Remembering Dan Berardi

Daniel J. Berardi, one of Canton’s bravest and most decorated military heroes and a beloved and revered family man and friend, passed away at home on Friday, December 6, at the age of 90.

A lifelong resident and a 1941 graduate of Canton High School, Berardi saw action in the European theatre during World War II, serving as an airborne radio operator and a tail gunner with the Army Air Corps’ 816^th Bombardment Squadron.

His military exploits were the stuff of action movies and adventure novels, marked by dangerous bombing runs into enemy territory and countless acts of heroism on land and in the sky.

He took part in over 50 bombing runs over targets across Europe and amassed a total of 242 combat flying hours. For his “gallantry in action” while remaining aboard his crippled B-17 bomber with wounded crew members, Berardi was awarded the Silver Star — the third highest military decoration for valor awarded by the U.S. Armed Forces.

Like many from the World War II generation, however, Berardi kept his wartime experiences mostly to himself upon returning to civilian life in 1945. He married Bridget Martino in 1950 and together the couple raised five children in Canton: Sandra, Daniel Jr., David, Paul and Michael.

Berardi took a job with the U.S. Postal Service and worked as a letter carrier in his hometown for 39 years, retiring in 1987. He was an avid golfer, a diehard baseball and football fan, and was active in the American Legion and the Canton Town Club.

“Dan Berardi was like an older brother to me,” said Canton Veterans Agent Tony Andreotti. “He was a very humble guy. He went through terrifying experiences in the war, and he came out a humble guy.”

Andreotti said it took him years to convince Berardi to apply for disability benefits from the VA, and once he did he was awarded 100-percent service-connected benefits, including 50 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The report from the VA stated that Berardi, who was 80 years old at the time, suffered from “flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts, and difficulty falling asleep,” and that when he went to bed, it felt as if he was “writing a book chapter by chapter.”

“It was all internalized,” noted Andreotti. “He didn’t tell anyone what he was going through, but he was paying the price at night when he went to bed.”

Even his children were not aware of what their father accomplished or experienced during the war until they were much older.

“I had no idea until the last five to ten years what his military experiences were like,” said his eldest child and only daughter, Sandra. “He never talked about it. Never.”

Some of her brothers said they occasionally heard bits and pieces, but rarely any specific details. Dan Jr., who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, said he only learned more about his father’s war record after he started talking about his own experiences in the military.

“He really opened up to me,” Dan Jr. said. “For him to be able to talk about it, Steven Spielberg would go out of his mind to have an opportunity to pick that guy’s brain.”

Dan said that hearing about his father’s experiences left him speechless and on the edge of his seat.

“How in the world could somebody have lived through what he lived through and still be such a wonderful dad?” he said. “He had a tough life, living through the Depression and then the war. But he came home, compartmentalized it, and raised us and was a phenomenal dad.”

To a person, all of the Berardi children said the same about their father: He was loving, supportive, hardworking, and humble.

“Even though he was working, he always managed to find time for us, whether it was catch in the back yard or taking us fishing,” said Sandra. “He also loved gardening, and he taught us everything he knew.”

“Dad was a spitfire,” said his son Paul. “He was full of life and he just went a mile a minute. He was a very, very strong man, and he worked very hard for a living.”

Paul said one of his favorite memories was taking his father to see a B-17 bomber at Wiggins Airways in the mid 1990s. It was a spur of the moment visit, and Paul said his father “basically fell apart” when he stepped inside the plane.

“I’ll never forget that day as long as I live,” said Paul. “He was both nervous and overwhelmed at the same time.”

All of the Berardi siblings also marveled at how popular their father was in town and how he made friends everywhere he went.

“My brother David said it best when he described my father as the ‘quiet man,’” said Dan Jr. “But he had a type of personality that was just a magnet. Everywhere he went, no matter what he did, even his time as a mail carrier, he always had an audience. He was the type of guy who, once you met him, you were a friend for life.”

Paul said his father stayed busy and socially active right up until his last few months, when his health began to deteriorate. He took annual trips to Florida, went golfing with friends at the Wampatuck Country Club, and had a big circle of friends at both the Legion hall and the 99 Restaurant on Route 138.

And when his children planned a surprise 90^th birthday party for him at the Canton Town Club, hundreds turned out to wish him well, including the acting mayor of Boston.

“We bought food for 150 people and it was gone within an hour,” said Paul. “You could tell how many people liked my father because the Town Club filled up with people. It was just amazing.”

His children also agreed that he was a “wonderful grandfather,” and it showed in his willingness to open up to them about his wartime experiences after holding much of it inside for decades.

“He’s the most captivating storyteller,” said Dan Jr. “It’s hard to explain unless you’re actually there listening, and because of those stories, all of the grandchildren now share a unique bond with their grandfather.”

His children also shared a similarly strong bond, and when Berardi became ill with prostate cancer, they all took turns looking after him at his home on Kenney Street.

Diagnosed around Christmas time in 2011, Berardi bravely battled his cancer for nearly two years before succumbing to the disease earlier this month.

Paul said it was never a burden to care for their dad. “You really find a way because love conquers all,” he said. “He was such a great dad, a wonderful man. He’s just that type of guy that you want to do anything for.”

“I am truly blessed to have a dad that I did, and I’m just amazed at what he went through,” added Dan Jr. “You grew up with a hero. I just can’t explain it any better than that.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Dec 22 2013. Filed under Featured Content. Both comments and pings are currently closed.