FLUSHING, NY (TIP): State Senator John Liu inducted Flushing resident Michael Louis Vulcano into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame on Sunday, November 12. The Hall of Fame was established in 2005 to honor and recognize outstanding veterans from the Empire State who have distinguished themselves in both military and civilian life. State Senator John Liu stated, “Corporal Michael Louis Vulcano is a testament to the resilience, sacrifice and indomitable spirit of the Greatest Generation. He nobly answered the call of our country at a time of tremendous uncertainty and worldwide conflict, and he served honorably alongside his brothers in arms. His induction into the Veterans Hall of Fame is just one small way we can thank him and his family for his tremendous service to our nation.”
Michael Louis Vulcano stated, “I extend my sincere thanks to Senator John Liu for the honor of being inducted into the Veterans Hall of Fame. It was a privilege to serve my country, and I would like to thank my family for always being there for me, and my fellow servicemen and women in the military who served alongside me in our country’s greatest hour.”
Michael Louis Vulcano served in the United States Marines and achieved the rank of Corporal. Mr. Vulcano is a native New Yorker and the son of Italian immigrant parents from Calabria Italy, who settled in Brooklyn with himself and his eight siblings. A proud family man, he is a son, brother, father, grandfather, and a great-grandfather. A member of the Greatest Generation, Mr. Vulcano is also a proud World War II veteran. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Mr. Vulcano answered his Nation’s call at the age of 19. From Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, as a member of the 2nd Marine Battalion Company B, he boarded a ship that would take him and his fellow soldiers to islands he had never heard of in the Pacific. He fought in two of the fiercest battles of WWII, the Battle of Okinawa, and the Battle of Tarawa Island. The number of souls lost in these two battles is staggering. Mr. Vulcano achieved the rank of Corporal before being honorably discharged and returning to his home in Brooklyn to once again join his parents and eight other siblings.
He never talks about the war, or of his journey on ships that were tossed and turned in tumultuous storms at sea. Recently his usual happy-go-lucky attitude turned somber, saying that often he awakes in the middle of the night to memories of the horror of war and the faces of friends that he lost. He goes back to sleep hoping that those thoughts and the sadness they bring will disappear. And when they do, they are replaced by the happiness that his family gives him. Mr. Vulcano married Phyllis Russo to whom he was happily married for 64 years. They had two daughters, Denise and Michele, and he is the proud grandfather of Ashley, and great-grandfather of Kalani and Keanu. The family grew up in Bayside, Queens in their 3-family home surrounded by extended family.
On April 23, 2023, Mr. Vulcano hit a major milestone when he turned 100 years old and achieved centenarian status. Today, he lives in Flushing, Queens with his daughter, Denise. Michael Louis Vulcano was selected as a 2023 Veterans Hall of Fame inductee by Senator John C. Liu.