Haverstraw vet, 94, has defied the odds for decades

• Fiore was married to his wife for 35 years before she died in 1987.
• Fiore has held many line officer positions with the Haverstraw Fire Department over nearly 7 decades of volunteer service.
• Haverstraw Fire Inspector Pat McNamee%2C who recently retired from the FDNY after 26 years%2C said he became a firefighter%2C in large part%2C because of Fiore%27s good example.
• The baseball Fiore holds in the accompanying picture is a foul ball he caught at Yankee Stadium about 10 years ago.

Lady Luck has smiled for many of us. For others, she's offered the occasional wink or wave. For Anthony "Cappy" Fiore, she took him to a steak dinner, picked up the check and gave him a big kiss.

Chance is likely to continue favoring the 94-year-old Friday when, surrounded by about 30 loved ones, he'll throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Rockland Boulders take on the New Jersey Jackals at Provident Bank Park.

"I thank God every night before I close my eyes," the Army veteran said at his home Thursday evening.

Born in Haverstraw in 1919 — just months before Babe Ruth filmed the silent movie "Headin' Home" on the village streets — Fiore was touched early on by Dame Fortune.

He was fishing with a friend at Peck's Pond one day in 1938 when a lightning strike sent the teens flying in opposite directions, he said. He came to some time later and crawled to a nearby gas station for help. His friend woke up two days later in a hospital bed. Both recovered fully.

When the United States entered World War II, Fiore followed suit. But before seeing combat as an Army medic, he was again blessed with good fortune.

While on the boat to North Africa, Fiore won $1,900 in a game of craps. As soon as he was able, he sent much of the winnings home to his parents, who used the money for a down payment on 10 Gurnee Ave., the house in which he still lives.

"My proudest moment," he said, "was when I told my mother I was sending money home for a house. She was a good woman. She was a cook. ... I was happy that I could do something that really nobody else could do."

Upon reaching the battlefield, Fiore's luck continued. Some time during the Battle of Tunisia, he was captured and taken to an Italian prisoner of war camp. There, he said, he spent 20 weeks enduring poor conditions and, at times, eating dog meat to fill his belly.

The camp eventually was liberated by the Allies, only for Fiore to be recaptured while trying to return to the American lines. For the rest of the war — more than two years — he was held prisoner at camp Stalag II-B in Hammerstein, Germany. But he survived.

His military service, specifically, is why he is being recognized by the Boulders on Friday.

Haverstraw police Sgt. James McNamee, a former neighbor and longtime friend, spoke of Fiore's service — which includes 69 years as a Haverstraw Fire Department volunteer — to a friend who works at the ballpark. The ceremonial first pitch was soon scheduled.

"He's a veteran who served his country honorably. He was a prisoner of war twice over and a longtime volunteer with the fire department," McNamee said. "I think he's deserving."

Fiore's luck did not end after the war. He married Margaret Sebastion — literally, the girl next door; together, they had a family that eventually grew to three daughters, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren with another on the way. All the while, he continued to play the odds, striking the Take 5 Lottery twice to win more than $250,000.

"I was lucky with winning at gambling," he said. "I'm still gambling and I'm still winning."

Twitter: @JORourkeT800