DAV Chapter 8 to Present Angelo Tomasso, Sr. and Angelo Tomasso, Jr. Veteran of Distinction Awards at September 26 Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open

New Britain, Conn., August 29, 2025 – Connecticut’s last two surviving veterans of the titanic Battle of Iwo Jima, 100-year-old Joe Caminiti of Bristol and 99-year-old Peter Senick of New Haven, along with the late Bruce Fagan of West Hartford, an Army vet and tireless veterans advocate who passed too soon in February, will be honored with the Angelo Tomasso, Sr. and Angelo Tomasso, Jr. Veteran of Distinction Award at the Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open on September 26.

The 15th annual event at Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, hosted by the Disabled American Veterans Hardware City Chapter 8 and Presented by Liberty Bank, is the state’s largest veterans charity golf event. More than 220 golfers are expected and upwards of 300 at the post-golf dinner and award ceremony at which the veterans will be honored.

Caminiti was born in West Virginia in 1924 when his family lived there while his Dad, an Italian immigrant and World War I veteran, worked in the coal mines. The family relocated to Bristol during the Great Depression and Joe grew up there. He left high school in his senior year to join the Marines in October 1942. Joe served with the 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, which operated Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) vehicles to transport Marines and equipment from ship to shore during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Joe was fortunate to survive multiple transports to and from the island during the height of the battle.

Senick was born in 1926 and raised in Seymour. He, too, left high school early to join the Marines, in 1944, about one and a half years after his older brother, Frank, had also enlisted in the Marines. Like Caminiti, Peter also served with the 3rd Marine Division and after the U.S. took hold of Guam, they set their sights on Iwo Jima. Peter served as a mortar crewman but was fortunate to never go ashore during the chaos of battle on the island. His brother Frank was not so fortunate; Frank was killed on Iwo Jima after suffering gunshot wounds to his chest and shoulder in March 1945. Peter learned of his brother’s tragic fate after having returned to Guam following the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Fagan was born in New Haven in 1954 and passed unexpectedly in February at the age of 70. A U.S. Army and Vietnam War-era veteran who served in Germany from 1971-1974, Bruce was proud of his military service and lived his entire life deeply committed to supporting his fellow veterans. He was a close friend and supporter of House of Heroes Connecticut, one of the primary beneficiaries of the Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open, and was a co-founder of Skydive for Veterans, a nonprofit aimed at empowering those who served. He also chaired the Veterans Committee at the Westbrook Elks Lodge, ensuring that his military brothers and sisters were always supported.

The Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open raises funding for the DAV, House of Heroes Connecticut and other causes supporting and honoring Veterans and active-duty military. This year’s event is expected to raise upwards of $30,000 or more, bringing the total amount of charitable dollars raised in the event’s history to more than a quarter-million-dollars.

Golf registration is $175, which includes range, greens fees/cart, premium gift bag, lunch and beverages, prizes and post-golf dinner, silent auction and raffle. Shotgun start is 11 a.m. Dinner-only registration is available for $85. A variety of sponsorships, ranging from $125 for a tee sign to $5,000 for a Diamond Sponsorship, are available. Information and online registration are available at www.davchapter8.org.

For further information about the Golden Kielbasa Veterans Open, visit www.davchapter8.org or contact Tournament Founder and Director Dennis Buden at dennis.buden@davchapter8.org or 860-558-0514.

###

Media Contact: Dennis Buden, DAV Hardware City Chapter 8 (860) 558-0514 dennis.buden@davchapter8.org