Peter P. Zivic Jr. grew up in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

As a teenager when Hitler invaded Poland and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Peter Zivic followed the daily developments of World War II daily. He supported the war effort by training younger pilots; only a close call kept him from time in the Pacific Theatre.

During WW II, Pete served as a gunnery instructor aboard bomber aircraft in the Army Air Corps.