Vet finally honored for WWII service

NEW YORK (WABC) -- This Memorial Day, a long overdue honor was bestowed on a 92-year-old World War II veteran.

It was a moment 64 years in the making, but on Monday, Brooklyn native Pasquale Caroselli was at long last awarded six medals for his honorable service during the war.

His wife, children and grandchildren stood by proudly.

"I'm really thrilled, especially on Memorial Day, to see him receive his medals, which he earned over six decades ago, it's just fantastic," Caroselli's son, John, said.

Caroselli was a technical officer between 1942 and 1945, serving in North Africa, France and Italy. He didn't learn until later that the documents proving he'd earned the medals had been destroyed in a fire. Earlier this year, the family reached out to Congressman Anthony Weiner's office, where staffers used some of Caroselli's own papers to confirm his service and get his medals.

"He is the last of a generation of oral historians about a remarkable era in American history," Weiner said. "And as someone who every day lives a life that would not have been possible had it not been for the committment of the greatest generation, this is a remarkable day for me as well."

Caroselli is a man of few words, but says he's been waiting a long time for his medals. His family however, had plenty to say on his behalf.

"I can tell that's he's very happy and honored to finally get them after all these years and it's nice to see the smile on his face. I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time," grandson Richie Caroselli said.

And what does one do with six newly awarded medals after the the crowd and the cameras are gone?

"We're gonna display them in the living room, let everybody look at them now that he finally got them," Caroselli's wife, Venita, said.

Web produced by Maura Sweeney

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