By Michael Leavy
People join the military for all sorts of reasons — patriotism, duty, camaraderie, education.
For Anthony Falduto, who served with Gen. George S. Patton at the Battle of the Bulge, it was about horses.
“They had horses that you could ride in the armory on Sunday,” Falduto, 99, recounted at Wednesday’s Veterans Day ceremony on the Morristown Green. “I loved horses and that was the reason I joined.”
The Montville resident, who turns 100 next month, joined the Army Reserve in 1939, and initially served at the Morristown Armory.
Falduto’s service was supposed to last about a year. But as things heated up and World War II began, his enlistment was extended. Serving under Patton, he was wounded twice. At the Battle of the Bulge he witnessed a scene, later portrayed in the movie Patton, in which the general directed traffic around a stuck tank during the German offensive.
Also honored on Wednesday was Alan S. Painter, named Veteran of the Year.
Painter served more than 41 years with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In civilian life, he was an executive at the Allied Signal Corp. until his retirement.
Mayors Tim Dougherty of Morristown and Daniel Caffrey of Morris Township addressed an audience of perhaps 100 people, on a day that included services at all eight war monuments in Greater Morristown.
One of those monuments, on the Green, memorializes local men who died in the Civil War, which ended 150 year ago. This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Photos by Bill Lescohier. Please click icon below for captions.
Wednesday’s ceremony on the Green was dedicated to the memory of the late J. Robert Tracey, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War who spoke at Memorial Day and Veterans Day services for decades.
The 3rd Battalion 112th Field Artillery firing squad provided a rifle salute on the Green, and buglers Daniel Ribaudo and Dylan Quattro from Morristown High School played Taps.
Veterans Day evolved from Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I on the 11th hour of the 11 month in 1918.
