{"id":7842,"date":"2025-07-16T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7842"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T14:30:00","slug":"rhode-islands-wwii-veterans-still-making-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7842","title":{"rendered":"Rhode Island\u2019s WWII Veterans still making history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-07-16T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

VA Providence<\/a> is honored to recognize three remarkable Rhode Island Veterans who exemplify the strength, sacrifice and spirit of the Greatest Generation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Henry Polichetti\u2014oldest man in the U.S.<\/h2>\n

Born July 3, 1915, and now the oldest living man in the United States, Navy Veteran\u00a0Henry Polichetti\u00a0served as an instructor at several top-secret naval radio schools during WWII. Known as \u201cthe sailor who never went to sea,\u201d he worked to help the Navy track German U-boats and trained naval radio operators during a pivotal moment in American history. Mr. Polichetti still lives in Cranston, Rhode Island, and recently celebrated this rare milestone with family, friends and fellow Veterans.<\/p>\n

Hats off to Caster Salemi<\/h2>\n

Army Veteran Caster Salemi, 103,\u00a0was honored by the Boston Red Sox as part of their \u201cHats Off to Heroes\u201d program. A proud member of the Italian American War Veterans of the U.S., Salemi waved to a cheering Fenway Park crowd in celebration of his service during WWII and his Flag Day birthday.<\/p>\n

Cheers to 100 Years, George Leo Silva<\/h2>\n

On June 29,\u00a0Navy and Coast Guard Veteran George Leo Silva\u00a0celebrated his 100th birthday at St. Bernard\u2019s Catholic Church in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, surrounded by hundreds of guests. Silva, who served aboard the USS Atlanta during WWII and later braved Hurricane Carol while stationed in a New England lighthouse, marked the occasion by exchanging challenge coins with Salemi in a touching moment of Veteran brotherhood.<\/p>\n

These living legends remind us that service doesn\u2019t end with the uniform and that every birthday they celebrate is a victory for all of us.<\/p>\n

Special thanks to Rhode Island News Today columnist and Veteran advocate\u00a0John A. Cianci\u00a0for continuing to highlight the stories of Rhode Island\u2019s Veterans with the reverence and respect they deserve.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

VA Providence is honored to recognize three remarkable Rhode Island WWII Veterans who exemplify the strength, sacrifice and spirit of the Greatest Generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-veteran-stories","category-history-remembrance"],"yoast_head":"\nRhode Island\u2019s WWII Veterans still making history - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"VA Providence is honored to recognize three remarkable Rhode Island WWII Veterans who exemplify the strength, sacrifice and spirit of the Greatest Generation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7842\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rhode Island\u2019s WWII Veterans still making history - 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