Yonkers WWII veterans honored in special service

YONKERS (WABC) -- Some local World War II veterans were recognized for their service with medals and certificates Friday, just one day before flying to the capitol for a special and emotional trip.

"It's about time," Peter Vetrano said. "It's the first time since I got home, and that was in 1945."

It may have been overdue, but the 16 Yonkers natives who fought during WWII finally got their due at a special ceremony at City Hall.

"We should never forget, and this is part of that mantra of never forgetting," Mayor Mike Spano said.

Medals and certificates were handed out commemorating the veterans' brave service, with the ceremony taking place a day before the group heads to Washington, D.C., as part of program called Honor Flight. Veterans from the Hudson Valley are being flown for an all-expenses paid trip to visit the National World War II Memorial.

"It's overwhelming, the reaction from the veterans and the caregivers," said Neil Deluca, the son of one of the honorees. "He's so excited about tomorrow, as am I."

The surviving members of the greatest generation are now in their 90s. The decades have passed, but the memories, some painful, are fresh.

"Most of us consider ourselves the lucky ones," veteran Louis Nigrello said. "Because we came home."

There was a high price to pay in every city and every town, and Yonkers was no different. Officials say 526 of its young men never came back."

"I cry all the time," veteran Peter Bianco said. "I lost a lot of good friends. The memory's always there."

And so they received a thank you, with the mayor kissing old friends and getting the tables turned by the only woman in the group -- Esther Ferrara served in the Coast Guard. So what does she think about the recognition?

"We deserve it," she said. "We're good people, and we deserve it."