'We're the lucky ones, we made it home': WWII veterans honored at Eatontown luncheon
EATONTOWN - It was not easy for veteran Ralph Dinin to talk about the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest single battle U.S. soldiers fought in during World War II.
One moment the 99-year-old Brooklyn native who now lives in Toms River was animated. "It was like you see in the movies. The bullets whizzing by," the veteran tank driver said. Then he remembered the cold, the snow and the frozen toes the soldiers endured. A moment later he broke into tears.
The U.S. suffered 89,000 casualties during the nearly six-week long Battle of the Bulge, repelling the Germans final offensive campaign on the Western Front. The German front collapsed as a result of the Allies victory in the battle.
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Dinin has lived a full life since the war. He become an eye doctor, married and had children and now grandchildren and today lives on his own in a retirement community. His neighbor Vincent Bilancia sat by listening. He drove Dinin to the Sheraton Hotel in Eatontown on Thursday for a banquet put together by the Monmouth County chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) to honor veterans a day before Veterans Day.
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"We try and do what we can. We haven't done much because he doesn't ask for much. Without good people like him in it, the world isn't worth it," Bilancia said.
Ed Thomas is the president of the Monmouth chapter of the AUSA. In his working career in technology, he was a civilian employed at Fort Monmouth. He remains close to the military still, helping spearhead the many fundraisers the nonprofit AUSA has in order to provide support for enlisted men and women, veterans and their families.
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Every year the chapter has a banquet for Veterans Day. This year, Thomas made it his mission to find and get as many World War II vets as he could. He said there was no single data source to locate them. He had to call American Legion chapters and local VFWs. He got nine, the oldest of whom was 101. They were served a big lunch, handed proclamations from state and county officials and given quilts from the Quilts of Valor Foundation.
"Their numbers are dwindling. We have to take this time to honor them," Thomas said.
Sixteen million Americans served in World War II. About 167,000 still survive today. The U.S. Army recently decided to bring back the World War II-era green service uniforms, sometimes called "pink and greens," for the green jackets and pink-tinged pants officers wore.
A couple of active servicemen attended the ceremony in the throwbacks.
"We're the lucky ones. We're the ones that made it back," said Charles "Crabby" Sona, 94, of Howell told Thomas Arnone, the director of the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners, after Arnone had handed Sona his copy of the county's proclamation to the vets.
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Sona almost didn't make it back, though. A Navy Seabee, he received extensive injuries at the Battle of Hollandia in New Guinea fighting against the Japanese. He spent months in the hospital.
"We would not be able to enjoy the quality of life we have here in Monmouth County if it were not for your sacrifice. On behalf of the 630,000 residents of Monmouth County, we say 'thank you,' and know you're not forgotten," Arnone told the vets.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Dwindling World War II veterans praised at Eatontown luncheon
