Inducted in 2015
Commander, US Marines

“The nature of man is freedom.”

These were words that Nicholas J. Visconti chose to accompany his senior portrait in the 1988 Ramkin. Whether or not the boy from Crestwood knew it then, he was tapping into something that must have resonated deeply within him.  Consciously or unconsciously, in choosing that quote, Nick was no less than declaring what would become his credo and his life’s mission: to ensure, protect and defend that intrinsic and inalienable right to freedom wherever it is threatened.

Nick Visconti was born in the Bronx in 1970, the third of the four sons of Nicholas Joseph Visconti and Carolyn Rocci Visconti.  His parents were the owners of a contracting company — his father knocked down the walls and his mother kept the books.  He grew up on Manhattan Avenue in Crestwood where he attended the Annunciation School and served as an altar boy for the parish.
 
While the rest of the Visconti boys —Joseph, Lewis, and David — attended Iona, Nick arrived at Fordham Prep in August of 1984 for football practice, beginning his career at Rose Hill a few weeks before the start of the school year. As was the custom then, in September, he would report with the rest of the freshmen to Collins Auditorium for their first day of orientation. He was sorted into Mr. Patrick Conway’s mentor group.

During his Shea Hall years, Nick was an active member of the Italian Club. He also wrestled (fellow Hall of Honor inductee Fr. Russell Sloun was the team's moderator), worked with the business staff of the Dramatic Society, and occasionally lent some muscle to the Prep stage crew.  But first and foremost, Nick played football: #45 — left defensive tackle and backup fullback.

Nick remained at Fordham University for college, majoring in political science and classics, and graduating on the Dean’s List in 1992. During these years, he was a competitive weightlifter, lifting in the NYC Regionals, the Empire State Games, and the American Open.

Following his University graduation, Nick Visconti joined the United States Marine Corps. He was admitted to the USMC Officer Candidate School, graduated with the rank of second lieutenant, and served on active duty for three years. He returned to civilian life as a reservist in 1996 and launched a career in pharmaceutical sales.

After the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, however, 2nd Lt. Visconti felt it was his duty and obligation to return to active duty and was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. During his first tour, he served as the commander of the 81mm Mortar Platoon, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, and was promoted to the rank of major. He began his second tour in Iraq as executive officer of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines in the Dhi Qar Province.

It was during his time in Dhi Qar that the boy from Crestwood proved beyond question his commitment to his country, his troops, and the Iraqi people. Besides leading combat operations and patrol missions, he was instrumental in rebuilding over 125 schools and municipal buildings, ended the looting of irreplaceable Babylonian and Sumerian artifacts, helped to reorganize and retrain local police and rescue departments, and worked as interim governor of the northern section of the province to ensure freedom and improve the quality of life in the area.

So respected was Maj. Visconti for his service to the region's people, that he was praised by Iraq’s Ministry of Culture and was, in gratitude, granted the honorary title Al Sheik by the locals.

Nick Visconti continued to distinguish himself as the commanding officer of Company I, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines in 2004, and again in 2008 as the operations and intelligence officer for the US Marine Corps Combat Logistics Battalion 46 in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. His service during this tour was summarized by his superiors as “a rock-solid performance in a demanding, operational environment,” and he was commended as “an exceptional leader who displayed the ability to excel during a fluid and challenging time.”

Nick was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in August 2009.

Lt Col. Visconti has since headed the US Marine Corps Forces, Central Command, Materiel Fusion Center in Bahrain and has served as the logistics operations officer for the entire US Marine Corps out of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

He closed out his service to the USMC as the director of current operations at Marine Corps Logistics Command in Albany, GA and retired in September 2019 after 27 years of service.

Currently, Nick is the Director of Operations for a defense contractor in the greater Washington, DC area.

A highly decorated officer, Nick Visconti has commendations to his name. Among his many citations are the Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the Navy & Marine Commendation Medal.

In words shared by a Prep brother from the Class of 1988: "While so many of us have had the good fortune to raise families, participate in our children’s daily lives, go back to school for graduate degrees and build careers in our respective industries, Nick has sacrificed almost all these things. His service has taken him away from his family on many occasion — holidays, birthdays, and so many celebrations. Nick had begun a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. Still, he gave up this civilian career to remain with the Marine Corps, to protect our country, and to advance the cause of justice on a global scale."

Nick is the father of four: Noelle, Nicholas James, Jr., Alexandra, and Paulina. He is currently living in the Sarasota, FL area.