“I think God has, for some reason, for me to live through the 99 years — I don’t know,” Brunacini told Greg Peterson, who has helped preserve the legacies of local service members through a series of videos posted to YouTube. “Everybody has that faith that I’m going to be at least 100.”

Brunacini easily surpassed that century benchmark, and this past April he turned 102 years old.

On Thursday, Peterson hosted a special viewing of the documentary at Edgewood Communities, part of Lutheran Jamestown, where Brunacini resides. The 102-year-old Brunacini, clad in his iconic sunglasses, was joined by dozens of residents within the campus, of whom 16 were veterans.

“Many of the residents who live at Edgewood take pride in being a veteran,” said Diana Pillittieri, service coordinator at Edgewood Communities. “Many of the men who reside here were in the Korean War, and we are proud to say we have World War II veterans on campus. We have always tried to take the time to honor them and allow them to share their personal experiences. We are very grateful for their service.”

Joe Brunacini is pictured with Greg Peterson, who organized the showing of a documentary he made on Brunacini in 2019.

Though well-known by the veterans in attendance Thursday, Peterson discussed the history of Veterans Day. He read a quote from President Woodrow Wilson given in November 1919 to commemorate Armistice Day. It reads: “The reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

The day was made a legal holiday in 1938, and Veterans Day became official to recognize veterans of all wars in 1954.

Brunacini detailed his military service in Peterson’s documentary. After being drafted into the U.S. Army, he was installed at Fort Niagara and from there camped at Fort Dix near Trenton, New Jersey. He moved to Camp Swift in Texas, and eventually landed in Southampton, England.

Brunacini was assigned to the 30th Infantry Division, a source of pride for the Jamestown kid. “We did a good job in Europe,” he said in the documentary.

During his service, Brunacini was told he had the best hearing to differentiate a dot and a dash. He was then placed in radio school where he learned how to use an SCR-284 — a combination transmitter-receiver — and an SCR-300 — a portable radio transceiver worn like a backpack.

Brunacini, who received a Bronze Star for his service, recounted one December day during the war while in Holland in which soldiers were planning a Christmas party. He said the Germans had other plans, and the troops were forced to “get back into the fray.”

Brunacini isn’t the only one in the family with proud ties to the military. His grandson, the former Army Staff Sgt. David Bellavia, received the Medal of Honor from President Donald Trump in June 2019.

“I’m very proud of him,” Brunacini told The Post-Journal afterward.

Bellavia — after helping his platoon escape fire — entered a house and killed at least four insurgents while leading a squad in Fallujah in November 2004. The insurgents were reportedly firing rocket-propelled grenades.

Bellavia became the first living Iraq veteran to receive the Medal of Honor.

Brunacini and his late wife, Josephine, had 13 children together. The two were married for 76 years before her passing in January 2019.

In the documentary, he remarked, “I want to be with my wife in heaven because I know she was a saintly woman. She did everything that God wanted her to do.”

Pillittieri said Brunacini has lived at Lutheran since August 2005. “He is always friendly and invites his friends and neighbors to stop for a cup of coffee,” she said. “Joe has a great memory and loves to reminisce. He is a great addition to our community.”

Peterson’s documentary can be viewed at https://youtu.be/r716mJ3caRo