WW2 veteran, 102, dies on his way to Normandy commemoration

06 June 2024 , 09:34

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WW2 veteran, 102, dies on his way to Normandy commemoration

A 102-year-old veteran has died on his way to Normandy to commemorate D-Day, it has been confirmed.

Former sailor Robert 'Al' Persichitti was travelling with a group of fellow veterans and was looking forward to the trip according to friends. He was onboard a ship heading to France when he had a medical emergency. It is reported that he was airlifted to a hospital in Germany where he died.

Along with fellow veterans Mr Persichitti was on his way to mark the anniversary of Operation Overlord, which saw 160,000 Allied forces troops launch an assault on France's northern beaches.

According to US military news organisation Stars and Stripes, Mr Persichitti served in Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and Guam as a radioman on the ship USS Eldorado. Mr Persichitti became a carpentry teacher in Rochester, New York after the war.

Mr Persichitti died on the way to France (Alamy Stock Photo)

In recent years he had been visiting schools to talk to children about World War 2 and he celebrated his 102nd birthday in April with students at a middle school in his hime town. Recalling some of the horrendous scenes he saw while fighting, Mr Persichitti previously said: "When they made the landing, they started losing all of these guys. It wasn't a very good sight."

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Speaking about his death, Mr Persichitti's friend Al DeCarlo told local media in the US: "The doctor was with him, he was not alone. He was at peace and he was comfortable. "[The doctor] put his favourite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone and he peacefully left us. He taught us how to live every day to the fullest and he left his tank empty."

Speaking to ABC news Pastor William Leone, who has known Mr Persichitti for more than 40 years said his friend had lived an extraordinary life, enjoying traveling the world and sharing his stories with younger generations.

"It was a privilege to know him, and I will miss him. He had a real zest for living. He would go visit children in the grammar schools in the area, talk with them about his experiences growing up, his experiences during the Second World War."

Kelly-Ann Mills