A show of appreciation for a deserving World War II veteran in Southington as House of Heroes stepped in again, for a 108th time, to make the 99-year-old's day a little easier.
From yard work to window repairs to building a handicap ramp, about two dozen volunteers spent the day on Saturday at the Southington home of World War II veteran Nicholas Lanteri.
”Here we are today at our 108th home, like you said, helping out a World War II, greatest generation veteran. It just couldn’t be more special,” said Dennis Buden, the Executive Director of House of Heroes Connecticut.
The 99-year-old New Britain native was drafted in 1943.
”He followed Patton’s army from Normandy through the war in France up to the Battle of the Bulge,” said Paul Lanteri, Nicholas's son.
The Connecticut chapter of the House of Heroes has been serving veterans since 2012 doing free, one-day home repairs to make the day-to-day more manageable.
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"We’re not someone that comes in or an organization that comes in and builds a new home for someone, for example. We focus on more conservative type of fix-up projects that really make day-to-day life more easy,” Buden added.
And they couldn't do it without the generosity of volunteers. For this project, the Newington-based company PCX Aerostructures stepped in for a fifth time.
"PCX supplies components for military helicopters, and we really have a close tie with the army community and, especially, army aviation, and it’s an opportunity for us to give back to veterans who have sacrificed so much,” said Trevor Hartman, the Vice President of Sales for PCX Aerostructures.
Nick Lanteri's son tells NBC Connecticut that he and his father are overwhelmed by the support.
"He’s aware of what’s happening and he’s grateful, but he’s kind of a shy kind of guy, so he doesn’t want a lot of attention and a lot of hubbub about himself,” Paul Lanteri said.
