Anthony Catalano

Anthony Catalano served in the United States Army and obtained the rank of Sergeant.

A World War II veteran, Mr. Catalano, along with two of his brothers, were drafted into the military in 1941. He was immediately assigned to General Patton’s famed 3rd Army in the 70th Infantry Division, known as the “Trailblazers.”

In 1944, his Division spent 83 consecutive days in combat, with part of that time spent fighting the infamous Battle of the Bulge in sub-freezing temperatures in Ardennes, France. “When we got to the Ardennes, we were in four feet of snow and without winter gear,” Mr. Catalano recalled. “We were stuck; we couldn’t move.” Eventually, they ran out of water and rations, which Mr. Catalano would not eat, but exchanged with fellow soldiers for chocolate. For water, he had his men collect snow in their canteens and melt it until supplies could arrive. Eventually, bulldozers plowed through the snow to rescue them.

When Mr. Catalano’s Division moved on to Belgium and Germany, vehicles were scarce, so he and his soldiers had to march miles on foot through snow and slush. “Some were getting trench foot,” he said, a condition caused by prolonged exposure to cold, wet conditions. Mr. Catalano’s Company was also part of the group that liberated the Dachau Concentration Camp. He is still visibly shaken by the experience and doesn’t like to talk about the horrors he saw. “I was 23 and felt like an old man. I think I turned gray at 25” he added.

When the war in Europe ended, he served four more years in the United States Group Control Council in Berlin, helping U.S. forces set up a German military government to restore order.

Once home, he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration as an Air Traffic Controller at LaGuardia Airport and at Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy Airport. He retired in 1973 as Assistant Chief Controller.

Over the years, Mr. Catalano shared his experiences with students in local schools. He is still an active member of VFW Post 5253 in Albertson.

A resident of Mineola, Mr. Catalano turned 103 years old on October 23. He is predeceased by his wife, Linda, who passed in 2009.