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Mostly Cloudy PHOTOS!!!!! What makes this veteran so special?
World War II veteran Michael A. Dalmeto was honored with a parade outside his North Bellmore home Saturday, Aug. 19 to celebrate his 99th birthday.
American Legion posts from Malverne and East Meadow joined with Sons of Legion and Auxiliary posts, Patriot Guard Riders of New York, and the North Bellmore Fire Department to celebrate.
“He said he is still overwhelmed and honored by it all,” said Dalmeto’s daughter, Janet Dalmeto Chiafari. “So many beautiful people stopped by that he didn’t even know.”
Dalmeto was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII with the 8th Air Force in Buckingham, England as an engineer gunner on a B-24 Liberator Bomber. Dalmeto flew 35 combat missions over Europe, including the Battle of the Bulge and Battle of Normandy. He received the Air Medal with five oak leave clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions in major battles in Europe.
Janet Dalmeto Chiafari is herself a member of the Malverne American Legion Post 44 Auxiliary, and her husband, Joe Chiafari, is a member of the Sons of the American Legion.
Janet Dalmeto Chiafari accompanied her father during his Honor Flight in September 2014. She said because her dad is so often in Malverne, the Malverne American Legion Post 44 hung a banner in his honor.
Dawn Samuel of the Malverne American Legion Post 44 organized the parade to celebrate Dalmeto’s special birthday.
“Dawn spearheaded the whole thing and got it all together in such a short amount of time,” Dalmeto Chiafari said.
