. . During WW II, Frank R. Strano of Ambridge, Pennsylvania served with the 998th Treadway Bridge Company of the 300th Combat Engineers. “We were not infantry,” Frank says proudly, “although we got shot at a lot, we were engineers.” And that’s how the Army’s 1943 Engineer Soldier’s Handbook puts
. . Norm Waldman has the distinction of being a D-Day paratrooper, a survivor of the Dresden firebombing, and a veteran of the Ukrainian Red Army. His story began when he joined the army in 1943 at the age of 18. He volunteered for the airborne for the extra pay. He
. . George Tita of Koppel, PA was drafted soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor and, along with his childhood friend, Pete, served with the 691st Tank Destroyer outfit. After a stint in Bowie, TX, the outfit moved to Louisiana to finish their training. In March of 1944, the cadre
. . Joe Zimbicki grew up in Heidelberg, Pennsylvania. During the Great Depression his dad was a moonshiner and spent time in prison. As soon as he could, Joe began working to support his nine brothers and sisters. Shipping off to a CCC camp in the northern woods near Williamsport was
. . Vittorio Zippi grew up the son of Italian immigrants in Crabtree, Pennsylvania, learning to speak English in first grade. Six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was drafted into the Army—serving as a cook, musician, medic, and barber. “Would you shoot the Italians?” asked the Army. “Hell
. . Michael T. Vernillo Oral History Interview, September 15, 2000, by Paul-James Cukanna (Summer 2000 graduate colloquium, “War and Conflict.” Professor Joseph Rishel. Duquesne University), Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Oral History Collection (Online). October 15, 2015. Michael T. Vernillo was born on April 6, 1919 in Burgettstown, PA. He was the oldest
