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A group of family and friends helped to make Steve Vernaccini’s birthday — a century in the making — even more special Sunday with a flag-touting parade of about 10 vehicles down Main Street, Batavia, a certificate of recognition from Assemblyman Steve Hawley, representation from the Veteran Road Patrol, and a U.S. flag-themed birthday cake.
The guest of honor was also treated to a party after the parade and received a military challenge coin.
If Vernaccini’s name sounds familiar, he was recently bestowed his long-awaited high school diploma by the Le Roy Central School’s Board of Education. The Le Roy resident had missed his graduation after serving in the Army from December 1942 to December 1945.
A native of Rock Glen, Vernaccini moved to Le Roy in 1925 and got married in June 1946. In between, he played baritone horn in a high school band, was on the track team, and played basketball.
He completed his sophomore year in 1940 and was just rolling for two weeks into his junior year when he had to quit and go to work to support his family. What happened next took away his opportunity to return to school at that time to get that coveted diploma.
He was drafted into the Army as a private, stationed at Fort Eustis, Va., where he completed boot camp in three months. He was put on a train to California and then boarded a ship, the U.S.S. Laura-lane, to Hawaii. He was stationed at Scofield Barracks, Oahu for just three days before he was assigned to an anti-aircraft unit. His job was to track aircraft until he was assigned to the radar unit.
He left Hawaii in December 1944 and went to Iwo Jima in April 1945 until Oct. 3, 1945. He was discharged from the military on Dec. 12, 1945, as a sergeant.
Earlier this month, Vernaccini was presented with that long-awaited diploma, about a week before he was to turn 100.
“I can’t explain to you how gratifying this is to receive this,” he had said. “I’d like to have had this a long time ago, but Uncle Sam wanted me, so I did what he wanted.”
Now, he has the diploma, and recognition and thanks from the community for his service to the country. And perhaps, he even enjoyed a little cake.
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