Nicholas Francis Altomare

West Point, 1977

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by K Steven Collier on April 18, 2018:

Although we were roommates for just three weeks, Nick's passing has touched me deeply. What a great friend, classmate, comrade in arms, soldier and leader. In short, a man's man. Nick, thank you for being my friend. In honor and memory of Nick, the following compilation of comments and stories has been shared by Nick's classmates over the last few days. Enjoy them as we enjoyed being with Nick. Good guy..rest in peace My prayers for all of Nick's family. Nick was one great guy. We were privileged to know him. A great classmate and a true gentleman. One of the finest. Condolences to the family and prayers for Nick's eternal peace. Rest easy brother, Well done, be thou at peace. Grip hands brothers. A job well done. So very sorry to lose our friend. Please grant him eternal peace and comfort his family dear Lord. Well Done Brother Nick. Be Thou at Peace! Very surprised and saddened. Prayers to Nick's family. Nick was one of my best buddies at Prep School. We were linebackers on the football team. He introduced me to the love of motorcycling and assisted me with getting my first bike our senior year. We hung out together on our free time and took trips often to go to his home in Fishkill on weekends off. I am so devastated to hear this news. Nick was one of the best and I admired his spirit. Well Done Nick, you ARE the best! So very sorry to hear of Nick's passing. Oh no. This is hard news. I really like Nick. My prayers are with his family at this hard time. Nick you will be greatly missed. Prayers for you and your family Prayers to Nicks family. He was a such a great guy. I will always remember his large smile and compassion to all. RIP Nick, you will always be remembered. Well done, be thou at peace What a shock! This really saddens me as well. Nick was the only one I could not beat in boxing. He kept getting inside my arms and would be the dickens out of me! He was one tough person and a great man! Be a Thou at Peace, Nick. So sorry to hear. We will keep the family in our prayers. Nick was a great guy all around! I knew him at Prep School, and he always had a great big smile whenever I saw him... Be Thou At Peace, brother! Very sorry to hear and will add the family to my prayers. There are no words that can help right now. A true warrior with a smile. Love you brother. RIP I am sorry to hear this news. We were life long friends from our days at A-2-2 at Fort Dix. Nick was a class act. I pray for his family and friends. A heartbreaker...Nick and Vinnie used to come over to our trailer at Fort Benning during basic and cook Italian sausage and peppers...one of my fondest memories of two awesome Italian warriors. I roomed with Nick in Summer School in the Summer of '76. He was also in my Buckner Company. I was honored to attend his wedding. Later saw him when we were Captains at Ft Benning. Truly a great and memorable man. R.I.P. Nick. Prayers for Nick's family. Sorry to hear the news Be thou at peace, Nick. God lift up your family. My wife is doing Italian dinner tomorrow. We will keep Nick in our dinner prayers. RIP Brother. What a deep feeling of loss learning of Nick's passing. This picture really captures his spirit. Keeping Nick and his family in my thoughts and prayers. "Well done, be though at peace...West Point for thee" Prayers for the repose of Nick's soul and for God's comfort and peace for his family. So sorry to hear about Nick. We were in the same Beast platoon. Nick set the example right off. The trees on the apron of The Plain were all young saplings then. Nick ripped off a branch and started eating it. The First Detail leaders loved it, and all of us soon-to-be beanheads started screaming as well, like idiots. I think that was maybe our second morning, and Nick's spontaneous vegetarian feat probably caused them to run us further.... but we all loved and respected Nick. Wow...he was not my classmate but felt like one. Lost one of the good guys. Sorry to read of a fellow prep schooler's passing. I'll always remember Nick fondly. Very sad to hear this news - Be Thou at Peace, Nick... Sorry about Nick. He was a good man & will be very missed. He and his Family are in our prayers Nick was a great guy didn't know he was sick Rest In Peace my friend God's blessings of comfort and peace to Nick's family. "Well done, be thou at peace." Offering my prayers and best wishes for Nick's family. While working the Camp Buckner detail in the summer of 1976 we were told that the next Airborne class had about 50 empty slots. I was lucky to get one of the 50 slots but hit paydirt when Nick and I were assigned as roommates. On day one of groundweek, the airborne cadre banged on our door at 5am and came into our room to get us up to mop the hallways. While a new First Classman I was still very naive and was just getting out of bed to go mop the halls when Nick through his pillow at the Sergeant and told him to get the heck out of our room. Well, I will admit that Nick did not say "heck" but I got back into bed and said thank you to God for my new roommate who knew the real ways of the Army. What a great great guy and friend. Was so sad to hear that we had lost such a wonderful classmate and friend. Nick was a relentless dynamo as a 150's teammate. Knock him down, and he'd be right back up and racing past before you could react. Very much respected and admired. The world has lost an awesome guy. Nick had a nickname for all of us in C-1. He called himself "Ape", I was "Loov", there was "Grav", "Coondog", "Golden", "Hawkeye", ..., he always knew how to lighten the mood, have fun and help us through those tough times. You will be sorely missed my friend! Priceless stories -- I'm laughing with tears in my eyes! Keep 'em coming, fellows... I am crushed... 