WWII veteran from Richmond recalls cooking for Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Japan

Days after celebrating his 98th birthday, World War II veteran Peter Cirelli of Richmond reflects on memories during his service as Veterans Day approaches.

Cirelli, who turned 98 last week, was a cook for the Army and was in charge of the kitchen for U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo. One of MacArthur’s favorite dishes was roast beef, he said. Cirelli remembers he could see Mount Fuji and the Imperial Palace from his window where he stayed.

While there, Cirelli worked with six unlikely coworkers: captured Japanese pilots. The working relationship started out rocky when one day a fight broke out that ended with Cirelli in a headlock and another man with two broken toes. After that, they developed a friendship working in the kitchen creating meals for MacArthur and the troops.

“I don’t know why ... but, they trusted me,” he said. “They were very good to me after that.”

Before Cirelli was running the kitchen in Tokyo, he was stationed in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, Virginia and California. During his two-week boat trip to Japan, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“I didn’t know what an atomic bomb was,” he said. “We were worried that we were going to be sick or die or something.”

Cirelli recalls the devastation the bombings left behind and remembers shadows of people “embedded in the concrete.”

Cirelli’s service in Tokyo was cut short when his mom died unexpectedly. He quickly returned home to Chicago to raise his two younger brothers and entered the Illinois National Guard for three years under the medical battalion.

While in the National Guard, he was introduced to polo and quickly fell in love with the sport. Cirelli won many ribbons, trophies and awards in showcasing, rodeo and polo over the years.

His love for horses started in kindergarten when his teacher gave him the novel “Black Beauty,” which helped him learn to speak English. Cirelli was born in Italy and came to Chicago when he was 7 months old, he said.

“It’s odd, because from then on, all I knew my whole life was horses,” he said.

McHenry-based Senior Services Associates care coordinator Perla Burtel has a special Veterans Day celebration planned Thursday for Cirelli. Burtel also is an Army veteran who served as a medic in Iraq and Afghanistan, retiring with a rank of Sergeant E-5. She said she feels passionate to honor veterans because she knows how impactful words and letters of support can be when she served overseas.

“He’s got a special place in my heart,” she said. “There are these teeny tiny things that make a huge difference.”

Her passion to honor veterans is especially strong for older generations who need more recognition, she said. Whenever she meets a veteran from WWII or the Korean War, she tries to spread awareness of the services the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs still can provide them.

“After all of these years, Peter never received an award,” she said. “Back in the day, it wasn’t that important. That is why I think there’s this need inside of me to tell people, ‘Thank you for your service.’”