Vineland Veteran John Quinesso Sr. Celebrates 100th Birthday With Community, Battleship Honors

Aboard the Battleship New Jersey, surrounded by friends, family and the ship's important legacy, John "Johnny Q" Quinesso Sr. marked a milestone: his 100th birthday. The Vineland native, born January 24, 1926, drew two separate celebrations: a community gathering at Merighi's Savoy Inn in Vineland, and a formal luncheon and recognition ceremony on February 5 aboard the nation's most decorated battleship in Camden.

Quinesso joined the Navy straight out of Vineland High School in 1943, at 19 years old. Trained as a radio operator, he served aboard the LSM-302, a medium landing ship that delivered troops, tanks and supplies to beaches across the Pacific, with his service taking him to Wake Island, Guam, Okinawa and Saipan during some of the war's most intense fighting.

Off the coast of Guam, the crew was preparing for a potentially devastating invasion of Japan, with ships on the ocean as far as he could see, when one night, while standing the midnight watch on the radio, Quinesso received a transmission that would change the world. "The message read, 'The Japanese had surrendered. The war is over,'" he recalled. "I ran right down to the captain and banged on his door." Quinesso said after that all hell broke loose on the ship, with the crew crying and hugging each other. "That was my most glorious moment. I'll never forget it — it feels like yesterday."

During the ceremony, Quinesso received New Jersey's Distinguished Service Medal, the state's highest military award. He was also recognized with awards presented from lawmakers, the county and Battleship New Jersey volunteers.

His son, John Quinesso Jr., noted that his father still drives, lives alone and goes to all of his doctor's appointments. "He's an anomaly! Really at this stage in the game," John Jr. said. "Very proud moment today. Very proud of him, very proud of what he's done for our country and how he's still giving back," Quinesso Jr. added. Quinesso has resided independently in his home since 1955 and was married to the late Rose DiDomenico for 49 years.

When the Battleship New Jersey reopened as a museum in 2001, Quinesso found a new calling: educating future generations about sacrifice, service and history. "I call the Battleship New Jersey my second home," he said. "I've been a tour guide here for over 20 years. It's one of the most wonderful things I've ever done in my life."

His volunteer work extends well beyond the Camden waterfront. Since 2014, Quinesso has organized "Rummy with Junie" — a weekly card game at Baker Place Assisted Living Community in Vineland. He visits Veterans Memorial School in Vineland regularly and is a docent at the Millville Army Airfield Museum. He has also appeared as a guest on several military podcasts.

Marshall Spevak, CEO of the Battleship New Jersey Museum, said Quinesso's presence carries a special weight as time pushes the history of World War II further into the past. "There's still a certain reverence when you talk to a World War II veteran," Quinesso said. "There will only be a few more years where we have World War II vets in this world. That's why it's so important that we continue to tell their stories so their legacy lives on."

For more than 20 years, Quinesso has volunteered at Battleship New Jersey, and both the 100-year-old and his son agree that staying busy is part of the reason he reached this age. "That's what keeps me young," Quinesso said. "If you sit home and just twiddle your fingers, you won't last long." For a man who once carried the news of the war's end across a ship's deck at midnight, staying still has never really been an option.