Frank Bloise, left, went with his brother, John Bloise, to visit their brother Joe's grave in France in 1995. Joe Bloise died in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and was buried in a cemetery for U.S. military personnel. Submitted Photo

Now 102 years old, Frank Bloise can recall serving in the Army during World War II, alongside several of his brothers, including his eldest sibling, Joe Bloise, who died in the Battle of the Bulge.

On Friday, May 26, Bloise, who is originally from New Castle, but is now living at the Butler VA Community Living Center, shared memories of World War II.

Bloise said he was in the Philippines with the Army in 1945, but his military duty started with helping with training, instead of with active combat.

“I was held back, probably being saved by being held back. When I got to basic training, they got me teaching truck driver’s school,” Bloise said. “I spent a couple years doing that.”

Bloise said he will always remember where he was when the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Japan in the waning days of the war.

“I was in the Philippines when they dropped the atomic bomb,” Bloise said. “They dropped the bomb and then we went into Japan. We got there at night and had to walk through the field over to the city.”