Army veteran, longtime volunteer, honored as he celebrates 99 years

Al and wife, Betty, will be married 76 years in Dec.

Photo courtesy Veterans Hall
Mayor Marie Blankley presents Al Gagliardi a proclamation.

By Staff Reports

Al Gagliardi, who grew up in the prune orchards in northern Gilroy, was recently honored for his U.S. Army service and for his 99th birthday. He was part of the infantry that landed on the island Kiska to retake it from Japan in August 1943.

He was later reassigned to the 147th Infantry as a 50-caliber machine gunner. The infantry was attached to the 5th Marine Division in Iwo Jima and later went to Okinawa.

For his heroic efforts he was awarded the Bronze Star and “other medals for normal things,” said the humble Gagliardi. He returned to California in 1946 and became a charter member of both the American Legion Post 669 and VFW Post 6309. He served as commander of the VFW from 1946-47 and the American Legion from 1954-55.

Gagliardi joined the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department in late 1948 and retired in 1977. He started volunteering for the Gilroy Rural Fire Department in 1947 and worked as a volunteer for the Gilroy Fire Department from 1951 to 1971. He continued to serve his community as part of the city’s Wipeout Watch Graffiti Abatement program well into his retirement. He also served as the Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal in 2010.

Al and his wife, Betty, will be married 76 years come December 2023.