios, cameras … you name it we break into it to find all of the vulnerabilities before the bad guys do,” Ferrari said.
He said there is a connection between his professional work and his role in the Army.
“I like to make things safe,” he said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
