NEW EAGLE, Pa. — As he approaches his 99th birthday, Tom Sollosi Jr., of Washington County, can recount his experiences in World War II with a sharp mind.
The Navy veteran welcomed Channel 11 into his home on Thursday, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when the Allied armies invaded a Nazi-occupied Normandy.
“I can’t believe it. Time really goes fast,” Sollosi told us.
At just 18 years old, Sollosi was aboard a landing craft, loaded with explosives, as he and his fellow soldiers arrived at Omaha Beach.
“We had to step over all these dead bodies. That was sad. And got to the hillside and put these explosives for the frogmen to wrap around the obstacles.”
But Sollosi wasn’t afraid. He was driven by duty.
“My job was to help make our mission complete and help save our country.”
The Elrama native was just 17 years old when he chose to enlist.
“I was 16 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and so I figured, when I get old enough, I’m gonna join the Navy,” he said. His desire to specifically join the submarine corps. was in part inspired by his love of the Sub-Mariner comics.
Sollosi survived the invasion of Normandy and went on to fight other battles. He was eventually injured near the Rhine River.
Amid enemy fire, he ran to lay beside a bulldozer.
“All of a sudden, there was shrapnel that exploded close by, and I felt something hot hit me in the hip,” he said.
An ambulance took him to a surgical tent where he observed numerous wounded soldiers and was later flown to a hospital in Paris.
Sollosi showed us a small pocket Bible, stained with blood, that was on him when he was injured. He later received a Purple Heart.
“I’m blessed. I thank God for keeping me alive and finding myself a wife.”
Sollosi and his late wife, Ruth, settled in New Eagle, in the home he still resides in today.
“We got married and stayed married for 75 years and seven months.”
The couple went on to raise five children. Today, Sollosi is a great-great grandfather and looks forward to turning 99 years old next month.
Numerous family members gathered at his home on Thursday to honor his service and life.
“I did my job to help our country survive and I was proud to do my job and be blessed to come home alive and raise a family.”
But, Sollosi doesn’t call himself a hero.
“I was glad to participate and help do my duty the best that I could.”
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