During the month of December, loved ones and old acquaintances often get together to reminisce, but as time goes on, planning those gatherings becomes harder to manage. Harder still is planning a holiday event for World War II veterans whose numbers are shrinking.
For the past three years, Delmar resident Frank DeSorbo has organized a local recognition and remembrance ceremony for veterans of the European invasion known as D-Day. DeSorbo said the idea for an observance day first came in 2005 when he was visiting the former D-Day museum in New Orleans, now called the National WWII Museum.
He was taking a self-guided tour when he came across a man in his 80s also looking at the exhibits.
“He was a survivor of Normandy, front line combat. I asked him what today was and told him it was D-Day. He said no one had mentioned it to him all day except for me,” said DeSorbo in a previous interview.
The past few events have been a success, although finding survivors has been a challenge. Nearly 50 D-Day survivors attended last year’s ceremony, with about 275 people attending the ceremony in all at the Holiday Inn Express in Latham.
Now, DeSorbo is looking to put together a second, smaller event for the holidays.
“Because of the ceremony, I keep in touch with a lot of the veterans,” said DeSorbo, 66. “I also recently went on an Honor Flight trip, and a lot of them were talking about how great it would be to get together.”
DeSorbo said he typically has a holiday party for about 40 people at his home, where he sometimes invites some of the veterans he’s met. This year, he felt it would be nicer to hold a larger event where all local veterans would be able to attend, but with less of a somber feel so everyone could have fun and maybe strike up some new friendships.
The holiday party will be held at the Nathaniel Adams Blanchard American Legion Post 1040 in Delmar on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 1:30 p.m. Seating is limited to 150 people, so reservations are required to attend.
DeSorbo said the event is free to all who attend, but donations will be accepted. All of the events hosted by the Delmar resident are paid for out-of-pocket by himself, with his family lending a hand with set-up. DeSorbo said he would never charge a veteran, but it’s nice when others donate to his cause.
The holiday party is open to veterans of any age, along with a guest or two. But DeSorbo said he would like to as many WWII veterans as possible attend. There will be holiday cookies and snacks, as well as entertainment provided by Nick Coluccio, who will sing old time classics by the Rat Pack.
After the party, DeSorbo said he will go back to focusing on his D-Day remembrance event as he plans on making next year’s ceremony truly memorable.
“It’s going to be the 70th anniversary, so I want to make it special,” he said.
To attend the holiday party, call DeSorbo at 439-9265 or 426-4350, or e-mail him at [email protected].