REMEMBERING PATRICK L. GUALTIERI
By Marleen “Molly” Levi
A Vietnam Veteran you were
Always wearing your Vietnam hat
Many thanks now warmly given
“Welcome Home” we say with that.
You touched the lives of many
With your guidance, grit and care
That special smile you wore
Engaged so much fanfare!
With purpose and passion you gave
An outstretched, helping hand
To veterans, family and friends
You were ‘our’ marching band!
With so much pride and pleasure
Event production was your game
Many moving parts to manage
You did well – with Parade acclaim.
A ‘people’ person you were
With a warm and friendly style
A ‘ham & cheese’ for sure
You could stay - talk for a while!
You raised the bar for allSuch a legacy
you leave behind
We’ll forever honor your memory
You were uniquely one of a kind!
* * * *
We live… we love… we remember
Your memory will forever be inscribed
A life with meaning, will always be…
Respected ▪ Embraced ▪ Acknowledged
With creative vision, spirit and style
Finding ways to ‘make it all work’
Not accepting ‘no’ for an answer
Just one of your little quirks!
Loved ▪ Missed ▪ Honored
- In loving memory with tears in my heart
Your Molly
VIETNAM VETERANS
OF AMERICA
REMEMBERS
PATRICK L. GUALTIERI
1945 - 2015 • U.S. Army, Vietnam
12 FORWARD MARCH AMERICA’S PARADE
Patrick L. Gualtieri, a member of New York
City’s Angel Almedina Memorial Chapter 126
who revitalized the city’s Veterans Day Parade,
died July 21 after a short illness. Born and
raised in Brooklyn, New York, Gualtieri served
in the U.S. Army from 1966-68, including a
one-year tour in Vietnam.
“Pat returned to New York City in 2000 to take
over the struggling Veterans Day Parade,” said
VVA member Vincent McGowan, founding
president of the United War Veterans Council.
“As executive director of the Council, the
producers of the parade, he built the annual
event into ‘America’s Parade,’ the largest
celebration of service in the nation. The veterans
community mourns the loss of a giant, who
devoted his life to honoring those who served.”
This
tribute
originally
appeared
in
the
VVA Veteran