World War II Army veteran Dominick Critelli of Floral Park heads back to Netherlands 

Between crowds of sweaty tourists and passionate airport staff, it was a regular Sunday evening at Kennedy Airport. But in a sunny corner of the international terminal, 104-year-old World War II veteran Dominick Critelli played "Save the Last Dance for Me" on his saxophone, capturing the attention of nearby security officers.

Critelli, of Floral Park, was gearing up for his fifth trip to the Netherlands with Mission Margraten Plus, a group that brings World War II veterans to Europe for the anniversary of the Dutch liberation from Nazi occupation.

“Memorial Day is a very important day. … It’s there to remember the people who aren’t coming back,” Critelli said.

Critelli was in the Army from 1942 to 1945, rising to the rank of staff sergeant. He was deployed to Europe and served in the Netherlands.

In a bright blue polo shirt, gray slacks and New Balance Velcro sneakers, Critelli remembered men in his battalion who — unlike him — never made it home.

“I made it 80 years longer than them already,” he said.

Two other veterans, ages 98 and 99, joined Critelli for the trip that was set to depart just after midnight.

“Where’s my saxophone case so people can throw money in?” Critelli joked. “I want to have fun. I’m 104 years old. If I don’t have it now, forget about it!”

Between trips across the Atlantic, the group organizes dinners, holiday events and trips to Army-Navy games for participating veterans. Critelli, who emigrated from Italy at the age of 8 and who celebrated his 104th birthday in April, said he sometimes makes time to play the saxophone with his old orchestra, called Sound of Music.

Stephanie Folwell, of Brooklyn, who cofounded the group with her husband Roger Kilfoil, said watching veterans on the trip is emotional.

“It’s both cathartic and daunting. You look at them like they are 18 years old again and they’re right back in the thick of it,” Folwell said.

“I can only imagine what they’re thinking. … They get quiet and reflective.”

Last year, Critelli visited a cave in which he signed his name while seeking refuge during the war.

“This all started with a love for our veterans. … We realized that spending an afternoon with these guys was not enough,” said Gillian Cuba, Folwell and Kilfoil’s daughter and a staffer with Mission Margraten Plus. 

“The emotional trauma that comes with visiting a place that in your memory isn’t happy. … Yet to go back under circumstances that are happy and celebratory — is quite amazing.”