MCHENRY, Ill. (WGN) — The Cedarhurst community in McHenry came together Tuesday to celebrate a local hero, army veteran Tony Pugliese, on his 100th birthday.
The celebration, as requested by Pugliese, was a “Mob-Style Pizza Party,” where friends, family and residents gathered to celebrate not only Pugliese’s milestone birthday, but also his contributions to the United States of America.
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A photo from Tony Pugliese’s 100th birthday and “Mob Style Pizza Party.”
A photo from Tony Pugliese’s 100th birthday and “Mob Style Pizza Party.”
Pugliese was born and raised in Chicago, where he enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school and was stationed in Germany during World War II, serving his country as a medic in the eastern theater of the war.
According to a spokesperson from the senior living community where Pugliese currently resides, “he saved countless lives as a medic” in the war against Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers and is a part of an ever-dwindling generation.
Pugliese is a part of the fewer than 1% of World War II veterans still alive today.
Following his service, Pugliese came back to the Chicagoland area and settled into a life dedicated to his family and local community, working as a maintenance man for St. Zachary’s Catholic School and Church in Des Plaines.
Now, Pugliese is the proud father of five children, 13 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
