WWII Veteran Gets Long Overdue Medals

U.S. Senator Jack Reed on Friday hosted a special medal ceremony to honor World War II Army Veteran, Sgt. Eugene F. Luciano, 91, with the military honors he earned in combat but never received during his courageous Army service.

Born in Cranston in 1923, Sgt. Luciano was just 19 years old when he joined the Army in 1943.

During World War II, Sgt. Luciano fought in Normandy and the Battle of the Rhineland as a member of Battery B with the 407 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion and had eight men in his charge. He served until January 1946.

Reed presented Sgt. Luciano with the military honors he earned including the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars, and the World War II Victory Medal, among others.

“Mr. Luciano personifies the courage and extraordinary selflessness that is characteristic of our World War II veterans, and it’s an honor for me to present him, at long last, with his military awards. On behalf of a grateful nation, today we celebrate and honor Eugene’s service to the nation with a small symbol of our lasting respect and appreciation for his sacrifices on our behalf,” said Reed, a former Army Ranger and the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The attention to orders for the awards note that Sgt. Luciano’s service “was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon himself and the United States of America.”