‘We need to join together’

America was at war when he enlisted (Vietnam) and at war again (Iraq) when he got his discharge. Ironically, though, it was a stateside assignment that brought Andy Ruggerio closest to death.Ruggerio, 74, of Ladd was stationed in Damascus, Arkansas, and witnessed the Titan missile explosion in 1980. An undetected fuel leak eventually set off an explosion that killed Airman David Livingston and injured 21 others, one of whom later succumbed to his injuries. Ruggerio knew both the casualties.It’s one of the reasons Ruggerio is a stalwart at veterans’ funerals and memorial celebrations. While he completed his 20 years’ service to the U.S. Air Force alive and intact, he considers it a privilege to stand up for the deceased and remember the fallen.And as the Illinois Valley veterans community grows older, he’s pleading with younger veterans to step up and participate in regional memorial groups.“We need to join together,” Ruggerio said. “We all need help.”Help they do need, but one local fu