Petrides spent century for American Dream

STEUBENVILLE -- The American Dream doesn't usually include taking shrapnel in a war. Nor does it involve cooking for generals.

But for Pete Petrides, known to his friends as "The General," a lifetime of service included service to the country he loves during World War II. In his view, it was the least he could do for a nation that gave him the opportunity for a nice life.

The memory of Petrides, who turns 100 on Friday, is dimming, but the stories he told have been chronicled in a memoir and in stories in the pages of his hometown newspaper during countless newsworthy moments as a restaurant owner and cook, as a Community Stars honoree for service to others and as the city's boxing commissioner.

The Greek immigrant, who is fluent in Italian because his part of Greece was under Italian rule and he attended an Italian school in his youth, is known to generations as the cook at the Green Mill and owning and operating the Wheel restaurant downtown for decades.

Though he had some rough times after coming to America, he felt the call of duty to service and enlisted on Feb. 10, 1940, 22 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor drew the U.S. into World War II. He could speak little English but was fluent in Greek and Italian. He studied English in night school while training in Mississippi, which helped the young Greek soldier learn what to do in the drills that were confusing to him because of the language barrier.

He remembered a lieutenant made sure he would always have transportation to get to his English class, and how that stayed in his heart.

He eventually was shipped out of San Francisco for service in the Pacific Theater.

It was there that his ability in the kitchen became widely known.

"I said, 'Sir, I know a little bit, but to cook for 4,000, I need a little help," he remembered.

It wasn't long before his abilities attracted the attention of Gen. Robert S. Beightler, commander of the 37th Infantry Division.

That came about when Petrides was aboard a boat that was hit and sunk in preparation for the invasion of Bougainville. He and some of his fellow soldiers managed to save a bit of food, including canned ham. He was able to turn the canned ham to mimic French toast, ham croquettes and meatloaf. Beightler was impressed and called for Petrides to become his cook.

He was involved in the battle of Guadalcanal and the invasion of Bougainville.

"It was no fun over there. It was all jungles, everything," he recalled. He said the Japanese were stabbing wounded men in the hospital at Bougainville, prompting Gen. Douglas MacArthur to give the order to take no prisoners.

He didn't talk much at all regarding the details of the battles or the horrors of war.

"You fight for your country," he said. "Everybody depends on you."

Petrides was struck with shrapnel twice. While on patrol in the Luzon River, his buddy was hit by a sniper. Petrides was struck helping get the man to safety. They played dead to avoid being killed by a Japanese soldier, whom Petrides said he killed with a hand grenade when the soldier finally came out of the tree line, convinced the Americans were dead.

In five years of service, Petrides earned a Silver Star for delivering meals in dangerous territory, two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and a Good Conduct ribbon. They all are proudly kept in a special box at his home, along with countless newspaper clippings, mementoes of a lifetime and a copy of his snippets of life, "My Dream Come True: Excerpts from My Life's Journeys in My Own Words," by "Pete Petrides, A Hardworking Man."

Gen. Beightler once came to Steubenville to visit his former cook, coming to the Wheel Restaurant in 1960. Petrides and his family used to visit the general at his home in Worthington.

After the war, Petrides' life of hard work led to memorable restaurants in the city, successful children, a stint with the state highway department and a long retirement.

But the embodiment of love of the United States is always the concluding statement in any encounter with "The General."

He told a reporter, "I love the U.S. You have all the opportunity you want to do. Don't forget. The great land where we live. We have to be proud.'

And he concludes his memoir, "I am sharing these short stories from my life's journey to demonstrate why I believe that my dream has come true. It is my hope that my experiences will inspire future generations to dream big and work hard."

And, as a visitor leaves his presence, Petrides raises a right hand triumphantly in a quick wave and belts out, "Arreviderci!"