Harrison City veteran had reputation as ‘super patriot’
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Saturday, May 5, 2018 | 8:48 PM
Dustin Ionadi was “a super patriot” who enlisted in the Air Force and then in the Army Reserves in Johnstown, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan before working security at the Pentagon when his duty to country was cut short by brain cancer, his mother said.
“He was very proud of his military service. He was such a patriot. He said it was the most rewarding job he ever had,” said Susan Ionadi of Harrison City.
Dustin J. Ionadi of Harrison City died Friday, May 4, 2018, at his home, after a yearlong battle with ependymoma, a rare form of brain cancer. He was 33.
He was born Feb. 13, 1985, in Pittsburgh, the son of Anthony and Susan Ionadi.
After graduating from Penn-Trafford High School, he attended Westmoreland County Community College before deciding he wanted to serve his country, his mother said.
“He decided the military was what he wanted to do,” she said.
Mr. Ionadi enlisted in the Air Force in 2006 and was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, before being sent to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was stationed at the Balad Air Base, where he was exposed to fumes and soot from pits where garbage and other material was burned, his mother said.
He also served in Afghanistan, where he was part of the high-end security force for Gen. William Caldwell, commanding general of the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. That meant driving with the general in a convoy terrorists would consider a high-value target, Susan Ianodi said.
“He had a big responsibility, and he handled it well,” she said.
After his enlistment was finished with the Air Force, he joined the Army Reserves, which he served for three years.
Mr. Ianodi worked for a year in Kuwait as a civilian contractor for Triple Canopy in 2016.
He was undergoing training to be a member of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency as a police officer when he became ill in March 2017. Susan Ianodi said he underwent surgery and radiation to remove the cancer, but it spread.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by aunts, uncles and cousins.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Lindsay-Jobe Funeral Home Inc., 3343 Route 130, Harrison City. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Monday in St. Barbara Catholic Church, 111 Raymaley Road, Harrison City, and will conclude with military honors after Mass.
Memorial donations may be made in Dustin's memory to the Cern Foundation, by visiting www.cern-foundation.org . The Cern Foundation provides funding for research to fight ependymoma.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.
