By Liz McBreen
Having left his family and friends in his native country, Diaz started over in America. He took a job as an auto mechanic and set out in pursuit of his American dream. But Diaz would travel a long road before he had a family and a house in the suburbs.
In 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bombed, the new U.S. citizen, then 28, once again left all that he knew behind to fight for his country. "The next day, I left my job, my car and voluntarily enlisted in the Army," he said. "I was not born here, but I love this country and I thought, for this country, I will give my life."
Diaz served in the army for the duration of the war, and stayed on bases in Yugoslavia and Italy. "I was never afraid," he recalled. "I wanted to see the action." Diaz saw years of action, and also had to deal with the deaths of many of his friends.
In 1945, near the close of the war, he met Ermina, a young girl who lived in a town outside Naples. The two married in 1946. Because of the rank Diaz had received during the war, he and his new wife were able to live on a base in Germany for about a year before Diaz was discharged and allowed to return to the States.
In 1947, the couple returned to America and bought a home in Ozone Park, Queens. In 1948, their first son was born. Forty-two years ago, they purchased a home in Elmont, where they raised 15 children and still live today.
After his discharge, Diaz worked in the engineering department at Pfizer. "I was very lucky to have the position," he said. "Some people tried to find jobs there, and they couldn't. I showed them my discharge papers, and they offered me a job." Diaz worked at Pfizer until 1977.
Since his retirement, he and his wife have traveled and enjoyed the company of their 40 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Diaz, a staunch Yankee fan, even had the chance to march down the Canyon of Heroes a few years ago, along with his wife, when the Yankees won a World Series.
"We still do everything together," he said. "We share everything. We walk to buy the paper every morning together and we hold hands the entire way."
"We both made sacrifices for the kids," added his wife. "If you don't, you won't make it, and then the children suffer. Our children understand this too."
Diaz's intense love for his country has kept him here all his life. His entire family still lives in South America, and his wife's entire family still lives in Italy. The Diazes also instilled their love for their adopted country in their children. Three of their sons served in Vietnam, and two more served in the Marines.
On June 23, Diaz turned 90. "It's clean living," he said when asked the secret of his longevity. He says that all of his children were raised the same way: "They never drank, smoked or took drugs." Diaz is still an active member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled Veterans.
He considers himself a very lucky man to have come to the country he loved, fought to protect its freedom and raised a family here. "Our families have large houses and estates in different countries, but the quality of life is nothing like it is here," Diaz said. "My wife and I have traveled to several countries since I retired, but there is no country like this one."
