[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 17 (Thursday, January 28, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E76]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF ANTHONY GALLOPO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSH GOTTHEIMER

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 28, 2021

  Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of one of the 
finest North Jersey residents I have come to know. Anthony Gallopo was 
a dear friend, a leader and a role model in Sussex County, and a 
tireless fighter for his brothers and sisters in arms--his fellow 
veterans.
  As we mourn Tony's loss, our hearts go out to his wife, Betsy, and 
his daughters, Sarah, Alexandra, and Ashley Gallopo. He always spoke to 
me about them, how much he loved them, and how proud he was of their 
accomplishments. We are all thinking of them as we extend our deepest 
condolences for their terrible loss. At this time, we are also praying 
for the recovery of Tony's beloved wife, Betsy, who remains in the 
hospital.
  Madam Speaker, getting to know Tony was one of the great joys and 
true honors of my career in Congress. I remember when we first met, 
when I visited Sussex County Community College for a roundtable with 
local student veterans. There was no one who knew more about what 
veterans in Sussex and Warren needed, or who cared more about how they 
were going to get the attention and care and services that they 
deserved.
  For more than five years, Tony and I worked shoulder-to-shoulder to 
deliver on that promise. Tony was instrumental in securing the long-
awaited goal of the first VA community outpatient clinic to serve 
veterans in Sussex and Warren Counties, so that those who fought for 
our country could access care close to home. I was so proud to stand 
with him and others who helped make it happen on the day the clinic 
finally opened in 2017. Tony continued the fight for lifesaving in-
person psychiatric care for veterans at the clinic in Newton, hosted 
roundtables for better jobs and opportunities for students and 
returning veterans, and was always there to commemorate and remember 
the sacrifice of generations of his fellow servicemembers throughout 
the Fifth District.
  As a leader on our District's Service Academy Nomination Selection 
Committee, he helped evaluate young student applicants so that I could 
nominate the very best of the next generation to represent North Jersey 
at our nation's great Service Academies.
  Tony served as a Seaman in the United States Navy, and as a former 
New Jersey Department of the American Legion Vice Commander, member of 
the Legion's Department Executive Committee, and as Commander of Post 
86 in Newton. He was also a retired senior officer with the New Jersey 
Department of Corrections.
  Madam Speaker, we owe our nation's veterans a deep debt of gratitude; 
they do not owe us anything. And yet, every day, I am inspired by 
veterans like Tony, who always wanted to help more people, to give back 
to his community, and to look after other veterans young and old who 
could use a hand. And in doing so, he provided a profound example of 
how to lead a life of service.
  Like so many in North Jersey, I was crushed when I heard that tragic 
news that Tony was in the hospital. In New Jersey, we have lost so many 
friends, neighbors, parents, and grandparents during the coronavirus 
pandemic. But it is difficult to capture just how painful the tragic 
news of Tony's passing was for all who knew him, but especially for his 
fellow Legionnaires and veterans.
  While Tony is sadly no longer with us, he lived a lifetime of service 
that will never be forgotten. North Jersey is deeply indebted to this 
selfless patriot who touched so many lives, and a true hometown hero 
who walked among us.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering my 
friend, Tony Gallopo.

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