A first American generation story

By Scott Calzolaio 

Every American family has an origin story, a tale about a generation that sacrificed to seek out glory in a promise-full nation. 

This is not quite that. This is the next generation’s story - an account of the first true-born American in an Italian family, and Milford legend, Charles Brucato Sr. (1916-1999).

Charles (Charlie) Brucato Jr., 77, and his brother John, 69, recently sat down with the Milford Free Press in Charlie’s office where a copy of their new memoir, “The Bronc,” sat signed and on display.

Charles Brucato Sr. (1916-1999) was a U.S. Marine who served in World War II. “The Bronc” was a lifelong Milford resident, educator, and coach. Courtesy photo

 The book is an account of the life of their father, a first-generation American with a strong sense of duty towards his nation despite the discrimination he faced in his youth.

Initially, “The Bronc” was something Charles Jr. set out to write for his family. The in-house memoir was meant to be passed on to grandchildren and beyond.

“It was John’s idea to make this family project into something bigger,” said Charlie, a retired educator and principal.

They explained that this project was less about highlighting their father’s achievements, and more about the microcosm his story represents in the mid to late years of the Great Depression. 

“I thought we had something here that could resonate with anyone that has immigrant ancestors from this time,” said John, a retired attorney. “So we had quite a lot to work with.”

Charlie started with a DNA test and found their family tree. From there, he discovered immigration records, real estate records, and more. After getting his overview, he conducted local research. 

“I went to the Milford Library and went through every newspaper from 1905 on,” he laughed.

From articles, anecdotes, and records, the brothers were able to create thorough and powerful recollections of their father’s life.

The beginning of the memoir chronicles the immigration of their grandparents (who did not speak English), to the early life of Charles Sr. where poverty and discrimination were commonplace.

Where the Milford Bike Trail now runs, there were once railroad tracks. On one side of the tracks, Italian immigrants – a minority at the time - owned most of the property.

“When my father was a kid, they couldn’t cross the tracks without getting called names,” Charlie said. 

From the isolation they experienced, came competition amongst themselves. Pickup baseball games took over the fields beyond the tracks, and those kids became exceptional baseball players. This translated into those kids winning a state championship for Milford High School which helped ease racial tensions in town, Charlie said.

From high school, Charles Sr., an elite Milford athlete, was one of the few in town to receive a scholarship to play baseball (and football) at the College of the Holy Cross. He received a diploma and began working in education. 

Shortly after, the attack at Pearl Harbor occurred and the United States was thrust into war. Charles Sr., feeling a strong sense of duty towards the country in which he was born, enlisted in the United States Marines Corps.

John’s background in education, history, and psychology led him to become more interested in their father’s journey through the Pacific War Theater during WWII.

Sifting through a myriad of documents, John was able to follow his father’s journey with incredible accuracy thanks to the meticulous records taken at the time. “My goal was to try and follow my father from boot camp all the way through every campaign in World War II.”

Charles Sr. did not often discuss his time enlisted, but John said his father’s harrowing experiences there left a lifelong impression on his day-to-day life.

John said, “We wanted to be very candid about what he struggled with, because everyone from the so-called ‘Greatest Generation’ struggled with the same thing, having all been survivors of a terrible war.”

Those wartime experiences, John added, shaped the man their father became for the rest of his life, as an educator and father of four. 

His story, they agreed, does not exist in a vacuum. Their father’s tale of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness echoes through millions of American families. 

“We can learn a lot about what’s really important in this country,” Charles said. “I think we live mostly in a very self-centered society now. The important thing is to be somebody who really cares. My father truly cared.”

“The Bronc” is available to purchase on Amazon. and Wednesday evenings and Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The Milford High School Pool is also available for Open/LapSwim on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, plus some Saturday afternoons. Registration fees are reasonably priced and available as individual classes, along with options for seasonal and monthly passes. Other classes like Blanket Making, The Bloom Bar, CPR/First Aid, and Make Your Own Pasta are available seasonally. 

What this diverse group of activities have in common, along with many others, is they are all conducted at Milford’s Public School facilities outside of regular school hours. 

Chris Burns, now the Director of the Milford Community School Use Program, explained the basics. “It started in the 1970s to put the school facilities to good use for educational, recreational, and cultural activities outside of regular school hours. I remember it from when I was growing up in town. While some offerings have changed over the years, the program has thrived.” 

Sessions are listed on the website, and registration can be completed online. People can find out about new offerings by joining the email list or seeing flyers around town, like at the Town Hall and Milford Town Library. 

“We add new classes by request,” Burns said. “Based on a suggestion, we recently started ‘Safe Sitter’ to teach teens about caring for younger children. Another way we introduce new offerings is when an instructor has an idea. Someone with a skill teaching people a hobby they have or something they have worked at, like guitar, or makeup application, can propose a class. Then, there’s a budget we need to work out to pay the instruction fees, so we don’t lose money on the programs we run.” 

The Community School Use Program has partnerships with Milford Special Olympics and Sweet Inspirations. It is not-for-profit and is self-funded, meaning registration fees pay for the instructors and the management of the program. 

If you or someone you know has a hobby or interest and you would like to offer a program, contact [email protected] or call 508-478-1119. For more information, or to register or sign up for the email list, visit milfordcommunityprogram.activityreg.com/selectactivity_t2.wcs or email [email protected]. You can also follow them on Facebook @milfordcommunityuse.

Source: Milford Community School Use Program