A World War II veteran died aged 102 while traveling to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Robert “Al” Persichitti, of Rochester, New York, served in the U.S. Navy and participated in the Allied operation in Japan.
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WHEC News 10, an affiliate of Sky’s network partner NBC, reported that the veteran flew overseas with the National World War II Museum Group.
After landing in Germany, the group was on a ship sailing up the coast towards Normand when they had a medical emergency. She passed away on Friday, May 31.
The local station said Persichitti was a radio operator on the command ship USS Eldorado and served in the Pacific Theater, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Guam during the war. Second World War.
Persichitti’s guardian, Al DeCarlo, told ABC News affiliate WHAM-TV: “The doctor was with him. He was not alone, he was at peace and comfortable.”
“She put her favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone and he left us peacefully.”
WHEC News 10 also reported that Persichitti was named to the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame in 2020.
They added that he was a former teacher in the Rochester City School District and wrote an autobiography called Building an American Life in 2015.
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The Rochester chapter of Honor Flight, a nonprofit that transports veterans to memorials, said Persichitti was “a great friend” and added that he will be missed.
The National World War II Museum said on its website that, according to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 119,550 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II were alive as of last year. .
At Thursday’s 80th anniversary event in Normandy, French President Emmanuel Macron awarded the Legion of Honor – the country’s highest honor – to Americans. day D veterans.
US President Joe Biden said the Allied landing in Normandy “turned the tide in our favor” and showed that “the forces of freedom are stronger than the forces of conquest.”
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