102-year-old veteran returning to Normandy, France to commemorate 80th D-Day anniversary
By Wakisha Bailey
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VINELAND, New Jersey (KYW) — While some may be headed to Europe for summer vacation, a group of local World War II veterans have a bigger purpose for their trip.
The 80th anniversary of D-Day is just one week away, and to commemorate the historic day, a national organization is footing the bill to send local hometown heroes back to their former battlegrounds.
One of those heroes is 102-year-old Andrew Kiniry. He starts his day just before 7 a.m., working six days a week at Battelini Transport and Towing Services in Vineland, New Jersey. There he does a little bit of everything, from restocking to cleaning bathrooms.
He’s known for sharing stories from the time he spent in the army during WWII.
As a sergeant, he served as a medic, repairing buildings and caring for wounded soldiers.
“On June 16 we landed,” Kiniry said. “I was the 45th Evacuation Hospital. We landed on Omaha Beach. I walked across the beach and up that hill.”
Kiniry, along with several veterans from the Delaware Valley, will soon return to Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
It’s part of a trip of honor with the nonprofit Forever Young Veterans.
“One thing about my dad is he loved America,” Forever Young Veterans founder Diane Hight said.
Hight said she started the organization in 2006 in memory of her late father – who, like many vets – suffered in silence while carrying the weight of the war.
“My father became an alcoholic after WWII,” Hight said.
Her mission was simple: To grant wishes to veterans. It started with one man’s wish to visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. But then the wishes became grander.
Hight said one day, a veteran told her his wish was to go back to Normandy, France. That wish was made possible thanks to a generous stranger.
“This man called me up and said, ‘I heard that you were wanting to take some of our World War II veterans back to France.’ And I said ‘Yes,’ and he handed me a check for $100,000,” Hight said.
This summer will mark the group’s 10th trip to France. For Kiniry, touching down on the former battleground is an honor.
“It’s just great. I think it’s part of my life. I’ll probably never get another chance,” he said.
Kiniry will be joined by three other local veterans. They leave on Monday, June 3 and will return the following on June 10. For more information on how to sponsor a veteran, visit the Forever Young Veterans website.
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