Vietnam Vet. Firefighter. Family man. Dot legend.
If you’ve ever crossed paths with Charlie Santangelo, you probably walked away with a great story—and maybe sore sides from laughing. A retired Boston firefighter and Dorchester native, Charlie’s got the kind of magnetic personality that fills a room. This year, he’s adding a new title to his resume: Grand Marshal of the 2025 Dorchester Day Parade.
“It’s an honor of a lifetime,” says Santangelo, sitting at the Twelve Bens Tavern in Fields Corner. “I’m proud to march down Dot Ave in memory of those who died in Vietnam from Dorchester. I’m representing them and gold star families, too.”
Charlie’s Dorchester roots run deep. At the age of 18, while a senior at Boston Technical High School, he enlisted in the Marines, along with two friends from the neighborhood, and served a tour in Vietnam. “I signed up for two years, went to boot camp, and then went to Vietnam. I went with my friends Stevie Finn and Billy Norton. We hung around together in the neighborhood and went to boot camp together.”…