ABC6 Honors: WWII veteran who finally received medals 70 years after serving

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – You would never know by looking at him or talking to him today, but it has been 70 years since Mr. Joseph Aquilante served in WWII. It has also been that many years since the North Providence native earned medals that he never received.

But that all changed recently.

After his daughter, Sally, wrote a letter, U.S. Senator Jack Reed presented Mr. Aquilante with four medals: the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal (Army) and the Army of Occupation Medal, Japan Clasp.

“It was a big deal, yes," said Mr. Aquilante of receiving his medals at a small ceremony with Sen. Reed. “A little later, but maybe it’s better now, where I could appreciate it better now maybe.”

Mr. Aquilante was drafted by the United States Army Air Forces at the age of 18 and served with the AFF Technical Air Intelligence Unit. His job was to go into enemy territory and retrieve Japanese equipment and technology.

"Our main objective was to get it to where we could preserve it and then we would send it back to the States," said Mr. Aquilante.

When he returned home in 1947 from serving nearly three years in Okinawa, Japan, Mr. Aquilante was simply excited to get home. He never thought twice about medals he was supposed to receive.

He settled back in North Providence, met his wife Elsie Rivers, had three kids, and got a job as a car mechanic.

"Through the years I became known as what was noted as a top-notch mechanic,” Mr. Aquilante laughed.

He has stayed busy through the years with amateur radio, building model airplanes, and photography.

He continues to stay very active even now at the age of 91, fixing anything mechanical or electrical around his house, working with his local veterans group Chapter 21, and even helping his neighbor build a shed last week.

He’s now giving away his model airplanes and tanks to kids around the neighborhood. But one symbol of his legacy Sally thought the family would like to hold on to is his medals.

“We were talking about it and she said maybe I should get them for the kids, the grandchildren, stuff like that. As opposed to just fade away,” said Mr. Aquilante.

Now it’s a piece of him that his three kids, five grand kids, and two great-grand kids will have forever.

© WLNE-TV / ABC6    2017