Community Corner
Deerfield Veteran visits World War II Memorial
Local veteran of World War II and Korean War gets a one day honor flight to Washington.
Deerfield’s Joe Pugliese, a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War, recently participated in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials to him and his comrades on the Capitol Mall.
The one-day trip sponsored by a non-profit veterans group left Midway Airport for an early morning flight to Washington where they were greeted with a special fire hose salute at Dulles International Airport and transported to downtown Washington.
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Pugliese said each of the 90 World War II veterans on the flight were provided with a wheelchair for the day, and an aide was assigned to assist the veterans. Pugliese’s aide was his son, Jim. The average age of the veterans on the trip was 88 years old.
The long, whirlwind day included a visit to the World War II Memorial, the nearby Korean and Viet Nam Memorials and the Lincoln Memorial. An Honor Guard and some entertainment was provided at some of the stops.
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“It was a busy and an impressive day that brought back memories and tears to many,” Pugliese said.
“It was a wonderful day that meant a lot to each of us veterans,” Pugliese added. “I highly recommend other World War II veterans consider applying for this special privilege. It’s an honor being selected for this wonderful experience, and it’s free.”
Pugliese spent 37 months of active duty in World War II as an enlisted man in the Navy serving on a tanker and spent another 17 months on board the cruiser USS Toledo off the Korean coast.
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