Community says farewell to West Pittston Armory

WEST PITTSTON — Since 1959, the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory has been an institution housing the Company D, 1st Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment.

It has been majestically standing guard just yards away from the mighty Susquehanna River that has ravaged the structure several times, with the biggest damage in 1972 and 2011. Yet it still stands.

The armory has been a great friend to West Pittston and surrounding communities, hosting dances, banquets, craft and flea markets, and, in recent history, the public viewings for fallen Greater Pittston soldiers, 1st Lt. Jeffrey DePrimo in 2008 and Spc. Dale Kridlo in 2010.

The armory has taken on anything Mother Nature has thrown at it, but this autumn, the building will be razed.

In 2016, the Pennsylvania National Guard vacated the building, consolidating the Guard elsewhere, and leaving the armory empty.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission had intentions of buying the property in 2018, then rescinded the offer.

In 2018, West Pittston Borough was given a grant for a feasibility study, for a non-federal funded flood protection project with the results being completed in December of 2019.

At a public meeting in 2020, the results were revealed, stating it was important to move the pump station owned by the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority (WVSA) if a levee was to be built at that site.

Ellen Quinn, West Pittston Borough council president, said the pump would also need to be moved to ensure the separation of stormwater from the sanitation.

“That’s why we really wanted to purchase the property,” Quinn said. “In order to ensure proper separation of waste and clean water as well as creating space for a future levee.

West Pittston officials acquired the armory and its 3.3-acres in October 2022 for $35,000.

After three-years of owning the land, the borough council recently made the difficult decision to take the structure down for health and safety, insurance costs, and a future flood prevention project.

“Why we wanted the property is it’s important to West Pittston because of the land and the location,” Quinn said. “This is the very first and lowest area in West Pittston that floods when the Susquehanna River rises.”

Quinn said the borough received grant money from the WVSA to raze the armory, costing in the neighborhood of $200,000 to $250,000, most of it being covered by the grant.

“The building is filled with asbestos and that all has to be removed first before the building can come down,” Quinn added.

Quinn said she is hopeful the WVSA will partner with the borough in moving the pump station successfully.

One last goodbye

On Sunday, Aug. 17, former guardsmen that served at the West Pittston Armory gathered for one last time to say goodbye to their former home.

Over three dozen men had the chance to tour the armory over a two-hour period and reminisce about time served during good times and troubled times.

Rich Parry, a Pittston Area Class of 1974 graduate, became active duty in 1975 with the 4th Infantry Division from 1975 to 1979. In 1979, he joined the unit at the West Pittston Armory before retiring in 2004.

“So, this is obviously a sad day. It’s a terrible day for all of us,” Parry said. “I mean, we have so much history here, you know, a lot of blood, sweat, and tears were shed in this building. Every month we came in and it’s amazing what these guys do, you know, they come in for one weekend a month, but they maintained standards, similar to what you have on active duty.”

Parry said he would have hoped the armory could have been used as a focal point for the community such as recreation or a public place to gather.

“I’ve heard they’re going to move the pump station across the street over on this side,” Parry said. “I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s what someone mentioned to me. Not really a good use of the grounds. This would make such a beautiful community center.”

Paul DePrimo, a 1982 graduate of Pittston Area, served at the West Pittston Armory at the time it transitioned to M1 tanks in 1993. He was stationed at the armory for 20 years.

“It’s still tough to understand why, when the building structure is sound and it can be used different ways,” DePrimo commented on the razing of the building. “A lot, lot of memories here.”

DePrimo was the cousin of Jeffrey DePrimo, who was killed in action in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

Retired Sgt. Major Rich “Chick” Colarusso, another Pittston native, served at the armory in 1995 after being transferred from another unit.

In 2002, he became a full-time soldier and, in 2015, he was promoted, leaving the armory for good.

“This place means a lot. I spent 22 years here,” Colarusso said. “But between part-time and full-time, there’s been a lot of changes, a lot of improvements to the building.”

Colarusso said after the 2011 flood, the windows, doors and electrical all had been changed out or upgraded.

“To see the changes that were made and then to watch it go away, that’s a little sentimental,” Colarusso admitted. “And then seeing everybody here today that through all the years, you know, it means a lot. I wasn’t here when they closed up and locked the doors and the last flag was brought down unceremoniously and it was given to me.”

Colarusso continued: “I have mixed emotions. You see all these old hats that you served with over the years, the ones that came before you and left before you and ones that were here after you. So, you’ll see everybody to come together like this, just see the memories and go over and talk about the memories that they had while they were here. It’s sad to see it go, especially with the amount of improvements that I was involved in alone and then you watch it just get torn down, it’s a little emotional.

Colarusso said he would never forget the community’s involvement with the armory over the years.

“The best thing about this army was the community sport we had. They were our biggest supporters, not to mention the neighbors. Whenever we had floods or issues here, the neighbors would come ask if we could help, but we were supposed to help them and they came to ask us if we needed help, but we always got our stuff in order first and then went up the community.”

All present for the armory tour took part in the official retiring of the U.S. Flag with a short program by Gen. Andrew Schafer.

The flag was lowered, the last photos were snapped, and the doors were locked for the last time, ending 66 years of history.