A surgeon serving in Vietnam, Dr. Paul Rubino still vividly recalls a four-day stretch during which he and his team toiled to save the lives of a couple dozen severely wounded Marines. Paul Rubino was born in Bitritto, a small town near Bari, Italy. When he was 12 years old, he and his mother, Domenica, immigrated to Chicago where his […]
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In one foray into a French village during World War II, John Del Medico and a fellow MP single-handledly took more than 120 Nazis prisoner and freed 800 Russian soldiers from a Nazi prison camp. John Del Medico was born and raised in Chicago. He was employed at a steel mill when he was drafted into the Army in November […]
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“My religion kept me going,” Bruno Perino says of the non-stop combat he experienced during World War II. “Every night in the foxhole I said the Act of Contrition, blessed myself with the Sign of the Cross, and thought, ‘If I’m going, that’s it.’” Bruno Perino was born in Chicago and grew up in the Chinatown neighborhood. He was 16 […]
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Choosing to become a cannoneer rather than a medic, Robert Fuggiti spent his tour of duty in Vietnam providing artillery support for American troops on the ground. Bob Fuggiti was born in Chicago and lived in the Cabrini Green area. His family moved to the Old Town neighborhood when he was 3 years old. Fuggiti’s father, Dino, worked as an […]
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Mario Avignone’s stint in the Army turned out to be a blessing, as it led to a friendship with a most remarkable man. Mario Avignone was born in Chicago and raised in the Roseland community. He was employed by the Sherwin Williams Co. when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He decided to enlist in the Army Air Force in January 1942. […]
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Choosing between the Peace Corps and the Marines during the Vietnam War, she made a decision that had a profound positive impact on the rest of her life. The oldest of four children, Diana Frances Fecarotta was born in Chicago and grew up in the heavily Italian neighborhood known as “The Patch” near Grand and Ogden avenues. Her parents, Joseph […]
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Earning a Bronze Star and Five Battle Stars as a forward observer during World War II, Michael Priami scouted out the enemy’s presence across Europe, communicating their locations back to the troops. The second of four children, Michael (Mike) Priami was born in 1924 in Hancock, Michigan. His father, Federico, was born in Rota, Italy, and his mother, Davina Barsocchi, […]
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Though only 2 years old when his father, Joseph, was killed in action during World War II, Anthony Siciliano’s life was profoundly shaped by his dad’s bravery and sacrifice. Anthony J. Siciliano was born in Chicago on Nov. 9, 1942, to Joseph and Mary (Parise). His maternal grandparents emigrated from Sicily, and his paternal grandparents from Naples and Calabria. The […]
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During a distinguished 30-year career in the Army and Reserves, Renato Bacci did everything from helping a nation recover from war to assisting an American police department in its efforts to return lost items to their owners. The oldest of three children, Renato (Ron) Bacci was born in Chicago and grew up in the neighborhood of Chicago and Kedzie avenues. […]
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An officer in the Army for 20 years, Lorenzo Fiorentino was in charge of anti-terrorism at a base in Kabul that housed the Three Star General Command. The youngest of four children, Lorenzo Fiorentino was born in Casteldaccia, Sicily, to Pietro and Rosalia (Canale). His father became ill and could no longer work the farm, and in 1972, the family […]
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