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A decorated Vietnam War veteran is being remembered as a true American patriot.
John F. Gority, 74, of Altoona died Monday at UPMC Pinnacle in Harrisburg where he had been hospitalized since Easter.
Gority, a 1965 graduate of Bishop Guilfoyle High School and husband of longtime Blair County Commissioner Donna Gority, entered the Army in October 1966. He was severely injured in September 1967 in Vietnam when he stepped on a land mine, hospitalizing him for 13 months. He returned from Vietnam with a leg missing and the other badly damaged.
In 2006 he was awarded two military service medals -- the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantry Award for his service in Vietnam.
"He never complained about his disabilities. He loved his country and his family dearly. He was a real American patriot," said longtime friend and fellow Vietnam veteran Stanley Snyder.
"He loved the American flag; he was real proud of his country," Snyder said. "I called him bionic John because of all of his surgeries. He was an American trooper. He never let his disability bother him; he was dedicated to serving others."
The Rev. Paul Johnson called Gority a fun, loyal guy.
"He was definitely a comrade you could depend on. He suffered a lot but never gave up on life. He was dedicated and committed to his country and to the community. He was a real good friend. We could hang out together to go through the ups and downs of life. He was just a great man who will be missed a lot. My heart is broken now, it is in shock," said Johnson, a Vietnam veteran and founder of the Eighteenth Street Community Church.
Gority was a nice guy who loved to help people, said Lloyd Peck, commander of Blair County War Veterans Council, of which Gority was a trustee.
"He helped me many times with the parades. I just talked to him recently, and he said if you need any help, let me know. He cared about his country and the unit he was with," Peck said.
Gority was dedicated to veterans' causes, said George Montgomery, a Vietnam veteran, and leader of Fire Base Eagle, a local group that proposed to commemorate the war with a complex that involved a replica field base and a history center. Gority was treasurer of the organization.
"He kept the VFW (Post 3) going. He was an inspiration, not feeling sorry for himself. He was a good guy," Montgomery said. "When you asked him to do something, he never said no. He gave of himself more than most would; he never complained. He did what he had to do to keep living."
Gority also was a trustee in the Catholic War Veterans organization.
"I told him he was one of the toughest men I ever knew. He almost gave his life that day in Vietnam. In the community, he was involved in anything you can imagine. He was always involved in raising money to help the needy people in the community," said Michael McDonough, commander of Catholic War Veterans Post 1681, who had known Gority since their days at Cathedral Elementary School in the 1950s.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Stevens Mortuary Inc., 1421 Eighth Ave.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Interment will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.