Fazzaris mourn nephew killed in the war

Randy and John Fazzari remember their nephew as a driven young man who succeeded in whatever path he chose for his life.

The brothers, who own Fazzari's Finest Pizza in Clarkston, reflected Saturday on the wrenching cost of war after learning earlier this week of the death of 1st Lt. Mathew G. Fazzari, 25, of Walla Walla. He and another soldier were killed Wednesday after their helicopter came under enemy fire and crashed in Afghanistan.

"Whatever he was going to do, he was going to be good at," John said of Mathew, who was raised in Walla Walla. He is survived by his wife, Tovah Fazzari, and his two children, Dominic and Samuel.

The son of another Fazzari brother, Greg, Mathew was a three-sport athlete at DeSalles Catholic High School in Walla Walla, where he played football, basketball and baseball. He graduated in 2005 and then studied mathematics at Gonzaga University in Spokane, graduated in 2010.

Given what he knew of his nephew, it came as no surprise to Randy when he heard Mathew had chosen to enter the ROTC program in college.

"That was just kind of the kid he was," Randy said.

Mathew served with the Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division and was deployed to Afghanistan in May, according to a release from the 82nd Airborne Division. It was his first deployment.

He chose to fly the OH-58D Kiowa helicopter over other types because its mission put him closer to the troops on the ground, Randy said.

That was the type of helicopter in which he was flying when he and Capt. Scott Pace, 33, of Brawley, Calif., took enemy fire in the Ghazni province, according to the release. Pace also was killed in the crash.

John said Tovah, and Mathew's mother and father, were expected to return to Walla Walla on Saturday night after observing the return of Mathew's body in Delaware. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Both men said the loss of their nephew is a painful reminder of the price of freedom and the reality of the ongoing war.

"You read about it everyday," John said. "When it finally hits your family, it's a slap in the face, I tell you."

"The freedoms that we have in this country aren't free," Randy said. "It's due to these sacrifices, and the ultimate sacrifices at times, that we're able to do what we do today. That flame of freedom is stronger with his passing."

Bloomsburg may be contacted at codyb@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2274. Follow him on Twitter @crbloomsburg.