Camille Procassini’s father, Anthony “Tony” Procassini, now 98 years old and still full of life and good humor, was honored in the Dearborn Memorial Day Parade on May 27.
Along with two other 98-year-old Marines, he rode the parade route in a stretch limousine, with family members there to cheer him on. A veteran of the Second World War, he received numerous awards for his service fighting in the Pacific theater. These included a Combat Action Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal with a bronze star, Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism in battle, China Service medal, WWII Victory Medal, and a rifle sharpshooter badge.
But another big award was still to come. On July 12, 2019, he received a Purple Heart for wounds received in action against the enemy on May 14, 1945 on Okinawa. Eight of his daughters, three sons-in-law, six of his grandchildren, and a niece and her husband were in attendance. In two pictures of him and the other two Marines who were in the parade, he’s the one in the Michigan ball cap. But you’ll be able to recognize him, anyway, by the trademark Procassini smile, passed down to his #1 daughter, Camille.
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