PLANTATION, Fla. – A special salute was held on Wednesday for some of South Florida's heroes, its veterans.
Police officers and fire rescue workers in Plantation, as well as volunteers from several organizations, went all out for a celebratory parade for World War II veterans.
It was a rolling display of respect and gratitude.
For 94-year-old retired Navy veteran Carl Muscarello, who’s been at home with his wife, they've been alone, but not lonely.
"We all know what it’s like to be self-quarantined," said Phillip Greenberg with Honor Flight South Florida. "This is a way to say we thank you."
"I‘m vert proud, very flattered, very glad my parents came to this county," said Muscarello. "I enlisted in the Navy at a very young age for World War II."
Muscarello is one of several sailors who claims to have been photographed kissing a woman in New York City’s Times Square in 1945, and published on the cover of Life magazine. The photographer reportedly did not write down the names of his subjects.
"That’s me, and the nurse said it was me, too," he said.
But to the South Florida community, he’s a hero, and a good neighbor.
He was one of three veterans being surprised by Wednesday's parade and supply delivery, thanks to the South Florida Honor Flight Organization, which has taken more than 2,000 veterans to the nation’s capital.
With the COVID-19 health crisis, all the love, for now, is coming to them.
“This is to let them know they are not being isolated socially or emotionally,” said Greenberg.