Army Pfc. John Charles Filippi, 18, son of John B. and Margaret (nee Cook) Filippi, 7401 Cricket Lane, Seven Hills, had been in Vietnam 28 days when he was wounded fatally on Dec. 6, 1967, near the Cambodian border. In letters to his parents, the former Parma High School student told them his infantry unit had just been flown to a point near the border where they had engaged the enemy briefly and that his unit had made several helicopter flights into the jungle to fight. Pfc. Filippi and the other soldiers were searching for North Vietnamese forces and found the area laced with caves and tunnels. After joining the Army in May 1967, Pfc. Filippi attended basic and advanced infantry training and a jungle warfare school before shipping out to Vietnam. Pfc. Filippi was the brother of Mrs. Patricia Ann McMillen, Dennis, Cynthia and Deborah. He was born April 6, 1949. The family lived in Parma before moving to Seven Hills in 1965. He was the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Cesare Filippi and Mrs. Stella Cook. Mr. and Mrs. John B. Filippi were presented Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals for their son.

Pfc. Filippi is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Information as gathered from the Cleveland Press & Plain Dealer, Dec 10, 11 &12, 1967, March 7, 1968.