Louis Graziano rides down the newly named Louis Graziano Avenue on Aug. 29, 2024. Charmain Z. Brackett/Augusta Good News
Louis Graziano rides down the newly named Louis Graziano Avenue on Aug. 29, 2024. Charmain Z. Brackett/Augusta Good News

World War II veteran turns 102 on Feb.6; family asks for cards

An American hero turns 102 on Feb. 6, and you can send him a birthday greeting.

“My father turns 102 on February 6th and we’d love for you to help us create a mountain of joy for him by sending birthday cards or letters to…Louis Graziano, 238 W Hill St., Thomson, GA 30824,” wrote his daughter, Kim Graziano Evans, in a Facebook post. “Let’s fill his mailbox with love and celebrate a remarkable life. Your cards will make his day unforgettable!”

Luciano “Louis” Charles Graziano, fought at Omaha Beach and is likely the only remaining witness to the Germans’ signing of the instrument of surrender at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Reims, France in May 1945.

Louis and Bobbie Graziano. Photo courtesy Facebook

How he got there is chronicled in his 2018 book “A Patriot’s Memoirs of World War II: Through My Eyes, Heart, and Soul,” which is available on Amazon or get a signed copy at louisgraziano.com.

The son of Italian immigrants who settled in New York, Graziano was cutting and styling hair when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. In 1943, Uncle Sam came calling, and Graziano answered, heading to Fort Niagara, N.Y., where he was told to shave his mustache — “or else.”

“I didn’t know what ‘or else’ was, so I shaved it,” said Graziano, in a 2021 interview.

Before he left, he made a recording for his father.

 “I told him everything we were going to do to Mussolini, and everything happened just like I said. He played that record every day I was gone,” he said.

Louis Graziano covers his heart with his cap during the benediction at the Aug. 29, 2024 street renaming ceremony. Charmain Z. Brackett/Augusta Good News

He also was part of the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945 with its brutal conditions.

Graziano served in France in 1945 and oversaw buildings in Reims including one building that came to be known as the “Little Red Schoolhouse.” He was in charge of setting up the room for a very important date — May 7, 1945 — the day the Germans signed the instrument of surrender in Reims.

 Graziano would stay in France another 19 months until Christmas 1946. It was during that time that he met his wife, Bobbie, who was a staff sergeant in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps.

He asked her out, but she stood him up for their first date. He wasn’t bothered, and he asked again. She showed up for the second date. They married on Oct. 2, 1945. She didn’t want to live where it snowed so Louis Graziano answered an ad for a barber position in Thomson, where the couple settled and raised their five children.

Bobbie Graziano died on her husband’s 84th birthday — Feb. 6, 2007.

In honor of his 100th birthday, the city of Thomson held a parade and hosted a reception at the Thomson-McDuffie Library.

“It’s great to have so many people here,” said the World War II veteran on Feb. 4, 2023. He took photos with those attending, shook hands and collected birthday cards.

Evans had issued a call for well-wishes, and people listened. A few thousand poured in in from all across the country and world.

On Aug. 29, 2024, Thomson renamed National Avenue as Louis Graziano Avenue during an Aug. 29 ceremony.

“Everything went great,” Graziano said after the ceremony. “I appreciate all they’ve done.”

Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.

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