--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father came here from Italy as a young…" description: "\"My father came here from Italy as a young boy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in WWII, and went to Harvard Law School on the GI bill.\" — To..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/tom-suozzi-6218_father_my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-youn_1040971.jpg" --- # My father came here from Italy as a young boy, was awarded… ![“My father came here from Italy as a young boy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in WWII, and went to Harvard Law School on the GI bill.” quote by Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/tom-suozzi-6218_father_my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-youn_1040971.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/tom-suozzi-6218_father_my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-youn_1040971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/tom-suozzi-6218_father_my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-youn_1040971.jpg) > “My father came here from Italy as a young boy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in WWII, and went to Harvard Law School on the GI bill.” [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An immigrant’s son achieved remarkable success through military honor, education, and public service, illustrating the American Dream’s possibilities. **In simple terms:** Immigrant success story. Key Takeaway Pursue education and service. Themes immigration military education public service Mood inspirational proud Type biographical motivational When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community leadership - veteran affairs - educational mentorship Key Concepts GI Bill Harvard Law Distinguished Flying Cross political career Questions to Reflect On - How does your background influence your goals? - What role does public service play in your life? A Different Perspective Success stories can mask systemic barriers faced by many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-school/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [I'm going to try to pull a Natalie Portman. Natalie went to Harvard while shooting 'Star Wars'. I don't know how she did it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/i-m-going-to-try-to-pull-a-natalie-portman-natalie-went-to-harvard/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [I always tell people I went to the Harvard School of Comedy in front of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-lawrence/i-always-tell-people-i-went-to-the-harvard-school-of-comedy-in-front/) [Vicki Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-lawrence/) > [I went to Harvard and immediately fell into the theater gang, and I was already an experienced actor, so you go with the flow!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-went-to-harvard-and-immediately-fell-into-the-theater-gang-and-i/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [I went to Harvard High because it was a great school. That it happened to be a military school was just a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-harmon/i-went-to-harvard-high-because-it-was-a-great-school-that-it-happened/) [Mark Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-harmon/) > [I went to Harvard College and determined right away when I was a junior that I was unemployable, since I think I applied to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-e-james/i-went-to-harvard-college-and-determined-right-away-when-i-was-a/) Hamilton E. James > [I graduated from Bowdoin College and went to the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Then I left and took a job teaching really poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-canada/i-graduated-from-bowdoin-college-and-went-to-the-harvard-graduate/) [Geoffrey Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-canada/) > [As you leave these gates and re-enter society, one thing is certain. Everyone out there is going to hate you. Never tell anyone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/as-you-leave-these-gates-and-re-enter-society-one-thing-is-certain/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [I just went to Harvard a little while, because I graduated from Armstrong High School in Washington and then I went up there but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eckstine/i-just-went-to-harvard-a-little-while-because-i-graduated-from/) [Billy Eckstine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eckstine/) > [Ask five economists and you'll get five different answers - six if one went to Harvard..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-fiedler/ask-five-economists-and-you-ll-get-five-different-answers-six-if-one/) [Edgar Fiedler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-fiedler/) > [Never say 'I went to Harvard.' Say 'I schooled in the Boston area.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/never-say-i-went-to-harvard-say-i-schooled-in-the-boston-area/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [I got a wonderful college education. I went to Harvard. In those four years I accumulated a lot of knowledge but I also created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-got-a-wonderful-college-education-i-went-to-harvard-in-those-four/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [When I went to Harvard and studied planning, I found I didn't have the skills or the strength to become the kind of public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/when-i-went-to-harvard-and-studied-planning-i-found-i-didn-t-have-the/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [I picked Harvard because it was in a big city, and a lot of girls' schools were nearby. And I liked President Kennedy, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-picked-harvard-because-it-was-in-a-big-city-and-a-lot-of-girls/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [ I enjoyed \[playing lawyer in From The Hip\] as an ode to my dad. My dad went to Harvard and Harvard Law School, so… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-nelson/i-enjoyed-playing-lawyer-in-from-the-hip-as-an-ode-to-my-dad-my-dad/) [Judd Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-nelson/) > [I retired in 2016 as a Lieutenant Commander and immediately went to the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-crenshaw/i-retired-in-2016-as-a-lieutenant-commander-and-immediately-went-to/) [Dan Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-crenshaw/) ## More by Tom Suozzi > [Americans of all political backgrounds must work together to safeguard our democracy and those of our allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/americans-of-all-political-backgrounds-must-work-together-to/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [My father's immigrant story is a big