On April 13, members of VFW Post 10804 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, along with American Legion Post 186 members, local first responders and family celebrated Post 10804 member Gus Preno’s 109th birthday with a parade that honored his service.
Born in 1917, Preno enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and was on board the USS Melville during the 1944 Normandy landings. Working as a radioman, Preno provided vital support in the effort to liberate France and ultimately turn the tide of WWII.
VFW Post 10804 Commander Bob Sedelow (right, standing) reads a VFW Commander-in-Chief Special Citation of Recognition to WWII veteran Gus Preno (center, sitting) for his 109th birthday on April 13 outside the River Park Senior Living facility in Little River, South Carolina. The Post, in collaboration with Mission BBQ and River Park Senior Living, planned a parade for Preno that honored his military service during the 1944 D-Day invasion. “Everyone was worried,” Preno recalled. “We were all concerned about the lives [of the troops on the beach.]”
After the war, Preno settled in Philadelphia with his wife Mary. The two had met on a blind date when his ship was stationed in New York and were married for 69 years before her passing in 2014. Currently, Preno resides at the River Park Senior Living facility in Little River, South Carolina.
After hearing that Preno’s 109th birthday was approaching, Kristy LeVasseur, owner of Mission BBQ in North Myrtle Beach, wanted to organize a special event for the occasion. LeVasseur reached out to Post 10804 and members of River Park Senior Living to organize a parade which would include eight motorcycles, four police cars, an Army truck, WWII-era Jeeps and bagpipers.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” an excited Preno said. “My birthday was wonderful. My favorite thing about today has been the amount of people that have wanted to celebrate with me.”
In total, over 200 people came to celebrate and participate in Preno’s birthday.
“I was fortunate enough to be there when Gus was wheeled out to his place of honor at the front of his building, and he saw all the people waiting there to wish him a happy birthday,” Post 10804 member Bill La Monte said. “The look on his face and the tears that he cried said it all.”
This article is featured in the 2026 May issue of Checkpoint. If you're a VFW member and don't currently receive the VFW Checkpoint, please contact VFW magazine at magazine@vfw.org.