1st met Nicky Day 1 of Basic Training in Ft Dix, June 1972: "A-2-2, The Best Company at Ft Dix SIR!" He was the Platoon Guide - a leader right out of the shoot! For the past 2 years weA-'d talked about his joining us at the 150s/Sprint Reunion each August. The spirit was willing but each time he had to cax at the last min - but we signed off with: "Next Year for sure." Now, we will honor Nicky at our memorial at Trophy Point - a great soldier, husband, Dad and true friend. At USMAPS Nick would shout out this word: KY-YA-TOE-BUSH (with a strong accent on BUSH). None of us ever knew what it meant, it was more a primal yell of enthusiasm. When it came to selecting a USMAPS slogan for our class, we ultimately chose "Tomorrow We Lead", but on the list of slogans in the running was that primal yell too! Ahh...Dave remembers that expression from NIck! Being his roomie, one of the funny things Nick would do would be to rub his hands together as an expression of excitement be it, looking at a model he was building(car or a motorcycle), contemplating a future fun event or whatever.....that was part of his persona. OR...he was let out a loud..."HAA". With Bill Atha, Nick and Paul Brown..it was never a dull moment. I was happy that I got to spend time with Nick during my last moments at West Point after graduation. He was sharing some personal stories with me and it was like yesterday. Still in shock and wondering what happened to Nick. Was he sick? Illness? Anyone know what happened to our buddy? I cannot imagine the Italian dynamo in any state of sickness. I reported to Basic at Ft Dix a day late, June 1972. Nicky had already been designated our "Platoon Guide" and led us in MY 1st morning run. I didn't know the jodies and was out of breath and didn't sing loud enough... so HE CHEWED me out in front of everyone. I waited till we got back to the barracks and took him on -- told him to stay out of my face if he didn't want me to kick his ass. Off came the shirts -- and I was faced with this small gorilla who was about to kill me. Fortunately Ron Dicamillo -- big football middle guard -- broke us both up and saved my life. We became lifelong friends a few days later. Nick played middle guard on 150s and I was center. He, along with Sandy Sanders and Tommy Bostick kicked the crap out of me for 3 straight years... Loved him.. Spring's Call Celebrating a granddaughter's birthday on a cool April casting, Word came of another passing As birds of April make an awakening with spring's call of song Curious whether those who pass before us hear that melodious gong Stepping off to spring's call of thumper in days long passed Recalling the timbre and wonder of that pugnacious Italian-American's red sash He struck a vibrato that could be heard in an opera His voice echoed off the glistening rock behind us His bearing sturdy, his commands enthralled He heralded that forward looking spring's call He once poured me from a happy hour mix Securing my body into the Q from a blitz Never to forget his strength and smile NickA-'s a man gone out in style Spring's call brings forth memories of Schofield's exclaims, That leadership still spring's call of leadership from the breast Yes sir, we remember Nick as one, all with the best Tjf, April 15, 2018 Nick set an example for all around him, including those of us who knew him from our years in Company C-1 at West Point. He had a cheerful toughness about him, and one knew that Nick would surmount any challenge. May God bless his family in their grief. We will meet again, Brother Nick. -- Joe Sullivan, USMA 1977 Nick was someone who just stood out in the myriad of USMA memories starting at Prep School in 1972 until graduation in 1977. I remember his exuberance, energy and leadership qualities. He could turn a dark day on a dime with a high energy cheerful laugh and anyone who spent some time with him knows exactly what I am talking about. We had some incredible time together driving from Fort Belvoir to his home in Fishkill, NY on multiple occasions and he made time just fly by with his sharing. His love of motorcycles was infectious and so it was passed on to me as he guided me to my first bike during our senior year. We were both linebackers on the Prep school football team and he walked the talk with the intensity he put onto the playing field. One thing for sure was that no day was a dark day when Nick was around because no matter what...there was always something to appreciate or smile about. Even though I have not seen Nick in many years, I have thought of him often and so much regret not having one more opportunity to spend time with him here on earth. Have surely missed him and look forward to the time when we meet again. Thank you...for being our friend, our role model, our classmate. I am crushed that Nick - Mr. Indestructible - has left us. I am so grateful to have been his friend. Nick Altomare was precisely what our Academy, our Army, our Nation, and our humanity merits; a finer man I have never known. Optimistic, mentally tough, cheerful, and giving. He has surely taken the ultimate high ground and is preparing the perimeter for our arrival. God bless Nick and his family An outstanding individual and an inspiration to his classmates. Command presence with a heart. Nick represented the best in what the Academy does for its cadets. The country and his classmates will miss him.

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