Last week in this column, reference was made to Lee Iacocca's new book, “Where Have All the Leaders Gone?” In this era of fleeting celebrity and mind-numbing pop culture the quote could be rephrased “Where Have All the Heroes Gone?”

If you want to look for heroes, they are not on the ball field or in movies - they are in our own neighborhoods. Unfortunately one group that is disappearing fast are those members of what has been called the Greatest Generation. One such person was Saverio “Sam” G. Trinca, who passed away last week at 83.

You may never have heard of Sam, but he was a real hero - on many different levels - though he would tell you that was not the case. Along with thousands of other soldiers he hit Omaha Beach early on the morning of June 6, 1944, as part of the largest amphibious landing in history as a member of the Army's 299th Combat Engineers.

Sam's unit was sent in to clear a path through what Adolph Hitler thought was an impregnable Atlantic Wall. By the end of the day the Allies were through, but not without a high cost - Sam's unit alone lost a third of their men on the beaches.

A man small in stature, you wouldn't know about his heroism on the beaches - he rarely talked about it. I was lucky enough to work with him and other local heroes of that day as they created a memorial in 1994 to commemorate the deaths of six local comrades who fell that day 50 years before.

He and his fellow soldiers wanted to recognize those who didn't come back. They didn't want their names on the monument that stands in front of the Cayuga County Office Building; they wanted it to be about those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

You don't think of heroes as being scared - but if you got to know Sam, he might open up a little - and he would tell, in vivid detail, about how scared he was that morning, downplaying what he and others did. Yet, their bravery clearly led to the end of the second world war.

Sam was also a model citizen after coming back to Auburn, working at Alco Products and raising a family with his wife, “Dolly.”

For years he and his son, David, were fixtures at city council meetings - attending weekly for at least three mayoral administrations.

He once joked that if we would only serve popcorn and sodas it would be a perfect way to spend a Thursday evening. He rarely spoke at sessions - but if he did, you listened.

Sam Trinca didn't make it to this Sunday's Veteran's Day - but heroes like he should always be remembered - for their bravery in war and their building of a vibrant post-war America.

Cosentino is a former mayor of Auburn and can be contacted at cozguytho@aol.com