Tony Graziano

Tony Graziano is a 97-year old, D-Day survivor. He was born January 18, 1922, in Verona, New York.

On June 6, 1944, D-Day, Mr. Graziano parachuted into Northern France during World War II. He fought valiantly in the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate a concentration camp.

It has been 75 years since he was a member of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, but he still remembers it like it was yesterday. He bravely helped lead the invasion and the campaign that ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany less than a year later. Mr. Graziano, was the only one to return home from that D-Day.

He served with Company E of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. His unit helped clear the way and hold positions for the ground troops during D-Day invasion. They jumped into action again the following December during the Battle of the Bulge and came under fire during the invasion of Germany itself shortly before the European war ended in April 1945.

Mr. Graziano is a lifelong boxing promoter, trainer and manager who worked with boxing legend Carmen Basilio. He was inducted into the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in Belfast, Allegany County, in 2012, and was presented with a commemorative statue by former World Welterweight Champion Billy Backus. He was in Backus’ corner for his 70-plus fights.

He works at a Graziano’s World Famous Inn and Restaurant that bears his name. He opened, Graziano’s Casa Mia in the late 1940s, which features Italian-American cuisine. After selling the restaurant in 2018, he remains a vital fixture. Casa Mia was the site of a luncheon in his honor where he received the Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award by the Canastota American Legion Post 140.

Mr. Graziano states that he fought “not for glory, not for greed, not for a
political agenda, but so our lives could be lived with freedom and hope.”