Mineola Celebrates WWII Veteran's 105th Birthday With Parade

MINEOLA, NY — Sergeant Anthony Catalano is one of the oldest living veterans on Long Island, and recently celebrated his 105th birthday on Oct. 23. The community put together a parade to drive by his Mineola home on Nov. 2.

His niece, Rosemarie Galgano, said the parade and his community mean so much to him — Mineola has been his home for 70 years.

"He was overwhelmed by the feelings of appreciation and love," she said. "He really was appreciative of the parade, crying even at one point. He can't believe that so many people showed up for him. When you see something like that, you experience a feeling of pride."

Tony had a parade for his 100th birthday as well, showing just how much his town appreciates him.

"He's helped his community, gone to high schools to talk about the war when they invited him, and talked with politicians," she said. "He's very active in his community and was active in the VFW in Albertson for many years, up until about three years ago."

At 21 years old, Tony was drafted into the army and served from 1941 to 1945.

Tony served his country in General Patton's 3rd Army in WWII. He was part of the company that liberated the Dachau Concentration Camp.

He was shipped out to France and then marched from France to Poland in 80 days, then continued to Berlin.

Rosemarie said that on the march across Europe, it snowed as high as 4 feet. "It snowed for 80 days," she said. "He woke up his troops every two hours so they wouldn't freeze in the four feet of snow. He made a lot of friends and lost a lot in the war."

Two of his brothers fought in the war at the same time, and he had 12 brothers and sisters, with six of them living to adulthood. His brother Frank was in a different army division and then transferred to become a tailor for the General.

"All three men came home unwounded," she said. "During the war, he didn't reunite with his brother, Frank, until he marched to Berlin. Frank was stationed in Berlin, and Tony in Poland. When Tony went to Berlin, he looked up his brother and they met up."

She shared how proud he is to be an American and to have served his country.

"He never complains about the hardships of fighting in a war," she said. "He has no regrets. He loves his country."

He always advocates for the nurses who didn't receive any recognition for the war, she said.

"Whenever he would get medals, he would say that nobody honors the women who were nurses," she said. "There were so many of them who lost their lives, and they took care of the men. He was always advocating for them."

His basement is a museum of war artifacts and medals. Politicians have visited it, including Bruce Blakeman.

"Everybody loves hearing his stories," she said.

Tony was also an air traffic controller for 35 years at JFK Airport, and was at LaGuardia Airport for many years before that, Galgano said: "He loved that job."

She shared many reasons why the town celebrates him.

"He's got such a great sense of humor," she said. "He's very kind. He'll do anything for you. Everybody who meets him loves him. That's why he's so popular."