By NANCY HILER
Milito, a 1967 graduate of Calhoun High School, grew up in Merrick and lived in Wantagh, but Bellmore was where he spent much of his time. The commander of the Bellmore American Legion Post #948 for a decade, he was a fixture at local veterans and other community events. For the past four years he co-chaired the joint Memorial Day Parade of the Bellmores.
"He had a Purple Heart, but he also had a heart of gold," said Frank Colon Jr., the parade co-chairman and North Bellmore American Legion Post commander. "He would give you the shirt off his back, and he always did the right thing."
Milito's commitment to and involvement in veterans affairs extended beyond Bellmore. He chaired the Nassau County American Legion's National Emergency Fund and Public Relations committees. He was a member of the 40 & 8, the by-invitation-only honor society of the American Legion, as well as the Vietnam Veterans Association.
"My father was a very giving man who truly felt that the best thing a person could do was give of himself. And so he did," said his daughter, Erinn Martone. "He gave to his country the gift of freedom, and he gave to his family and friends the gift of his love. He was a great man who will be missed very much."
Always quick to smile, Milito had a gentlemanly manner and an easy-going demeanor that belied his demonstrated valor and resolute character.
Vietnam War hero
Milito earned an associate's degree from SUNY Farmingdale in 1969. He enlisted in the Army in 1970, went through basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey and then completed advanced infantry training at Fort Ord in California. He served in the Army with Company D, American Division of the 11th Infantry Brigade in Chu Lai, South Vietnam.
Milito earned a Vietnam Service Medal, a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and a National Defense Service Medal. He was also the recipient of a Combat Infantry Badge, awarded to those who fought in active combat, and a U.S. Army Sharpshooter medal. He was promoted to sergeant on Dec. 23, 1971.
Earlier that year, he had earned a Purple Heart when he was shot by a sniper while moving across a rice paddy, Martone explained. After spending two months recovering in a hospital, he was assigned to a judge advocate general's corps office in Texas, where he helped program one of the first IBM word processors, igniting a lifelong interest in computers.
Once out of the service, he returned to school, earning a degree in computer science from the New York Institute of Technology in 1974. Remarkably, he completed a master's in science technology in 2000 at C.W. Post, at age 51. Milito was the network and systems administrator for the Half Hollow Hills School District in Dix Hills.
Consummate family man
"While my father was proud of his accomplishments in both the service as well as in the classroom," Martone said, "nothing was more important to him than his family. He was a very busy man who somehow was always able to make time for us."
Milito was married for close to 34 years to his wife, Susie, with whom he had Erinn and a son, Shaun. Martone and her husband, Nicholas, have two children, Brandon and Ryan.
"As I was growing up, my father would always attend all my sporting events, concerts and awards ceremonies," Martone recounted, "and he did the same for my brother, going to all his baseball games and swim meets. Even the day before he passed, my father left work, during his lunch, just to watch his grandson Brandon graduate from preschool."
"Tony exemplified the preamble to the constitution of the American Legion," said Colon of his longtime friend and colleague. "'Obligation to community, state and nation.'"
Comments about this story? MHiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000, ext. 234.
