Post by Dave on Mar 24, 2011 15:50:20 GMT -5
Anthony F. J. Leone, 84, a resident of South Glens Falls, passed away on July 3, 2010, at Glens Falls Hospital.
Many of us knew Tony or Archangelo from the old CNY Forum and appreciated his wit and sharp tongue when he felt he needed to use it. Tony also graced the pages of the More Stories website with a few of his essays.
Tony Leone, CSC*, was featured on most D-Day websites and filmed on many local veteran programs and on Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation." He was often the featured speaker on local school programs and the subject of newspaper stories by the Glens Falls newspaper, the Post-Star. Tony was a columnist and cartoonist for a California industrial newsletter and a former editor/post adjutant of the American Legion Post 553.
I'll let him tell you more about himself in his short autobiography:
The Internet has it all on the D-Day websites. I was born and raised in Utica, New York in the slums and my sick mother pulled a wagon loaded with junk to put food on the table. Pop hurt his back on the railroad and was an expert at the fine art of homemade vino consumption. He died in 1941; mom passed away in 1943. In on the invasion of Normandy in 1944 and spent time after the war in rehabilitation programs conducted by the US Navy in Chelsea Naval Hospital and various VA hospitals in New York State. Received CSC for Normandy, as well as other British, French and American awards.
Won awards also in short story writing, poetry and my stories have been published in service magazines. Nine books have been written, most of them war genre type. In order to expose families to the madness of war, I self-published many of them. They lived and felt WWII along with those who were there. A lot of my books are in the US Coast Guard Library, the D-Day Museum in Louisiana and in private libraries owned by ex-veterans.
We owned Lincoln Press/Lincoln Digest in California for a short while, printing up many of JFK's political leaflets. My son and I ran Leone Construction in South Glens Falls for many years until the economy of the times closed the books. I am a professional writer who attended several schools to perfect my art. I will continue to write...forever?
Tony cared a great deal for his fellow veterans. Perhaps his letter to the local newspaper in 2001 showed it best.
Editor
The Post-Star
Glens Falls, NY 12801
1/11/01
On 1 April, 1944, our slow-moving convoy designated UGS-36-bound for Africa-was attacked off Cape Cher-chel, Algeria by thirty German JU-88 and DO-214 bombers operating from Southern France. I was a loader on one of the Orlikon cannons engaged in a deadly duel with the black ghosts gliding over our heads. The DO-214s skimmed low over the waters of the Mediterranean, releasing their torpedoes while overhead, the JU-88s dropped stick after stick ofwhistling bombs. One of them fell in the water close to our port side, tipping our landing ship sharply to starboard. Heavy magazine in hand, I lost my balance and began to slide on the wet steel deck toward a certain watery death. Suddenly, I was jerked backwards as the gun pointer, reached out and yanked hard on the Kapok life preserver bindings, saving my life. I thanked him as he drew a bead on a low-flying JU-88, unleashing a stream of tracers into the dark sky above. After the war, we went our separate ways and-despite numerous efforts to locate him- he seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
Recently, I received a phone call from his daughter who informed me that her father had been ill for quite awhile. He gave up trying to locate me. Well, her call was a Christmas present, I'll tell you. She informed me that her husband had seen a web site presentation by the Hudson Falls High School titled "D-Day" featuring yours truly. My name was mentioned and the rest is history .Her dad will receive my monthly newsletter and also a special reserved copy of Vagabonds of War originally dedicated to him.
After all these years, closure. Makes one believe in miracles, doesn't it? Thanks to Matt Rozell, the Hudson Falls history teacher, I was reunited with the guy who saved my life when I was a kid in uniform. Thanksgiving time.
Respectfully yours,
Anthony F.J. Leone
Another example of Tony's interest in his fellow vets is his story "Charlie." (See below.)
Tony grew up an East Utica brat and some of that flavor is contained in his story "Family Fascist." Eventually Tony succumbed to the ravages of old age, but he held his chin up and took it with a bitter humor, as can be seen in his story, "Living."
You can read Tony's essays on More Stories. Peruse the author's list at:
www.windsweptpress.com/mortoc.htm
My life was richer for the many posts we shared on the CNYForum and the few notes we exchanged over the five years I knew him via the Internet. But I think his stories touched me the most. He believed his writing was a gift. Not to him, but to us. I agree.
RIP, Archangelo!
