In 2007, New England veterans’ groups were split when the death of former Boston North End Patriarca family underboss, Gennaro Angiulo (above left), was announced. According to the Boston Herald, Angiulo was entitled to a full military funeral, complete with six Navy pallbearers, a flag-draped coffin, a bugle, and a gun salute from active service members.
As it turned out, Angiulo had earned a funeral with at least some honors. Before making a career in organized crime, which ended when violent White Hill Gang bosses and FBI informants James Bulger and Stephen Flemmi got him locked up, Angiulo had distinguished himself in the Pacific theater during the Second World War. His job was steering landing craft — a dangerous job that involved piloting boats filled with soldiers onto mined beaches, while under enemy fire. He achieved the rank of chief bosun’s mate, which gave him the right to private accommodation and better food.
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Angiulo’s funeral raised some mixed feelings among area veterans. One said he should have “got the firing squad years ago” — military service notwithstanding — thanks to his racketeering activities and two decades in prison. However, another interviewed said that while a full funeral was probably too much given his criminal past, he had served his country valiantly before entering organized crime, while a third simply said that if he had risen so high in the military, he at minimum deserved his flag. In the end, it seems the funeral went along as planned.