part of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-father-s-immigrant-story-is-a-big-part-of-who-i-am/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [Nassau County police officers deserve a good wage for the hard work they do to keep us safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/nassau-county-police-officers-deserve-a-good-wage-for-the-hard-work/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [Democrats have a cultural problem. People that have a faith-based value system either don't vote for us, or they do, but have reservations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/democrats-have-a-cultural-problem-people-that-have-a-faith-based/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [Every large organization has problems and you've got to judge people based on how they address those problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/every-large-organization-has-problems-and-you-ve-got-to-judge-people/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [We need to get back to the basics of talking about the American Dream, where hard work is rewarded with wages sufficient to guarantee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/we-need-to-get-back-to-the-basics-of-talking-about-the-american-dream/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [I know from my experience as a mayor of my hometown, as a county executive and as a member of Congress that you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/i-know-from-my-experience-as-a-mayor-of-my-hometown-as-a-county/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [We all know what politics has become, let's think about what it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/we-all-know-what-politics-has-become-let-s-think-about-what-it-could/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [Spiritual and secular leaders of all kinds can join hands to practice what they preach: the golden rule, human dignity, and the worth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/spiritual-and-secular-leaders-of-all-kinds-can-join-hands-to-practice/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [My mom and dad never wanted to be a burden for my brothers, my sister, and I, so they bought long-term care insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-mom-and-dad-never-wanted-to-be-a-burden-for-my-brothers-my-sister/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [The callousness displayed by the FAA towards N90 employees who live and work in my congressional district demands further attention, and I remain resolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/the-callousness-displayed-by-the-faa-towards-n90-employees-who-live/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [What's happening to Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang should shock everyone's conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/what-s-happening-to-uyghur-muslims-in-xinjiang-should-shock-everyone/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [Mr. Putin didn't invent American partisanship, but his lies and propaganda have fed it, giving rise to extremists like Mrs. Greene, who would rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/mr-putin-didn-t-invent-american-partisanship-but-his-lies-and/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [I've always been in a position where I had to run against the establishment. It gives me some independence to focus on government reform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/i-ve-always-been-in-a-position-where-i-had-to-run-against-the/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [I am excited by the prospects of a Biden presidency for many reasons. One reason is that his Catholic faith, much like President Kennedy's,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/i-am-excited-by-the-prospects-of-a-biden-presidency-for-many-reasons/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) [Explore all 99 Tom Suozzi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) ## More Army quotes > [There are no more worlds to conquer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/there-are-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [I just read an article about how young American males feel uncomfortable appearing naked in front of each other in locker rooms. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ivory/i-just-read-an-article-about-how-young-american-males-feel/) [James Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ivory/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“The most important lesson that came out of Vietnam for me was that Marines take care of Marines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-most-important-lesson-that-came-out-of-vietnam-for-me-was-that/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I have real strong feelings about our troops and support them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-fichtner/i-have-real-strong-feelings-about-our-troops-and-support-them/) [William Fichtner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-fichtner/) > [Personally, I don't really have a set style or look. It's pretty much what I feel like wearing that day, from a floral-print dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/personally-i-don-t-really-have-a-set-style-or-look-it-s-pretty-much/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) [Browse all 3,919 Army quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My father came here from Italy as a young boy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in WWII, and went to Harvard Law School on the GI bill.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Suozzi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-young-boy-was-awarded-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Army" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-young-boy-was-awarded-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/tom-suozzi-6218_father_my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-youn_1040971.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/tom-suozzi-6218_father_my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-youn_1040971.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86a/tom-suozzi-6218_father_my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-youn_1040971.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My father came here from Italy as a young boy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in WWII, and went…” — Tom Suozzi", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tom Suozzi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My father came here from Italy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-young-boy-was-awarded-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/my-father-came-here-from-italy-as-a-young-boy-was-awarded-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```