Veteran's Day 2024 And My Dad

Veteran’s Day 2024 and My Dad

My dad was a member of America’s Greatest Generation.  His father was an immigrant who came to the US from Italy when he was 14 to work on the railroad in Pennsylvania so he could send money back to his family. My dad grew up in Corona, New York, playing basketball in high school and wanting to work outdoors as a carpenter.  But like many other young men of his age from all parts of our then great country, he would serve his country in our armed forces, fighting the fascism in Europe and North Africa, threatening the world, including the US, even though separated from the front by 3000+ miles of ocean.

His time in combat was short but not sweet.  He was a gunner on a tank assigned to Patton’s 3^rd Army. On  August 6, 1944, at the age of 21, in Laval, France, his tank was hit, and he suffered shrapnel wounds.  He required 12 major operations, leaving him with a fused hip, a permanent limp, and a leg ulcer that would never heal due to damage to his vascular system.

After discharge with his disabilities, he was forced to do clerical work rather than work as a carpenter.  He never complained about the pain or disability, which lasted until his death 57 years later.

Sad to say, he would not have been happy to be alive on this Veteran’s Day to see his country’s status.  Dad was an intelligent man who would recognize the parallels today in this country that brought the rise of Hitler and Mussolini.  He hated liars, bullies, and con men.  He would realize the hate groups mobilized here in recent times are the same as the brown shirts in Germany and black shirts in Italy.  In place of the Jews as the source of all evil, we have today’s immigrants to blame. We blame them for our drug problem (80% of drugs coming into our country are brought by US citizens), housing shortage (what bank would issue a mortgage to an illegal alien?),  crime (also primarily by citizens),  and the poisoning of our blood (interesting to say in a country of immigrants).  

But mostly, my dad would be horrified by re-electing a man who at least on three occasions egregiously violated the oath of office he took (‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”) in his first term.  He threatened to withhold funds allocated by Congress for Ukraine unless he provided dirt on the family of his rival.  He attempted to have election officials change the vote to remain in power.  Finally, inciting a mob to” stop the steal” (although he admitted to his family and close advisors that he lost) caused Congress to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power.  While he sat in his office eating and attempting by phone to get officials to change the vote for 3 hours, the mob attacked the capitol, injuring 140 police officers with flag poles, with some suffering traumatic brain injuries.  He did nothing to stop it.  What my dad would never have understood was that we would then re-elect that man who promised to attack his enemies and pardon the violent attackers of the capitol.

I miss my dad, but I’m happy he is resting in peace on this Veteran’s Day.

Thomas M Biancaniello MD

Smithtown