Veterans share brotherhood, recall service with pride

Veterans share brotherhood, recall service with pride

Doneen Durling
News Staff Writer

Veterans, friends and family members gather together during Saturday’s Cell Phones for Soldiers benefit concert hosted by the Patriot Riders Chapter 3 at The Red Onion in Templeton.

TEMPLETON — Frank Mazzei and Mark Clark were childhood friends before they served their country in the military.

After Mr. Mazzei became a crew chief, one of the new members of his unit happened to be someone he grew up with from back home.

“What are the chances of that?” he asked with a big grin during Saturday’s Cell Phones for Soldiers benefit concert hosted by the Patriot Riders Chapter 3 at The Red Onion.


The men traded friendly barbs during the event, but their relationship — built over many years — is like a brotherhood.

“He is dynamic and very independent,” said Mr. Clark. He said his friend, who uses a wheelchair, is an inspiration.

Mr. Clark is a member and Mr. Mazzei an honorary member of the Patriot Riders, the mission of which is to address the needs of veterans.

When Saturday’s benefit concert arrived, Mr. Clark traveled to pick up Mr. Mazzei without telling them where they were going. When Mr. Mazzei arrived at the venue, the Patriot Riders carried him in, wheelchair and all.

Mr. Mazzei is still an adventure seeker. He was given a “call sign” in the service during the 1980s — the soldiers in his squad called him  “Mad Dog.”

“They dubbed me Mad Dog for the way I reacted to a certain situation,” he said. “In the service, everyone is given a call sign, a nickname or a pet name, whatever you want to call it. Once they dubbed me Mad Dog, it never changed.” 

Mr. Mazzei served in the Army and then in the Air Force. While serving in the latter, his basic job was crew chief. He said in his squad, each man had more than one job.

“Every man in our squad spoke a minimum of seven languages so we could go anywhere in the world,” he said. “I’ve been around the world twice. There are very few countries I haven’t been to.”

Mr. Mazzei said he found that people in every country had great stories, and that the basic elements of life were similar everywhere he went.

“The people themselves are people just like we are,” he said. “I got a chance to eat the foods, and meet the families.”

Mr. Mazzei brought back recipes from Thailand and other countries he visited, and still uses them today.

“I even cook Japanese,” he said. “I love food. I can break down a recipe.”

Reflecting on his service, Mr. Mazzei says he is proud of what he and his fellow soldiers accomplished.

“I’ve been all around the world, I’ve met so many people, met so many characters. Some of the situations I’ve been in that led up to where I am right now ... I would do them all over again in a heart beat,” he said. “A lot of people’s lives are better off because of stuff that my squad had done. It was never just an individual. It was a team. No matter what, it was always a team — never an individual.”