104-Year-Old WWII Vet Performs National Anthem Before Islanders Game
Dominick Critelli, a 104-year-old veteran of World War II, performed the national anthem on Saturday at UBS Arena before the New York Islanders’ game against the New York Rangers.
The veteran, born in 1921, was helped into the arena by Islanders’ cheerleaders, sporting the teams’ jersey. He performed a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on his saxophone.
As Critelli held onto the last note, the crowd cheered his performance and broke out into exuberant chants of “USA.” Critelli acknowledge the crowd’s praise and gave a quick salute before exiting the arena.
You can watch his performance below:
Critelli “spent 151 days in combat during World War II” and survived “the Battle of the Bulge … flying behind enemy lines to provide isolated American troops with much-needed supplies,” NHL.com reports.
He earned the “European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars, the American Theater Medal, the WWII Victory Medal and a Good Conduct Medal.”
“I love this country,” Critelli, who immigrated to the USA from Calabria, Italy as a young boy, told The New York Post in an interview before the game. “If I hadn’t come to this country, I’d be stuck with Mussolini.”
Critelli’s performance and remarks provide a good moment for reflection, considering national pride in America has fallen to an all-time low.
“A record-low 58% of U.S. adults say they are ‘extremely’ (41%) or ‘very’ (17%) proud to be an American,” Gallup found in a poll earlier this year. That’s “down nine percentage points from last year and five points below the prior low from 2020.”
This trend is driven almost entirely by Democrats, whose pride in America has fallen precipitously from 87% in 2001 to just 36% today. At the same time, Republicans’ pride in America has increased from 90% in 2001 to 92% today.
Stories like Critelli – of an immigrant coming to America, escaping a fascist government, honorably serving our nation, and helping to save and free the West from fascist Germany – remind us that America, for all its faults and failings, remains a remarkable place with remarkable people. A place we should all be proud to call “home.”
We tip our hats to Dominick Critelli, and thank him for his service to our nation and remarkable musical performance.
Related articles and resources:
Inspiring Stories of Faith on the Front Lines
Learning to Love America Again
Honoring Our World War II Veterans
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