GENESEO, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2024 - Fireman First Class Petty Officer Fred Anthony Barraco, United States Navy, is the October Livingston County Veteran of the Month. He was formally recognized at today’s board of supervisors meeting, leading the supervisors in the pledge of allegiance.
Barraco was born on September 3, 1926, on Damonsville Street in Mount Morris. He was the youngest and now last surviving child born to Nunzio and Gertrude Barraco who immigrated to Mount Morris from La Cara, Fridi, Italy, in 1907. His siblings were Sara, Alexander, Marco, and Anthony. The Barraco family are long-standing members of the Assumption Catholic Church.
Fred has a proud military family as his brothers Marco and Anthony both served in the Army. His brother Marco was awarded the Silver Star of gallantry on D-Day, June 6, 1944, when he was part of the 1st Infantry Division landing in the first wave on Omaha Beach in Normandy. He was credited for saving many lives, having pulled wounded soldiers out of the surf on the beach for medical treatment and cleared a path through a mine field so his unit could attack a German machine gun nest firing on American infantry.
After the break out of World War II, following in the footsteps of his brothers’ service, Fred enlisted in the United States Navy in Rochester at the age of 17 on September 9, 1944. After his training in Sampson, New York, and Newport, Rhode Island, he was stationed and deployed on the USS OSAGE (LSV-3), a troop transport ship tasked with crossing the Pacific to deliver troops to combat areas during campaigns against Japan. His duty on board ship life was managing the ship’s electric batteries and spending hours as a lookout swaying back and forth atop the ship’s crow’s nest. His battle station duty was operating a twin 40-millimeter anti-aircraft gun. His last battle was the invasion of Okinawa where the U.S. fleet was under attack from Japanese Kamikaze suicide planes from April to June of 1945. Questioned for how he survived fighting off the kamikaze attacks, Fred was quoted as saying, “I was really good at ducking.”
Barraco served honorably until his discharge on June 7, 1946. For his military service, he was awarded the American Theater Medal, Victory Medal, and Asiatic Pacific Medal with one star. Upon completion of his military service, Fred initially returned to Mount Morris. With war efforts interrupting his education, he returned to high school and graduated with the class of 1947, the same class as his wife to be, Barbara Webb. Fred continued his higher education graduating from Geneseo State Teachers College with a master’s in education in 1952 and teaching in many local school districts. Fred and Barbara married in 1949 and had an apartment in the Lareton Mansion, now known as the Allegiance Bed and Breakfast. They had their first son, Ted, in 1953. In 1954, they moved to 28 Murray Street where their daughter Karen was born. In the fall of 1959, the family moved to Margaretville in the Catskill Mountains. Fred was the elementary school principal of two school districts at the same time. While there, he continued his post-graduate work at Columbia University in New York City.
In 1962, Fred and his family moved to Moravia, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. During this time their youngest son, Scott, was born. Fred supervised the construction of a new modern elementary school building and created new programs for children, including a field trip ride on a jet plane. He was known far and wide among students for always having a drawer full of candy for underprivileged children who found themselves in the principal’s office. In June of 1968, the family moved again to Henrietta where he was principal of one of seven elementary schools in the district. His passion was taking in the districts “problem kids.” He worked with children until he retired from public school service in 1981, remaining in Monroe County for several years while engaging in a number of business ventures.
Barraco returned to Mount Morris, which he proudly calls home. He owned “Joe Brown’s Corner Bar” in Mount Morris, which ironically was not on a corner, and an ice cream parlor in Geneseo. Fred’s lifelong passion was golfing and you could always find black marks on his living room ceiling from practicing with his driver indoors when he couldn’t be on the course. He has three children, three grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He is well cared for in his community and strongly believes God has blessed him beyond all hope and expectation.
Are you interested in nominating a deserving former member of our armed forces as the Livingston County Veteran of the Month? Please visit the Livingston County Veteran Services page to submit a county veteran today.
About Livingston County:
Founded in 1821, Livingston County, N.Y., is home to more than 61,000 residents in 17 towns located across 631 square miles of the Finger Lakes region.