Local man enters state Veterans' Hall of Fame

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal - 7/23/2019

Jul. 23--Another World War II veteran has entered the New York State Veterans' Hall of Fame. State Sen. Rob Ortt hosted a gathering of family members and friends in his Lockport district office on Monday afternoon to present the award.

Anthony Santoro, 93, was not able to attend the Albany ceremony, but he was present at the Monday gathering.

Santoro said he wanted join the military right after high school because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

"We were all ticked off at the sneak attack," Santoro said. "I couldn't wait to complete high school so I could enlist."

Santoro said he feels "surprised and shocked" by his award.

"I didn't think I did anything that special. I did my job," he said.

Ortt said he nominated Santoro for the award because his biography really "struck a chord with me." Ortt could relate to Santoro's desire to enlist after the attack on Pearl Harbor, because he felt the same way right after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Santoro enlisted into the Army upon graduating from high school in 1944 and served with the 10th Armored Division, Company A -- Armored Infantry.

In April 1945, while on patrol in Heilbronn, Germany, Santoro was severely injured when a German 88-Cannon shell hit the tank he was patrolling alongside. The explosion left Santoro with nerve damage and shrapnel injuries on his back. He spent the next seven months in hospitals in Betel, France, and Staten Island, N.Y. Santoro was awarded a Purple Heart and was medically discharged as a private first class in November 1945.

Born in 1925 to Italian immigrants Alberto and Josephine Santoro, Anthony (Tony) P. Santoro was the couple's only child. He grew up in Buffalo.

Santoro married Shirley Barr in the summer of 1946. They had 14 children together and six of them served in the military.

Santoro went on to obtain his private and commercial pilot's license and became a flight instructor in 1954. Over the course of his life, Santoro has logged more than 7,000 hours of flight.

Santoro retired from the United States Postal Service in 1990. He and Shirley currently reside in Lockport, where they enjoy visits from their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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