A Pennsylvania World War II veteran celebrated his 103 birthday earlier this month, calling it the greatest day of his life, while he shared the secret of his extraordinary longevity.
Frank Pugliano Sr., dressed in his WWII veteran jacket and hat, enjoyed the birthday festivities along with his family and friends at Boyce Park, outside of Pittsburgh, PA. last weekend where tables were decorated with tiny American flags.
“The greatest day of my life,” he told WTAE. “I never thought I’d be here at 103, going from what I went through. You never know. A lot of my friends never made it, but I made it.”
Pugliano credits Coca-Cola and dark chocolate as the reason he made it to 103, he told the outlet.
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World War II Army veteran, Frank Puggliano Sr. celebrated his 103rd birthday earlier this month. Facebook
The Italian-born soldier immigrated to the US when he was only 6 years old and graduated from Penn Hills High School in 1942, according to the Tribune-Review.
Pugliano enlisted in the US Army and served for three years in the Pacific theater, where he survived a Japanese torpedo attack while he was deployed on a convoy mission to Luzon in the Philippines.
He says he saw a lot of young men lose their lives during the attack.
Pugliano was honorably discharged from the Army in 1945.
Pugliano attended his birthday party at Boyce Park outside of Pittsburgh last weekend. FacebookA birthday cake decorated “Happy 103rd Birthday Frank” was waiting for Pugliano at the party. Facebook
Following his return home, Pugliano married his high school sweetheart, Mary Strough, and the couple were married for 65 years until she died in 2011.
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He became a diesel mechanic after his military service, specializing in heavy equipment.
At the time of his centennial milestone, Pugliano credited “good Italian genes” and staying active as the reason he reached triple digits.
“The doctor told me, ‘Whatever you’re doing, do it,’” Pugliano told the newspaper, boasting about his excellent health except for bad knees.
“His health is remarkable and he doesn’t look his age. His frame of mind, everything … it’s absolutely incredible,” Pugliano’s son, Frank Pugliano Jr. said at his father’s 100th birthday.
The 103-year-old says he cuts his grass and maintains his home to keep active.
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The Greatest Generation member still keeps up with the times, using his iPad daily and running his own Facebook account.
“That’s how I keep in touch with my relatives,” Pugliano said.
At the time of his centennial milestone, Pugliano credited “good Italian genes” and staying active as the reason he reached triple digits. FacebookThe 103-year-old says he cuts his grass and maintains his home to keep active. Facebook
He most recently worked at a 55-and-over residential community, maintaining the clubhouse until he was 98 years old.
Pugliano said his favorite dishes include three eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and coffee at Kings Family Restaurant and pasta fagioli at his favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden, according to the Tribune.
In March, Vincent Dransfield, a former New Jersey volunteer fire chief and great-grandfather of seven turned 110.
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Pugliano enlisted in the US Army and served for three years in the Pacific theater until he was honorably discharged in 1945.Following his return home, Pugliano married his high school sweetheart, Mary Strough, and the couple were married for 65 years until she died in 2011. Facebook
Dransfield is one of the few men in the group of 110-plus-year-olds and has lived a healthy life all those years with just some knee pain to complain about, according to “Today.”
He lives alone with no home aide or extra help, cooks simple food for himself, walks up and down his three-level house and drives “pretty good” daily with no issues.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
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