Mineola WW2 veteran who helped liberate Dachau dies at 105 years old
Sgt. Anthony Catalano served in Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army and was among the American forces that helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp in 1945, according to his obituary.
More Stories
A longtime Mineola resident and World War II veteran has died at the age of 105.
Sgt. Anthony Catalano served in Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army and was among the American forces that helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp in 1945, according to his obituary.
As a member of Patton’s “Trailblazers,” Catalano once spent 83 days in combat while fighting on the front lines during the war. State Sen. Jack Martins said in a tribute that Catalano served as a squad leader during the Battle of the Bulge, where he helped keep his men alive in freezing conditions by forcing them to stay moving through the brutal Ardennes winter.
“His leadership and determination helped carry them through one of the most difficult chapters of World War II,” Martins wrote.
In a 2024 interview with News 12 marking the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, Catalano reflected on the sacrifices of those who served, saying the true heroes were those who never made it home.
“I think of the friends I lost—I lost a lot of friends,” he said.
After returning home, Catalano dedicated much of his life to educating students about his wartime experiences and giving back to the Mineola community.
He was an air traffic controller for over 35 years, a member of the Albertson VFW and an honorary member of the Albertson Fire Company, his obituary says.
