EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one of a weekly series highlighting local veterans that runs each Monday through Veterans Day. To suggest a veteran, email Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com or call her at 330-841-1737.

Correspondent photo / John Patrick Gatta
John Berena, 57, of Howland, served in the United States Army Honor Guard from 1986 to 1989. After his service, he became an auto repairman.

“I went in and joined the Army. Went right down to Fort Benning (Georgia). I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and which path I wanted to go. So, I thought the military was the best choice for me,” Berena, of Howland, said.

Although his father was a U.S. Marine in Vietnam, Berena, like his grandfather who took part in the Korean conflict, joined the U.S. Army because of an interest in the United States Army Infantry School and Army Honor Guard.

Testing well, he had a choice of duties but, as he put it, “my heart was set on the infantry.”

After 13 weeks in which he completed his advanced infantry training, Berena achieved half of his goals for joining the military. To fulfill the other portion, he went through three more weeks of training at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia, in order to become a member of the U.S. Army Honor Guard.

“I did some reading and was infatuated with Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. and all the history of DC. I took the physical requirements testing. The FBI does background checks on your family and friends. Once I passed all that, then, I got transferred to DC and you put in for your White House clearance,” Berena said.

Berena continued his infantry training while also becoming part of the Caisson Platoon of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, which provides full-honor caisson funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery. A caisson is a horse-drawn carriage used in military funerals to carry the casket of a deceased service member.

In addition to its work at Arlington, the unit performs duties at special events including parades and official receptions, and guards national monuments such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The members undergo rigorous training to ensure their duties are performed with precision, accuracy and attention to detail.

His day often started at 4 a.m. with him taking care of his stallion, a retired racehorse that was donated, then making sure his uniform looked perfect followed by training, funerals or guard duty and ended around 8 p.m. “They were real strict, which was good because you’re in front of a lot of high-ranking officers who lived at our post.”

As an Honor Guard, Berena met President George H.W. Bush and high-ranking dignitaries such as General Colin Powell.

“To see the public, thousands of people in Arlington Cemetery, and they’re there to see what we do, that was probably the most memorable thing,” Berena said. “Part of our training was memorizing all the key places in Arlington, and there’s a lot. So, when you’re walking it, you don’t realize how big it is. You have Kennedy’s Eternal Flame…there’s a lot to it, a lot of history there.”

Following his three years in the Army, Berena later joined the U.S. Army Reserve for a year. After his discharge, he returned to his passion for cars and worked as a mechanic in dealerships around the Arlington, Virginia area. Coming back to Trumbull County, he eventually became a manager at Coates Car Care in Niles.

Like his senior year in high school, Berena then realized what he wanted to do and acted upon it. Rather than working for others, he wanted his own repair shop, which resulted in the opening in 2016 of Berena’s Automotive Center in Niles.

He credits his wife, Kristine, for being a valuable partner in the endeavor.

“We make a great team. She does all the things that I can’t do, and I do all the things that she can’t do. We know what standards that we need to hit, and we also have goals.”

Berena admitted the military’s disciplined ways impacted him long after he took off his uniform for the final time.

“I was definitely not disciplined (going into the Army). I was definitely not organized. Not to say I was bad. I wasn’t in prison, but I was a hellion as a teenager,” he said. “It taught me to focus and be organized and stuff like that. That stayed with me to this day. How much work you are going to put into something is going to be your outcome. That’s what it taught me, too.”

Relating that time period to his non-military life, he said, “To be in the service, and the Honor Guard is the best thing I ever did. I believe everybody creates their own destiny in life. Everybody can choose what path they want to go down. That’s the path I chose, and it led me to a great place where I’m at now. Fortunately, I’ve got a great business, great family. Being in the military, and proud of what I did, led me to where I’m at and who I am. And that’s the key.”