Claude Zanni is emblematic of the many who answered the call in WWII.
Brett Martin was a senior at the George Washington University in Washington, DC studying history and international affairs. A class assignment educating students on the WWII Normandy invasion connected this Clinton native to Air Force gunner Claude “Cabby” Zanni. Cabby was an Old Saybrook resident who lived on Bokum Road and was killed in action in Europe in 1944. He is buried with fellow veterans in the military cemetery in Normandy, France. Brett Martin has written a poignant biography of Cabby, his Italian family, and his life in Old Saybrook. It is rich in family history, emotion and patriotism. The culmination of this class assignment included Brett’s visit to the D-Day invasion beaches, and a eulogy for Cabby at his gravesite above Omaha Beach. This is the video of that eulogy honoring Claude Zanni.
