102-Year-Old WWII Veteran Who Saw Flag Raised at Iwo Jima Dies on Way to D-Day Event in France

Robert Persichitti reportedly fell ill while traveling last week to Normandy to attend a commemoration

• Robert Persichitti, of Fairport, New York, reportedly died last week at age 102 while en route to attend a D-Day 80th anniversary commemoration event in France

• "Bob will be sorely missed," a veterans' advocate tells PEOPLE

• Persichitti witnessed the raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima in 1945

A 102-year-old U.S. Navy veteran has died while reportedly on his way to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in France.

Robert "Al" Persichitti, of Fairport, New York — who served as a radio man aboard the USS Eldorado and witnessed the raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima in 1945 — died on the morning of Friday, May 31, per New York TV station WHEC, the BBC, The New York Times and other outlets.

Honor Flight Rochester, a veterans' group supporting Persichitti in past commemorative trips, paid tribute in a statement to PEOPLE.

"Bob flew on Honor Flight Rochester Mission #29 in June 2013 to the memorials in Washington, D.C. He was a great friend to all of us since our hub's founding in 2008 and a very active participant in our many activities and events," said the veterans organization's president and CEO, Richard Stewart.

"In particular, Bob welcomed home at the Rochester Airport each returning mission filled with our aging heroes. Bob will be sorely missed," Stewart added.

Per WHEC, Persichitti and a companion, Al DeCarlo, had traveled to the D-Day event with the National World War II Museum Group, with Persichitti telling a reporter ahead of his trip that "I'm really excited to be going."

After arriving in Europe, they were sailing down the coast of Normandy when Persichitti had a "medical emergency and had to be airlifted to hospital," WHEC reported.

Fellow veterans traveling with Persichitti confirmed the news, according to the station.

Honor Flight Rochester's Stewart added of Persichitti, “He died peacefully, and he did not die alone,” per the Times.

“He was fit and upright and got around, and had the complete faculties of someone who would be decades younger,” Stewart said, according to the Times. “He was really something.”

Pastor William Leone, who was friends with Persichitti for 46 years, according New York station WHAM, was among those paying tribute. "It was a privilege to know him, and I will miss him. He had a real zest for living," Leone said.

"He would go visit children in the grammar schools in the area, talk with them about his experiences growing up, his experiences during the Second World War," the pastor added.

DeCarlo, who was traveling with Persichitti when he became ill, said, according to WHAM: "The doctor was with him. ... He was comfortable."

"She put his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, on her phone and he peacefully left us," DeCarlo continued, also saying that Persichitti had been enjoying some time with his fellow World War II veterans before his death.

"He was a radio man on a communications ship off the coast of Iwo Jima and Okinawa," DeCarlo said, per WHAM. "He met another radio man, I think he was from the Army, and they were chatting about things from 80 years ago. It was amazing to watch."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

King Charles, Prince William and Queen Camilla have been among those honoring the troops amid multiple D-Day memorial celebrations. The royals traveled to northern France on Thursday, June 6, to attend an event remembering the historic military operation that changed the course of World War II.

"On the beaches of Normandy, in the seas beyond and in the skies overhead, our Armed Forces carried out their duty with a humbling sense of resolve and determination: qualities so characteristic of that remarkable wartime generation," Charles said in a speech shared to X (formerly known as Twitter).

President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are also present in Normandy for the historic commemoration.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.