SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — Pearl Harbor survivor Armando “Chick” Galella, a Bronze Star recipient and resident of Westchester County, has died at the age of 100.
The Sleepy Hollow veteran had spent his life making sure that the lives lost on Dec. 7, 1941 were never forgotten.
In 2020, Galella led an effort to have a park named in honor of his childhood friend, John Horan, who was believed to be the first New Yorker killed in World War II.
Horan’s Landing is now located at the foot of Beekman Avenue in Tarrytown.
Galella was also instrumental in getting a memorial dedicated to Gold Star Mothers just this past May. An effort he said was in honor of Horan’s mother and all those who lost their children to war.
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"[Horan] will always be remembered by me as long as I live. That's why I have a park named after him right on the river, and that's where the statue is going to be," Galella told WCBS 880 at the time.
The memorial was unveiled on Mother’s Day.
Throughout his life, Galella would often visit schools to share his experiences in World War II, and he kept dozens of handwritten cards and letters that he received from school children over the years on his dining room table.
Despite all his experiences, however, Galella was known for being a humble man.
"I tell people this too, I'm not a hero, I want you to understand this, I'm a survivor of the war, all your heroes have white crosses they're your heroes. They're the ones you respect, not me. And I tell that to the students," Galella told WCBS 880 last year.
The war veteran had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and pneumonia. He died from complications relating to that on Thursday, Sept. 30.
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