MINEVILLE — As he passed the threshold of his 100th year, WWII Veteran John Neggia was asked what he attributed to his longevity. He responded, “Be kind to everybody. Everybody has been kind to me. I didn’t have anyone not like me.”
Initially, Neggia, like many veterans who have returned from a war zone, was recalcitrant in expressing the events he participated in and saw while serving to protect the freedoms enjoyed by our nation.
“They (his family) never knew what happened during the war. I finally broke down and told them. My wife didn’t even know for many years,” Neggia said.
Though the events took place over three-quarters of a century ago, they still weight on him.
“I think about it every day,” said Neggia, a former U.S. Army infantryman.
With a clear mind and, at times, showing emotion, he recounted what transpired during deployment and on the battlefield.
Transported across the Atlantic on what had once been a pleasure ship intended to hold 500 passengers, the SS Brazil was converted to bunk over 4,000 troops.
“They had us stacked on hammocks five high below deck. The smell was so bad with the men getting seasick,” he said. “I grabbed a blanket and slept on the deck, except when a storm hit, and you could not see the ships near you because of the giant waves.
“When we ate, we had to stand at a counter holding on to our food as the ship rolled.”
Landing in Le Havre, France, was not a vacation on a sunny beach. Normally, the soldiers each carried half of a pup tent, which was designed to house two.
“It was so cold that four of us would be in a tent for warmth, and we wiggled our toes all night to prevent frostbite,” Neggia recounted. “We were so thankful when we found a cow barn for warmth.
“After the war, we had reunions. The last was in 2007. Many came with wheelchairs and canes. They have all passed away. I don’t know of any alive anymore.
“I hate to say it, they are gone.”
The recent passing of two Town of Moriah WWII buddies, Charlie Bryant and Les Pepper, who rode with Neggia in Labor Day parades, affirms this fact.
As for training, Neggia referred to his comrades as, “kids.” He was thankful for the instructors who taught them to “take orders and do whatever they told you to do to save your life.” At a Boquet Valley presentation, he told students to be grateful for their teachers and others, and that someday they would look back and be thankful for them.
Neggia spoke of wading across small rivers and streams.
“This was scary, as I couldn’t swim. When we got to the other side, we would remove our clothes, wring them out and put them back on. We only had one set of clothes.”
Then there was the arduous task of making their way through Belgium and crossing the Siegfried Line while capturing the pill boxes, which were cement fortifications.
“A M4 Sherman tank saved my life,” Neggia professed. “My lieutenant asked me to take the point in an open field. They (the Germans) opened up, and I fell to the ground with my helmet going one way and my rifle the other.
“There were the screaming meemies, which were rockets that made that sound flying over me. I lay there for the longest time, which seemed like forever, until I heard the ground rumble. It was a Sherman tank, which swung around and let me climb on to the turret.
“Was I scared? Let me tell you, there were times we would fall asleep standing up in the foxholes freezing. Then you would hear something in front of you, and the hair in the back of your head would stand up. I am not ashamed to admit that to you.”
Neggia also expounded on the liberties and protections the United States experiences today.
“All I want to say to you young, beautiful children is that I am proud to have served my country so that you are free today. Listen to your instructors. They are planning for your future and, above all, say thank you to them,” Neggia concluded.
He joined the Army before graduating from high school. In 2020, he joined his great-granddaughter Maggie Ploufe as she graduated from Boquet Valley. This was through the NYS Operation Recognition Program, which recognizes the devotion and sacrifice of veterans discharged under honorable conditions that left school early.
Continuing to serve, Neggia has been a VFW member since 1948 and has served as chaplain. Having worked for Republic Steel, he has been responsible for many repairs at the Mineville VFW Memorial Hall and most likely knows where every nut, bolt, pipe and wire is located in and around the facility.
Neggia and others are considered part of the Greatest Generation, who survived the Great Depression and showed their patriotism during WWII, displaying the characteristics of dedication, responsibility and modesty.