Description:
Nicholas Abate, born in 1930 in Newark, New Jersey, grew up in a working-class Italian American family. His parents came from Sicily and his father worked as a coal miner in Twin Rocks, Pennsylvania, while supporting seven sons. In 1940, the family moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey, where Abate began working at age eleven in a local fruit and vegetable market to help support the household.
During World War II, Abate experienced the war from the home front while four of his brothers served overseas. Living near Camp Kilmer, he observed the steady movement of troops and the impact of wartime mobilization on the local community. He remembered rationing, shortages, and the emotional strain families faced, as well as the celebrations that followed the war’s end.
Abate graduated from New Brunswick High School in 1950. The same year, after high school, Abate enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He completed basic training at Parris Island and advanced training at Camp Pendleton, where he learned infantry tactics and specialized in 81mm mortar operations. The Marines assigned him to a weapons company and he deployed to Korea during the war’s later stages. He served first in a mortar section and later as a forward observer, directing artillery fire, marking targets with white phosphorus and coordinating strikes with air support. Abate operated near the 38th Parallel, where his unit conducted patrols and maintained defensive positions.
After returning home, Abate built a career in supermarket management and later in the insurance industry. In retirement, he joined the Marine Corps League and remained active in supporting veterans and his community.