According to a veteran organization, a US Navy veteran from World War II who was in France for a commemorative ceremony honoring the D-Day landings' 80th anniversary passed away.
On May 30, Rochester, New York resident Robert "Al" Persichitti was flown to a hospital in Germany after a medical emergency on a ship sailing toward Europe.
The next day he passed away, 102 years old.
Mr. Persichitti, a "great, humble man," was part of the allied effort in Japan and will always be remembered. Mr. Persichitti was a member of Honor Flight, a seasoned organization, which announced his passing on social media and noted that he had "served his country bravely without hesitation". The nonprofit assists in getting former US military members visit the war monuments they fought in.
The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, which funded and planned the trip, chose the 102-year-old to attend the commemoration in Normandy, according to a local CBS News station, the US partner of the BBC.
A day before he left, he told station WROC-TV, "I'm really excited to be going."
He said that his cardiologist had advised him to go. Al DeCarlo was traveling with Mr. Persichitti, serving beside him in Japan. He assured the Rochester media that his buddy was not dying by himself.
He said, "The doctor was with him... he was at peace and he was comfortable," as reported by WHAM-TV, an ABC television affiliate. "She put his favourite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone and he peacefully left us."
Together, the two served on the Japanese island of Iwo Jiwa, which the US took from the nation's imperial army in 1945. Pastor William Leone, Mr. Persichitti's 46-year friend, told WHAM-TV that "he had a real zest for life" and that he would visit kids at nearby schools to share his experiences with them. The veteran had been an educator as well. Students from a nearby school assisted in planning a birthday party for him in April.
Then-Senator Rich Funke honored him in 2020 with a spot in the New York State Senate's Veteran Hall of Fame. He will be missed, according to the Rochester Honor Flight local chapter.
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