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World War II veterans honored at Fort McHenry

Veterans at Ft. McHenry
Posted at 5:40 PM, Jul 28, 2023
and last updated 2023-07-28 17:51:15-04

BALTIMORE — They fought in World War II, landed on the beaches of Normandy, and liberated a concentration camp.

On Friday, six of the surviving members of the 83rd Infantry Division were honored at Fort McHenry.

Those veterans, along with dozens of family members, conducted the fort's flag-changing and took part in a memorial wreath ceremony afterwards.

107-year-old Al Klugiewicz was one of the veterans there today. He was a master sergeant during the war.

He tells us he signed up to fight for two simple reasons.

"I enlisted when I was 18 years old for my first hitch in the army, he continued. "I hated school. And I said, 'there's a world out there that I’d like to explore.'"

Al enlisted in 1934 and was part of the Cavalry Corps.

Outside of his war service, he also rode in President Roosevelt's Second Inaugural Parade.

His main memory is that the weather in D.C. was lousy, and he had to ride his horse through a downpour.