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Balfour-Cole Post 64 commander Skip Sweeney wishes happy 100th birthday to post member Al Carbonetta. Al was also honored to be "Commander for the Day" by the post; he served as commander of a Johnston post decades earlier. |
100 years of memories
May 2, 2012
Happy 100th birthday to Al Carbonetta, who was honored on the eve of his birthday at the Veterans Home in Bristol on Wednesday, April 25. A member of Balfour-Cole Post 64, American Legion, located in Smithfield, he had been the commander for 11 years of Johnston Post 92, American Legion (now the historic Belknap Schoolhouse Museum), before it closed its doors many years ago. His actual birthday is April 26, and his family had a party for him last month. Skip Sweeney, commander of Balfour-Cole Post 64 and fellow members presented Al with a citation and a medal after singing Happy Birthday to him over a sheet cake decorated in red, white and blue. Carbonetta is a Army veteran of World War II, a member of the 83rd infantry from Ohio, and served under Patton. "We were supposed to be on R & R, when the Battle of the Bulge broke out," he recalled. He returned home from Europe in December of 1945, after hostilities ended. "My division was in the middle of it – we landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day," he continued. After he returned home, he married. His wife of 54 years passed away about 10 years ago; the couple had no children, but Carbonetta has several nieces and nephews. He worked many years for Imperial Knife in Providence before retiring. Carbonetta will also be attending the governor's centenarian brunch, to be held at The Bridge at Cherry Hill in Johnston, on May 10. Insider photos by Beth Hurd
