Vito Trause

Vito Trause (July 19, 1925 – October 31, 2019) was an Italian-American soldier in the United States Army, prisoner of war during World War II, semi-professional athlete, and community figure in New Jersey.

By November 30, 1943, Trause dropped out of high school during his junior year in order to join the United States Army. As a private first-class, Trause trained in Africa and fought in the Italian Campaign, where he served in the United States infantry as a scout. 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 until he was liberated by American troops on May 2, 1945.

After the war, Trause returned to the United States, living in his hometown of Carlstadt, New Jersey. He competed as a semi-professional football and baseball athlete in the years following the war and married a receptionist from East Rutherford, New Jersey in June 1952. After moving to Clifton, New Jersey with his wife in 1952, he moved to Washington Township in Bergen County in 1967, where he lived the remainder of his life. In his later years, he became a well-known New Jersey community figure and gained international attention after being awarded his high school diploma at the age of 92. Following his death in October 2019, Trause was buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.

Early life Trause was born on July 19, 1925. He grew up in Carlstadt, New Jersey and received his elementary education at Carlstadt Public School, where he was a member of the school's choir. He later attended East Rutherford High School, where he played football and baseball. On November 30, 1943, Trause dropped out of high school during his junior year in order to enlist in the United States Army during World War II.

World War II

Military service and capture Trause received 17 weeks of infantry training at Fort McClellan in Alabama, before undergoing mountain warfare training in North Africa. Trause fought in the Italian Campaign, where he served as a scout in the 168th Regiment of the 34th Infantry Division. He participated in the Battle of Anzio and thereafter began participating in scouting operations on the Gothic Line. On the morning of September 24, 1944, Trause became separated from his fellow soldiers while on a scouting mission in the Apennine Mountains outside of Florence and hid inside of a nearby farmhouse. Later that day, Trause was ambushed by Waffen-SS soldiers and captured in the farmhouse.

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. Trause often found himself working alongside Jews imprisoned within Nazi concentration camps.

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. He was also a Purple Heart recipient.

Post-war life

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. Trause was a semi-pro fullback, competing in the Bergen County Football League as a member of the Hackensack Angels and in the New Jersey Pro League as a member of the Passaic Red Devils. He also competed as a semi-pro baseball player for the Carlstadt Pros. Trause continued to play sports throughout much of his adult life, playing softball until he was over 70 years old.

Trause, a Catholic, He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Throughout much of his adult life, Trause worked two jobs simultaneously;

Trause married Theresa Iwanowski, an East Rutherford receptionist, on June 7, 1952. The pair moved to Clifton, New Jersey and had two daughters, Cynthia and Victoria.

Later years and death

Community presence In his later years, Trause became a 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. He was also known as a Westwood Regional High School athletics super-fan and booster, and as a mentor both to high school students and many members of his community at large.

Local honors Locals considered Trause to be a war hero.

In May 2019, just over five 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.