An American World War Two veteran sadly passed away as he was making his way to France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
June 6 marked 80 years since Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in what would be a pivotal moment in the Second World War.
The landing, also known as Operation Neptune, is the single largest seaborne invasion in history.
According to History.com, 4,414 Allied soldiers died on June 6, 1944, with 2,501 of them being American.
German casualties are estimated to have been between 4000-9000.
D-Day was a successful operation for the Allies, as it marked a turning point in the war as the Nazi forces were pushed back through occupied France, and surrendered just over a year later.
To mark the 80th anniversary of the historic battle, events took place throughout Europe, with some of the last remaining veterans who were there on the day heading back to the beaches that they stormed eight decades ago.
102-year-old Robert Persichitti, from Fairport, NY, tragically did not complete his journey.
The Navy veteran, part of a group associated with the National World War II Museum, had flown overseas and was on a ship bound for Normandy.
He suddenly fell ill and was airlifted to a hospital in Germany.
“I’m really excited to be going,” Persichitti, who had a history of heart problems, told WROC-TV a day before his departure.
In his final moments, Persichitti listened to his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, according to his friend and travel companion Al DeCarlo, who spoke with 13WHAM.
“The doctor was with him. He was not alone, he was at peace and he was comfortable,” DeCarlo said. “She put his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone and he peacefully left us.”
Persichitti, a radioman second class on the command ship USS Eldorado, served in Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Guam.
He witnessed the iconic raising of the American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945—a moment immortalized in one of the most famous photos of the war.
“I was on the deck,” Persichitti told Stars and Stripes in a 2019 interview. “When I got on the island today, I just broke down.”
He recounted the horrors he witnessed from the Eldorado, including injured Marines being brought aboard and numerous burials at sea.
“When they made the landing, they started losing all these guys,” Persichitti recalled. “It wasn’t a very good sight.”
Persichitti paid his respects to fallen comrades every Friday, not just on commemorative days.
“I wear a red sleeveless T-shirt … Every Friday, I put that red on, to represent all the blood that was lost during World War II,” he said.
After the war, Persichitti became a public school teacher in Rochester and continued to visit schools to share his wartime experiences.
Our thoughts are with Persichitti, his loved ones, and all those who gave their lives on June 6, 1944.
