Turning 92 on Friday, George Romano has lived a varied life as the child of immigrants, a man who has worked since he was 8 years old, a World War II vet and the adored baby brother of a large Italian family. And, following a wartime journey that found him on Iwo Jima when the famous flag-raising photo was taken, Romano also has the distinction of having sat down with President Harry Truman and thanking him for ordering the atomic bomb drops that ended the war.

How adored? According to one sister, “George had six sisters and two brothers and we have always revered him as he is very dear and an outstanding human being.”