. . 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
. . Harry Kirsch Harry Kirsch served with the Marine Corps during WWII. missing video/audio
. . Charles Kelley Charles E. Kelley–“Chuck”–grew up as a devout Catholic kid in the small, hilly community of Elliot in Pittsburgh’s West End area. He was a junior in high school when he heard news on a neighbor’s radio about Pearl Harbor. Chuck knew that it was a matter of
. . Henry Karbowski Henry Karbowski was born in the United States in 1929 but after his mother passed away when he was just 4, his father took him to Poland. After the start of WWII, he enlisted into the military in the Soviet Union but transferred to the RAF
. . Norman Kanel Norman T. Kanel was one of the first veterans to join our breakfasts in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in 2009. An amateur actor after the war, Norm knew how to tell a story and hold a room captive, but he didn’t need to infuse any
