A Patriot Remembers
D-Day revisited Someone was watching over Angelo Picarazzi
W
Frank DeSorbo
BAPTIST BAPTIST HEALTH HEALTH SYSTEM SYSTEM
Assisted Assisted Living Living Transitional Care Transitional Care Skilled Nursing Care HomewardBOUND HomewardBOUND Skilled Nursing Care CARING LIKE FAMILY CARING LIKE FAMILY Baptist Health System Assisted Living Baptist Health System Assisted Living
Angelo Picarazzi was 18 years old when he hit the shore of Normandy in 1944. He said he “ate a lot of sand that day,” but he survived to fight several more battles until wounded in village of Remagen. his “unit was so close to the enemy that they felt the bombs and trees falling.” On Dec. 23, 1944, he received his second shrapnel wound that kept him out of action for about 10 days. Then it was back to lines and into Germany as he crossed the Remagen Bridge before it collapsed. His group was fighting in the village when the bridge collapsed on U.S. engineers. On March 15, 1944 he was wounded in his leg. “I felt I was going to get hit that day, and that SOB in front of me wasn’t running fast enough.” The wound ended his combat duty. He spent eight months
GIVE YOURSELF A CHANCE TO IMPROVE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE! In Home Personal Training • Is balance an issue? • Do you need someone to keep you motivated to stay active?
Transitional Care Transitional Care
With With 42 42 years years of of experience experienceininlong longterm termcomprehensive comprehensivecare, care, transitional care and rehabilitative services, memory transitional care and rehabilitative services, memoryfocused focusedservices, services, and andassisted assistedliving. living.
Judson Baptist Judson Meadows Meadows BaptistHealth Health Assisted Nursing Assisted Living Living Community Community Nursing&&Rehabilitation RehabilitationCtr. Ctr. 39 39 Swaggertown Swaggertown Road, Road, Glenville, Glenville,NY NY12302 12302 297 297N. N.Ballston BallstonAve., Ave.,Scotia, Scotia,NY NY12302 12302
518-831-2400
JudsonMeadowsAssistedLiving.com JudsonMeadowsAssistedLiving.com
518-370-4700 518-370-4700 BaptHealth.com BaptHealth.com
112352_4
recovering, which left him with an “admiration for nurses.” His last two wounds occurred on two days before important holidays: Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day. I always felt his name Angelo was so appropriate because “he lived with the angels.” Every June 6, I have deephearted feelings for my friend, all veterans and that tragic and triumphant day of June 6, 1944. When I spoke for Angelo’s eulogy in June 2017, I ended it with “maybe you’ll see them in the next life.” The author is a Capital District resident and president of D-Day Revisited Association.
Stephanie Hutchins Certified Geriatric Personal Trainer through A.A.H.F.
In-home personal training is convenient and can help you start living with confidence/independence. Assisted Stretching Available
Still offering services through Covid-19 Call Today 518-312-7983
112353_4
orld War II the human body can do.” brought us milHis survival that day on lions of stories, Omaha Beach was the first of “The Greatest a 9-month journey through Generation” and memories France, that included the Hurtthat we must not let fade away. gen Forest and the Ardennes On June 4, 2011, I arranged a before his military service ended two-hour event to honor and with his third wound in the recognize our military veterans village of Remagen. During that who participated in the Norperiod, he saw action in major mandy Invasion – better known battles along the way. He told as D-Day of June 6, 1944. I me that the combat veterans produced booklets for the were the soldiers who first three years of the saw the enemy face event, and now I to face. by will create a book He fought of the events and in the Battle of my good friend St. Lo and the Angelo Picarazzi. Hedgerows, and He inspired he had a book that me to do many he used to pinpoint things, and some of a picture of the road his quotes still ring in he walked down. He said, my head. “many French people did not Angelo was in the 9th Infanlike the Americans and blamed try Division when he hit the us for ruining their town.” And shore on Day 3. Being a young he constantly reminded me, “I 18-year-old on the beach, he turned 19 years old in a foxhole said he “ate a lot of sand that during the Battle of St. Lo.” day.” He told me many times Then they walked from St. the driver of the Higgins Boat “was more afraid that we were.” Lo through the hedgerows and into Belgium. He received his When the gate dropped, he first wound on Aug. 4. He sunk with 75 pounds of gear. recovered and was sent back to He shed the gear and swam the lines and moved forward to the shore with nothing but into the Battle of the Bulge. He his clothes. He told me of the cursed our bombers because swim, “You’d be amazed what
KeepMovingWithStephanie.com June 2020 — cdFamilyNow.com 17
