Las Vegas is mourning the loss of Onofrio "No-No" Zicari, a decorated World War II veteran and a symbol of a fading generation who served in the D-Day invasion. Zicari passed away at the age of 102, as acknowledged in FOX5 Vegas's post on the city's sentiment. The city honored him with a statement pointing out his legacy of "protecting our nation and our freedoms," further recognizing him as one of the last of the Greatest Generation.
Zicari, who was drafted at 19, carried with him the heavy tales of war, tales he seldom liked to discuss, recalling the storming of Omaha Beach—a memory he summed up succinctly saying, “It was a war, period,” in an interview obtained by 8 News Now, a reticence underscoring the deep internal landscapes shaped by such history that words often fail to traverse; he returned to Normandy last year to mark the anniversary of the D-Day landings.
A late but deserved recognition came in 2021 when Zicari was awarded the Purple Heart for an injury received on Omaha Beach, which he bravely shrugged off at the time despite subsequent infection to continue fighting at the Battle of the Bulge, he shared the tidbit "during the landing, I caught a piece of shrapnel in my knee," revealing the physical scars he bore in addition to the emotional ones, as mentioned on 8 News Now. His valor and history were finally acknowledged publicly when Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and an Army representative presented him with the said honor, further celebrating him as the Citizen of the Month.
The FOX5 Vegas report shared that Zicari recounted his life as a first-generation American, with a career trajectory from shoemaking to milk delivery, and even as a woodworker in Las Vegas; this proved as a discipline that kept him engaged and away from the casinos, a testament to his persistent character, hard work, and perhaps a relentless dedication to crafting a narrative spanning from wartime service to peaceful domesticity.
Beyond his service, Zicari was a family man with six children, he told 8 News Now, acknowledging their encouragement in pursuing the Purple Heart honor. This drive rooted in familial pride, along with his woodworking hobby, paints a picture of a man committed to the small, consistent acts of creation and preservation. Las Vegas City Councilwoman Francis Allen-Palenske offered a personal reflection in a social media post, saying, "I am heartbroken to share that my dear friend, Private First Class Onofrio 'No No' Zicari, has passed away," and remembered him as not just a hero but also as a friend.
