The publication is reproduced in full below:
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.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 17
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