US veteran Joseph Allegretti credits wife for helping him rebuild life after war
The 101-year-old World War II veteran reflected on his nearly 72-year marriage in a recent interview.
World War II veteran Joseph Allegretti, 101, said his wife Janet Kajano helped him rebuild his life after the war, according to a Times of India report citing a People interview. Allegretti, who served from August 1943 to January 1946, described Kajano as his "new guiding light" following his return to Albany, New York.
During the war, Allegretti served in the 104th Infantry Division and earned two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and France’s Legion of Honour. He sustained injuries from a German ambush in December 1944, a near-drowning incident two months later, and a brain concussion caused by a German tank in March 1945.
Allegretti married Kajano in 1949, and the couple remained married for nearly 72 years until her death in 2021. He told People, "The war messed my mind up. Janet became my new guiding light."
After returning from service, Allegretti enrolled at Siena College and later worked for 27 years at the New York State Thruway Authority, retiring in 1986 as director of accounting. He and Kajano raised four children and had five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Following an unexpected fall in his kitchen in July, Allegretti decided to sell the house he had owned for 69 years. He has since moved to live with his son, Joe, and daughter-in-law, Suzanne, near Albany.
