A 102-year-old World War II U.S. Navy veteran died Friday while en route to Normandy, France, to take part in the commemoration of the Normandy landings, the Honor Flight organization of which he was a member announced.
Robert Persichitti died “peacefully” after experiencing a medical emergency on board a ship bound for Normandy following an overseas flight to Europe, said Richard Stewart, president of Honor Flight Rochester. Said in statement the The New York Times Obtained.
Persichitti, a Fairport, New York, native who witnessed the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima firsthand, was among a dwindling number of Normandy landings veterans.
The veteran had a history of heart problems, Said The day before he was due to leave, his cardiologist encouraged him to go on the trip, according to WROC-TV.
“I’m really looking forward to going,” Persichitti told the local CBS affiliate.
After suffering apparent health problems on board, he was airlifted to a hospital in Germany. report.
“He died peacefully, and he didn’t die alone,” Stewart said.
Al DeCarlo, a friend who was traveling with Persichitti, said his companion was “at peace” when he died.
“Doctors were with him. He wasn’t alone. He was at peace. He was comfortable,” DeCarlo said. Said 13. Wham. “She typed the name of his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, into her phone and he quietly left us.”
Thursday marks the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, and world leaders are due to attend, including U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s King Charles III.
Stewart said Persichitti remains active at age 102.
“He was healthy, tall, mobile and had the full faculties of someone decades younger,” he said. “He was just an incredible guy.”
