‘I couldn’t be more honored’ | East Tennessee World War II veteran honored for service

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Less than 1% of those who served in World War II are still alive in the US, but in East Tennessee, one of those surviving veterans was honored Monday afternoon.

Dario Antonucci enlisted in 1942 to join the Army and served overseas in Burma as a radio operator and engineer.

While in India, Antonucci helped make sure that US planes were traveling over the jungle and mountains safely, while also surviving on rations and overcoming malaria.

“It has given my life a different light than if I hadn’t been in the service,” said Antonucci.

The WWII veteran now lives at Morning Pointe Knoxville, where with the help of UT Medical Center, the facility helped orchestrate a ceremony to honor Antonucci.

Antonucci was presented with an American flag and Army pin along with a certificate recognizing his service. While it’s not recognition of any new military achievements, it was done in the hopes of putting the smile on the face of a veteran who recently celebrated his 100th birthday.

“Overall, I couldn’t be more honored,” said Antonucci.

After the military, Antonucci worked for 30 years with NASA as an engineer and helped send several people to space.

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