World War II veteran proud of family, mental health advocacy
MIAMI - In today's Miami Proud, we're honoring one very special veteran who served in World War II - Tony Perini.
A little over 119,000 American veterans who served in that war are still alive today, representing less than 1% of the 16.4 million who served as of 2024, according to the National World War II Museum.
Perini, who is about to turn 102 years old, has quite a decorated life.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian immigrants, Perini eventually made his way to South Florida with his late wife Anna after their wedding.
"This was only about a year after the war. That's how soon we left New York," Perini said.
This World War II Navy vet displays his pride of faith and country all over his home.
"I was a what they referred to as a machinist mate, spent 3 years out there," he said.
But, if you ask him what he's most proud of, it's not the long list of military accomplishments or the patents he made for ships in South Florida.
"I guess when it comes down to it my family, I'm so proud of my children, the highlight of my life," Perini said.
A father of three, his daughters Regina and Rosanne are in awe of his accomplishments, not only in the Navy but in their home growing up.
"Even on his days off, he would be trying to learn Spanish. He would be studying night school. But also a very involved father too," Rosanne Wills said.
They also have a brother, Roy, who lives with schizophrenia.
In the1960's there weren't as many resources as there are now for children and adults living with mental illness.
"My parents were part of maximizing not just my brother's abilities but all individuals who have limitations. It's about maximizing their abilities," Regina Fritz said.
Perini and his late wife took it into their own hands to find a way to make life normal for their son.
He says if it weren't for his wife's medical background, it would've been hard to diagnose.
"I had no training in this, none of us had training in this," Perini said. "You've got to have empathy the understanding"
He became the president of Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill, or CAM, an organization in South Florida that he helped create for mental illness at a time when it wasn't as accepted as it is today.
"If you're going to go in and help somebody especially if it's your family," he said. "You wanna go into it as deeply as you can to be more beneficial as possible"
A veteran, father, grandfather, great grandfather and mental health advocate with an inspiring story.
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