By Katie Farrell Lovett
NEWBURYPORT — In September 2007, Frank DeZenzo applied for an honor flight — a program available to World War II veterans who wish to visit the nation's capital and see the World War II memorial.
It was a long waiting list. But the unusual circumstance that has finally granted him the trip may make the wait worthwhile.
Today, DeZenzo, 83, will finally board the plane after being notified that he was selected to travel to Washington, D.C., for a two-day visit to see the memorial that opened in 2004.
"I've been looking forward to it for years," DeZenzo said yesterday. "I never had a chance to go to Washington to see it."
DeZenzo, the city's former veterans agent, said the news of his trip came as a "complete surprise."
DeZenzo's trip will been even more memorable, as it is being sponsored by HBO as part of a tribute to World War II Marine veterans. The visit this week coincides with the premiere of a new HBO series, "The Pacific," which focuses on the lives of U.S. Marines fighting the Japanese in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor.
The series is being called the Pacific war's version of "Band of Brothers," a critically acclaimed and enormously popular 10-part HBO series that detailed the ordeal of U.S. paratroopers who fought in Europe in World War II. Both "The Pacific" and "Band of Brothers" share the same producers: Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
The HBO network contacted Honor Flight New England and asked them to find 35 veterans from this are who could travel to Washington, D.C., to take part in a ceremony at the memorial and view the miniseries premiere, said Joe Byron, the founder of Honor Flight New England.
The veterans will visit the World War II memorial on Thursday, before a dinner and reception where the miniseries will air.
American Airlines is paying to fly veterans to Washington, D.C., for the ceremony, and they are staying for free at Marriott Hotels & Resort, a short distance from the memorial.
DeZenzo served in both the Marine Corps and in the Air Force Reserves. He was stationed in the South Pacific on the aircraft carrier Saratoga with the Marine Corps from 1945 to 1947.
A native of Bridgeport, Conn., DeZenzo grew up as the youngest of seven. His four older brothers all entered the war before him, serving in Europe and the South Pacific.
"Five went into war, and five came back alive," he said yesterday.
DeZenzo served as the city's veterans services officer for six years. He and his wife, Jean, had seven children, includes their son Joe Holaday. Joe's wife is Newburyport Mayor Donna Holaday.
The 10-part series, "The Pacific," starts on the network on Sunday.
