Vito Trause

Vito Trause
Trause during World War II
Born	(1925-07-19)July 19, 1925
Died	October 31, 2019(2019-10-31) (aged 94)
Resting place	George Washington Memorial Park 40°56′24″N 74°5′13.2″W / 40.94000°N 74.087000°W / 40.94000; -74.087000
Citizenship	American
Spouse(s)	Theresa Trause (née Iwanowski)
Children	2
Awards	European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal

Vito "Pal" Trause (July 19, 1925 – October 31, 2019)^[1] was an Italian-American United States Army veteran, World War II prisoner of war, and well-known community figure in New Jersey.^[2][3][4][5]

On November 30, 1943, Trause dropped out of high school during his junior year^[6] in order to join the United States Army.^[7] As a private first-class,^[8][9] Trause trained in Africa and fought in the Italian Campaign, where he served in the United States infantry as a scout.^{[5][7][10][11]} He was captured by the SS outside of Florence in September 1944 and subsequently transported to Stalag VII-A, a camp for prisoners of war run by Nazi Germany, where he was held for much of the duration of the war.^[7][11][12]

After the second world war, Trause returned to the United States, living in his hometown of Carlsdadt, New Jersey.^[7][13] After moving to Clifton, New Jersey with his wife in 1952, he moved to Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey in 1967, where he lived the remainder of his life.^[2][7]

Early life[]

Trause was born on July 19, 1925.^[1] He grew up in Carlsdadt, New Jersey and received his elementary education at Carlsdat Public School, where he was a member of the school's choir.^[11][14] He later attended East Rutherford High School, where he played football and baseball.^[7][15] On November 30, 1943, Trause dropped out of high school during his junior year in order to enlist in the United States Army.^[13][16][17]

World War II[]

Vito Trause (right) in 1945

African campaign[]

Trause received 17 weeks of infantry training at Fort McClellan in Alabama, before undergoing mountain warfare training in North Africa.^[1] Following the completion of his training, he traveled to Naples aboard a British troop transport to begin combat against the Italian Social Republic.^[1]

Italian campaign and capture[]

As a private first-class,^[8][9] Trause fought in the Italian Campaign, where he served as a scout in the 168th Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division.^[18][19] He was captured by the SS outside of Florence on September 24, 1944^[20] and subsequently transported by boxcar^[18] to Stalag VII-A, a camp for prisoners of war run by Nazi Germany, where he was held for much of the duration of the war.^[7][11]

Time as prisoner of war[]

After his capture by the Nazis, Trause adopted the pseudonym of "Al", fearing that referring to himself as "Vito" would expose his Italian heritage and subject him to the same sorts of beatings experienced by other Italian-American prisoners of war.^[11] Several days after arriving at Stalag VII-A, however, he was assigned prisoner number 139217, by which he would be referred to throughout the remainder of his imprisonment.^[11][21]

While at Stalag VII-A, Nazi Germany subjected Trause to forced labor involving the repair of railroads that had been damaged by bombs dropped by the Royal Air Force and the recovery of corpses.^[2][10] Trause often found himself working alongside Jews imprisoned within Nazi concentration camps.^[1][2] Throughout the winter of 1945, he was not provided proper footwear by his German captors, leading to one of his feet becoming swollen.^[5][11] A Jewish prisoner who worked with Trause stole shoes from a corpse, smuggled them under his coat, and delivered them to Trause.^[5][11] The stolen footwear saved Trause from having his foot amputated or dying; Trause believed that the Jewish prisoner's actions saved his life.^[5][11]

While detained in the German prison camp, Trause subsisted on a diet of bread and potatoes.^[18] When he was liberated by American troops on May 2, 1945,^[5] Trause weighed 131 pounds,^[7] thirty-five pounds less than at the time of his capture.^[10]

Service awards[]

For his service during World War II, Trause earned the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge.^{[22][5][13][23]}

Post-war life[]

Theresa Iwanoski, Trause's soon-to-be wife, in 1951

After returning to the United States, Trause competed as a semi-professional athlete in both football and baseball. Trause was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and briefly played baseball for its minor league affiliates.^[10][24] Trause was a semi-pro fullback,^[25] competing in the Bergen County Football League as a member of the Hackensack Angels^[26][27][28] and in the New Jersey Pro League as a member of the Passaic Red Devils.^[29][30] He also competed as a semi-pro baseball player for the Carlsdadt Pros.^[31] Trause continued to play sports throughout much of his adult life, playing softball until he was over 70 years old.^[32]

Trause, a Catholic,^[32] joined the Catholic War Veterans in September 1948.^[33][34] He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.^[10][35]

Throughout much of his adult life, Trause worked two jobs simultaneously;^[22][32] he worked for the East Rutherford Syringe Company and Magnavox.^[1][8][36]

Family life[]

Trause's mother died two years after Trause returned to New Jersey following the Second World War.^[37]

Trause married Theresa Iwanowski, an East Rutherford receptionist, on June 7, 1952.^[36][38] The pair moved to Clifton, New Jersey^[36] and had two daughters, Cynthia and Victoria.^{[2][22][7][15]} The family moved to Washington Township, a town in Bergen County, New Jersey, in 1967.^[2] Trause remained married to his wife until she died on August 6, 2005.^[2][39]

Later years and death[]

Vito "Pal" Trause Way in Washington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey

Community presence[]

In his later years, Trause was a well-known community figure in New Jersey. He was known as the "daytime mayor" of Washington Township, the town in which he resided in Bergen County, New Jersey.^[24][40] He was also known as a Westwood Regional High School athletics super-fan^[41][42] and as a mentor both to high school students and many members of his community writ large.^[43][44][45]

Local honors[]

Locals considered Trause to be a war hero.^[5] In July 2015, a parade was held in honor of his 90th birthday in Washington Township; among the participants were a brigade of police cars, firetrucks, and 20 motorcycle riders of the Carlsdadt-based Nam Knights of America.^[32] At a June 2018 ceremony, Trause was awarded his high school diploma at Henry P. Becton Regional High School as a part of the New Jersey Department of Education Operation Recognition program.^{[3][22][12][13]} With military commanders in attendance, the school's principal awarded him a diploma from East Rutherford High School as well as replicas of each of the awards that Trause had received as a result of his military service during the Second World War.^[22] Four months later, the Borough of Carlsdadt renamed a portion of its Lincoln Street after Trause, who had grown up on the street during his childhood.^[5][11]

Just over six months before his death, Washington Township and the Borough of Westwood, New Jersey each petitioned the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders to rename the stretch of the township's Ridgewood Road in front of Westwood Regional High School in honor of Trause in May 2019.^[5]

Death[]

Trause died suddenly on Halloween in 2019, after attending a party with a local senior organization.^[2][5] His daughter attributed his death to heart and lung problems.^[5] He is buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.^[5]

Memorial Trust[]

Following Trause's death, a memorial trust was established in his name to provide college scholarships for graduates of Westwood Regional High School.^[4]

References[]

Further reading[]

• Church, Paul W (2007). Cigarettes for Bread. Vantage Press. ISBN 978-0533155262.