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www.windsweptpress.com/images/tony leone 44.jpg[/img]
Tony Leone, 1944
*Tony often signed his name with the CSC designation. The Conspicuous Service Cross is New York State's highest military medal of honor. Tony received it for his service in Normandy and he wore it proudly.
Many of us knew Tony or Archangelo from the old CNY Forum and appreciated his wit and sharp tongue when he felt he needed to use it. Tony also graced the pages of the More Stories website with a few of his essays.
Tony Leone, CSC*, was featured on most D-Day websites and filmed on many local veteran programs and on Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation." He was often the featured speaker on local school programs and the subject of newspaper stories by the Glens Falls newspaper, the Post-Star. Tony was a columnist and cartoonist for a California industrial newsletter and a former editor/post adjutant of the American Legion Post 553.
I'll let him tell you more about himself in his short autobiography:
The Internet has it all on the D-Day websites. I was born and raised in Utica, New York in the slums and my sick mother pulled a wagon loaded with junk to put food on the table. Pop hurt his back on the railroad and was an expert at the fine art of homemade vino consumption. He died in 1941; mom passed away in 1943. In on the invasion of Normandy in 1944 and spent time after the war in rehabilitation programs conducted by the US Navy in Chelsea Naval Hospital and various VA hospitals in New York State. Received CSC for Normandy, as well as other British, French and American awards.
Won awards also in short story writing, poetry and my stories have been published in service magazines. Nine books have been written, most of them war genre type. In order to expose families to the madness of war, I self-published many of them. They lived and felt WWII along with those who were there. A lot of my books are in the US Coast Guard Library, the D-Day Museum in Louisiana and in private libraries owned by ex-veterans.
We owned Lincoln Press/Lincoln Digest in California for a short while, printing up many of JFK's political leaflets. My son and I ran Leone Construction in South Glens Falls for many years until the economy of the times closed the books. I am a professional writer who attended several schools to perfect my art. I will continue to write...forever?
Tony cared a great deal for his fellow veterans. Perhaps his letter to the local newspaper in 2001 showed it best.
Editor
The Post-Star
Glens Falls, NY 12801
1/11/01
On 1 April, 1944, our slow-moving convoy designated UGS-36-bound for Africa-was attacked off Cape Cher-chel, Algeria by thirty German JU-88 and DO-214 bombers operating from Southern France. I was a loader on one of the Orlikon cannons engaged in a deadly duel with the black ghosts gliding over our heads. The DO-214s skimmed low over the waters of the Mediterranean, releasing their torpedoes while overhead, the JU-88s dropped stick after stick ofwhistling bombs. One of them fell in the water close to our port side, tipping our landing ship sharply to starboard. Heavy magazine in hand, I lost my balance and began to slide on the wet steel deck toward a certain watery death. Suddenly, I was jerked backwards as the gun pointer, reached out and yanked hard on the Kapok life preserver bindings, saving my life. I thanked him as he drew a bead on a low-flying JU-88, unleashing a stream of tracers into the dark sky above. After the war, we went our separate ways and-despite numerous efforts to locate him- he seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
Recently, I received a phone call from his daughter who informed me that her father had been ill for quite awhile. He gave up trying to locate me. Well, her call was a Christmas present, I'll tell you. She informed me that her husband had seen a web site presentation by the Hudson Falls High School titled "D-Day" featuring yours truly. My name was mentioned and the rest is history .Her dad will receive my monthly newsletter and also a special reserved copy of Vagabonds of War originally dedicated to him.
After all these years, closure. Makes one believe in miracles, doesn't it? Thanks to Matt Rozell, the Hudson Falls history teacher, I was reunited with the guy who saved my life when I was a kid in uniform. Thanksgiving time.
Respectfully yours,
Anthony F.J. Leone
Another example of Tony's interest in his fellow vets is his story "Charlie." (See below.)
Tony grew up an East Utica brat and some of that flavor is contained in his story "Family Fascist." Eventually Tony succumbed to the ravages of old age, but he held his chin up and took it with a bitter humor, as can be seen in his story, "Living."
You can read Tony's essays on More Stories. Peruse the author's list at:
www.windsweptpress.com/mortoc.htm
My life was richer for the many posts we shared on the CNYForum and the few notes we exchanged over the five years I knew him via the Internet. But I think his stories touched me the most. He believed his writing was a gift. Not to him, but to us. I agree.
RIP, Archangelo!
Tony Leone, 1944
*Tony often signed his name with the CSC designation. The Conspicuous Service Cross is New York State's highest military medal of honor. Tony received it for his service in Normandy and he wore it proudly.