Fort Bragg Family of the Year 2005!

Family’s service is noticed
By Justin Willett
The Culotta family, back row from left: Shay, Kayla and Lorie; middle row, Alex, Andrew, Melissa and Sgt. 1st Class Salvatore; and front row, Abby and Jacob.

Sgt. 1st Class Salvatore “Sam” Culotta said he doesn’t seek out recognition for himself or his family.

Culotta, his wife, Lorie, and their seven children are devout Mormons and say they value selfless service above all else.

So Culotta was a little uncomfortable when two officers from his unit — the 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment — told him that his family would be nominated to be Fort Bragg’s 2005 Family of the Year.

“I’m not a proud person in terms of seeking things out,” he said.

But his superiors knew Culotta was a leader at work and in his church and that his family followed his lead — volunteering at school and in the church and community.

The Culottas were one of 29 families nominated for the award. 

On Dec. 2, they attended the Family of the Year awards ceremony at the Community Center. They were truly happy just to be nominated.

“There are a lot of families that serve and sacrifice,” Culotta said. “We went there definitely not expecting to receive the Family of the Year title.”

But that’s just what happened. The title came with a personal computer, gift certificates and a day at the spa for Lorie.

Culotta said his family didn’t need the award for affirmation, but it is nice for his wife andchildren to be recognized.

“They sacrifice so much,” he said. “The true hero here is mom. And we have really good children, and they all do their part.”

The Culottas live in a crowded four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in Fort Bragg’s Biazza Ridge neighborhood.

The four Culotta boys — Jacob, 7; Alex, 10; Andrew, 11; and Shay, 15 — share a bedroom.

Seven-year-old Melissa and 5-year-old Abby share another room. The oldest child, 17-year-old Kayla, has her own room.

The family’s daily routine is a juggling act of meals, school, activities, Bible study and family time.

Most mornings begin well before dawn when Lorie welcomes church members into her home for Bible study. Then the children are roused and fed.

“We have four different buses we have to put them on,” Lorie said. “It’s just a matter of being on a time schedule.”

The family, by necessity, plans out most of its activities. Monday nights are reserved for a family night at home.

“There’s always something to be done,” Sam said.

Common questions

He said his co-workers always have the same two questions when they learn he has seven children.

“Are they all yours?” they ask, and then, “How do you do it?”

Lorie said she’s not sure she’s done having children. She thinks seven is enough, but every time she holds a baby she pines for another.

The Culotta family has grown along with Sam’s pay grade. When he was an E-5 they had five children, and now he’s an E-7 and they have seven children.

“Good thing we can only go to E-9,” Sam joked.

This is the third time the Culotta family has been assigned to Fort Bragg.

Sam and Lorie came to Fort Bragg for the first time as newlyweds in 1989; It was Sam’s first active-duty assignment, and they stayed four years.

The second tour was from 1998 to 2001, and the family returned in July 2004.

Sam has served for 18 years. He said he plans to stay in the Army beyond 20 years, possibly up to 23 years.

“I’ll stay as long as I can,” he said. “It’s more challenging than when I first got in.”

His sons are already eyeing careers in the military.

The eldest, Shay, said his first ambition was to be an Air Force fighter pilot.

His career goal has since alternated between a fighter pilot, a U.S. marshal and a soldier.

“I guess I want to be as good as him,” he said of his father.

Sam said he tries to be an example for his children.

“I hope I teach them a little responsibility and to be service-oriented themselves,” he said.

“But it’s not something you can pin on or something you can sew on a uniform.”