Staten Island veteran gets Purple Heart for injury received in Viet Nam

Staten Island veteran gets Purple Heart for injury received in Viet Nam: 'It's like a closure'
BY Stephanie Gaskell
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, June 23rd 2009, 4:00 AM



For the past 42 years, Anthony Carraturo buried painful memories of fighting in Vietnam.

He got married, had a daughter and a 25-year career with the city's Sanitation Department.

"I just didn't want to think about that place anymore," said the 63-year-old Staten Island man.

Those battlefield memories came alive again Monday when Carraturo was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat on April 2, 1967.

"It's something that was a long time overdue," said Carraturo after accepting his medal from Rep. Michael McMahon at a ceremony in New Dorp. "It's like a closure."

Carraturo was just 19 when he was injured by enemy fire while serving with the 11th Armored Cavalry's Blackhorse unit, a search-and-destroy reconnaissance team. Heavy gunfire knocked Carraturo unconscious. He was treated for head trauma at a field hospital and went back into battle after just 10 days, spending a total of 13 months in combat.

"Certain things about Vietnam are very private and I don't like to talk about it," he said.

Carraturo's unit was met with protests when they came home - something that hurt him deeply. "I didn't choose to go over there," he said. "I was drafted and I did what I had to do."


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