The Record Special Sections Tribute to Veterans 11-11-2019 | Page 4

4 ❚ MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2019 ❚ THE RECORD
TRIBUTE TO VETERANS
Women Veterans: Advocating for Recognition
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growing up in Union City and Fort Lee,
decided to follow in the footsteps of her
two brothers, one in the U.S. Army and the
other in the U.S. Marine Corps.
She enlisted in the Army in 1990, first
serving as a Morse Code interceptor and
then as an administrative assistant with
top security clearance attached to a unit in
Germany. She was deployed several times
to Kuwait and remained in active service
until 1994. She then joined the U.S. Army
Reserves, Fort Totten, Queens, and in 1998
was honorably discharged.
Del Gaudio, now married with four chil-
dren, said enlisting in the military was one
of the best decisions of her life. Physically
fit and an athlete, she learned about struc-
ture and discipline, as well as gaining lead-
ership skills.
But she didn’t always talk about her ser-
vice. A military sexual trauma in 1992 ulti-
mately led to a diagnosis of post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). While she said her
assailant didn’t face consequences, “it’s
water under the bridge.”
“I want other women to know it’s okay
to talk about it,” she said. “It took me a very
long time to say it wasn’t my fault. I don’t like
to say I’m a victim. I like to say I’m a survivor.”
The American Legion online reported
that the organization keeps track of all
issues related to military sexual trauma
(MST) and will work to “ensure those who
have become victims are treated, all while
encouraging the U.S. Armed Forces to take
steps to eradicate MST” (http://legion.org/
womenveterans/mst).
Del Gaudio and other women veterans
have attended roundtable discussions with
public officials to address the needs of wom-
en veterans. Two areas of critical concern
are the need for more transitional housing
in New Jersey and health care, which the
American Legion said online that while there
are advancements, further improvements
need to be made for women veterans.
About half a million women veterans
today use VA health services, triple the
amount from 2000 (U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs).
The New Jersey VA Women Veterans
Health Care Program (www.newjersey.
va.gov/services/women/index.asp) outlines
services offered to New Jersey women
veterans at VA hospitals and elsewhere;
mammograms are available for women vet-
erans at outside care centers throughout
the state.
Del Gaudio has also assisted women
veterans as an ambassador and mentor
with the Oscar Mike Foundation, a non-
profit organization that supports injured
veterans, some with missing limbs, look-
ing for opportunities to stay active. Last
year, Del Gaudio said she helped organize
a women-only weeklong camp at the Oscar
Mike Compound in Illinois.
“We went there as strangers and came
back as sisters,” she said.
Del Gaudio is a board member of the
NJ State Veterans Chamber of Commerce,
volunteers with the YWCA of Northern New
PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCY DEL GAUDIO
Lucy Del Gaudio, left, and fellow supporters
of Women Veterans Appreciation Day.
Jersey, and was the 2018 Grand Marshal
of the Weehawken Memorial Day Parade.
She also received the SOS Veterans
Stakeholder Women Veterans Service
award in March 2019.
Del Gaudio especially enjoys giving back
to her childhood community.
Twice a year, she visits the Roosevelt
Elementary School in Union City. Roosevelt
Principal Martha O’Connell said the school
community looks forward to when Del
Gaudio speaks at the school about Veterans
Day in November and then brings in disabled
veterans to commemorate Memorial Day
in May. The high school ROTC participates,
as well.
Principal O’Connell said the visits help
give students a sense of pride for the
American flag and encourage patriotism.
She added that the May visit is her favor-
ite activity of the year. O’Connell said Del
Gaudio connects with the students “in a
very beautiful way” because she can relate
to their upbringing.
“She sees herself in our children,”
O’Connell said.
Del Gaudio agreed.
“I was that kid. I was that girl in Union
City trying to figure out what she was going
to do,” said Del Gaudio.
Moving forward, Del Gaudio said she
mostly wants to be a role model for her chil-
dren and strive to help empower women,
while also remaining humble. She said wom-
en veterans continue to be a strong group
— some of her friends served in combat,
others have been awarded Purple Hearts.
She encourages women veterans to join
veteran organizations in their communities.
Del Gaudio said she is a founding chapter
captain of Team Red, White & Blue (RWB)
of Northern New Jersey, an organization
that works to help veterans by providing
physical and social activities. More informa-
tion about the organization, and local chapters,
can be found online at www.teamrwb.org.
Stivale: POW Camp Veteran
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a troop ship for the journey home.
Stivale married his wife Pauline within
a year of returning home. They honey-
mooned in New Orleans. “Most people
would go to Florida. I said let’s do some-
thing different,” he says. Soon after, the
couple purchased the house on Walnut
Street and raised two daughters, Rose and
Joanne, in Bloomfield.
During his work years, Stivale was
employed as a truck driver and has fond
memories of his many years working as a
caddy on weekends at the Forest Hill Field
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSE FALCHI
100-year-old WWII veteran Thomas
Stivale was honored as the Grand
Marshal of Bloomfield’s 2019 Memorial
Day Parade in May. Riding with Stivale in
the Grand Marshal’s car are his daughter
Rose and his friend Pat.
Club in Bloomfield. “I caddied for Yogi
Berra,” he proudly says. “He made
a ‘three’ on the final hole and went crazy.”
In his later years, Stivale cared for his
wife and daughter Rose, both of whom
experienced extended serious illnesses,
and he experienced serious illness himself.
Today, he is confined to his home.
But the honorary lifetime American
Legion member has been recognized on
several occasions by the City of Bloomfield
and local veteran organizations for his ser-
vice to the country.
In 2016, the City installed the tribute
plaque on the Walnut Street sign. It reads:
Thomas Stivale, Cpl. 82nd Airborne, WWII
P.O.W. 1943-1945. In May, he was honored
and served as the Grand Marshal of the
Bloomfield Memorial Day Parade. Stivale’s
daughter Rose rode in the Grand Marshal’s
car with her father that day, too. “He’s
been through so much,” she says. “He’s my
hero!”