SEMPRE AVANTI - November 2005 COLUMN
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SEMPRE AVANTI - November 2005 COLUMN WORD COUNT: 1,395 ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL: Italian American Military Heroes By Dona De Sanctis Who was John Basilone? If you are up on your military history, you know he was the only enlisted man in World War II to earn both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross, our nation’s two highest awards for bravery in battle. Sgt. Basilone earned the Medal of Honor during the Battle of Guadalcanal, the first U.S. offensive against Japan in the Pacific in the fall of 1942. Up against 20,000 crack Japanese troops that outnumbered them two to one, Basilone and his Marines prevailed. Three years later, he earned the Navy Cross posthumously for his actions in the Battle of Iwo Jima in which he was killed at age 29. Despite his remarkable battle heroics, John Basilone is known to relatively few people in the United States besides military buffs and the thousands of Italian Americans who wrote letters, signed petitions and successfully lobbied the U.S. Postal Service for a Basilone stamp (released this November 10). THE WARTIME STEREOTYPE Most people have never heard of John Basilone because his story is routinely passed over by documentary film makers, television writers and Hollywood producers. The most recent example occurred August 14th on Fox-TV’s War Stories, hosted by Oliver North, himself a former Marine. Inconceivably, the segment, Hell in the Pacific: Guadalcanal did not mention that battle’s most famous Marine, whom General Douglas MacArthur called “a one-man army” 1 for his virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment that day. Hollywood also has neglected Basilone and his fellow Italian American military in more than 600 World War II movies the industry has produced since 1940. A number of these movies were exclusively about Guadalcanal, but not one has a character named John Basilone. In fact, most Hollywood war movies don’t have any Italian American characters at all. Yet, an estimated 1.2 million Italian Americans – about ten percent of the U.S. armed services, fought in World War II, according to the late Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in a speech to the Italian American War Veterans of America in 1961. When an Italian American character does make a rare appearance in an American war movie, he is invariably portrayed as a small, wiry man who speaks with a strong New York accent and easily loses his temper. [Think Frank Sinatra’s portrayal of Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity in1953.] Hollywood war movies traditionally use this stereotype of the Italian American GI to provide comic relief while leaving the battle heroics to the John Waynes and Jimmy Stewarts or, more recently, the Tom Hankses and Bruce Willises, who portray characters of Irish or Anglo- American heritage. Even when a war movie is based on actual events and real-life military heroes, the Italian American contribution is overlooked or diminished. This summer, for example, Miramax Studios released The Great Raid about one of the most daring missions of World War II when a team of about 30 U.S. Army Rangers rescued more than 500 American Prisoners of War from a camp surrounded by 8,000 Japanese troops in the middle of a Philippine jungle. The Rangers were trained and led by Colonel Henry Mucci, a 32-year-old West Point graduate, who was so charismatic that “we would have followed him anywhere,” according to 2 his company captain, Robert Prince. Yet in the movie, Mucci is relegated to the sidelines and Capt. Prince is given credit for the success of the mission. The audience learns nothing about Mucci, his Italian American background, the loyalty and trust he inspired in his men or the fact that he turned a company of boys from the farms and ranches of Middle America into one of the first U.S. special operations fighting forces. A PANTHEON OF PATRIOTS The explanation for this unfortunate state of affairs lies in the fact that the stereotype of Italian American men as uneducated, violent criminals has entirely overshadowed the character and achievements of such real-life Italian Americans as Col. Mucci and Sgt. Basilone. As a result, it never occurs to film writers, directors and producers who are casting the role of military hero to think that a character with an Italian last name would be suitable or even believable to movie audiences. Yet since the birth of our nation, men and women of Italian heritage have proved their courage and loyalty to the United States on the battlefield. Three Italian regiments totaling 1,500 men assisted the colonists during the American Revolution. Nearly a century later, an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Italian Americans fought in the American Civil War. More than 100 were Union officers, including four generals, two naval commanders, eleven naval officers and more than 28 majors and captains. The Union officer, Major Luigi Palma di Cesnola, earned one of the first Medals of Honor while General Eduardo Ferrero of the 51st New York regiment, was among the first officers to command black troops. Since its establishment in 1862, the Medal of Honor has been given to at least 23 Italian American men for actions “above and beyond the call of duty.” During World War I, over 300,000 Italian Americans, including 87,000 Italian nationals, 3 served in the U.S. military, among them, the future mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia. Although Hollywood has never produced a movie about him, the flying “Ace of Aces” Major Don Gentile of the U.S. Army Air Force, shot down more than 30 Nazi planes during World War II—making him the most deadly fighter pilot in American history. The record of Italian American military achievement continues today as the United States battles terrorism. During the Gulf War, U.S. Army Major Marie Therese Rossi became America’s first female combat commander to fly into battle. Only 32 years of age, she was killed when her helicopter went down in 1991. Seven years later, in 1998 four-star Marine General Anthony Zinni (ret.) commanded Operation Desert Fox, which saw the U.S. bombing of Iraq and more recently, in December 2003, U.S. Army Lt. General Raymond Odierno, a West Point graduate, led the troops that captured Saddam Hussein. Today, Gen. Odierno is assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the third highest position on the top military team of presidential advisors. He serves under fellow Italian Americans JCS Chairman Gen. Peter Pace and Vice Chairman Admiral Edmund Giambastiani, Jr. For the first time in its history, the United States’ top military advisors are all Italian American. This is a sterling record of military achievement and patriotism. Isn’t it time that John Basilone and these other Italian American heroes received the recognition they have so richly earned? WHAT YOU CAN DO Organize a special Veterans’ Day ceremony or exhibit celebrating the release of the John Basilone stamp. Here are some suggestions: 4 • Hold a John Basilone exhibit. The Sons of Italy’s Garibaldi Meucci Museum has two tri- fold displays it rents out. Contact John Dabbene (718/984.5404 or 718/442.1608). • Plan a ceremony in conjunction with your local post office, other local Italian American clubs, Sons of Italy lodges or local Marine Recruitment Office. • Find material for your event on the Web by typing in “John Basilone.” Free posters are available from your post office. • Show the new John Basilone documentary, I’m Staying with My Boys at your event. Producers Jim Poser and Jerry Cutter offer this 45-minute film on DVD or video cassette at a special Veteran’s Day discount of $12.00 instead of the usual $19.95. To order, call 888/827-2762.* • Sell a John Basilone souvenir coin. It is available at the special price of $1.00, which can be increased to make the coin a fund-raiser for your organization. Contact John Spadone in Florida at 305/ 621 -6953. And above all, support the John Basilone stamp by purchasing it at your local post office. * The documentary, I’m Staying with My Boys...” is based on the book of the same title, also available from Lightbearer Communications for $12.00. Both the book and the documentary can be re-sold for $19.95 each as fund-raisers for your organization. Dona De Sanctis, Ph.D., is deputy executive director of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the oldest and largest national organization in the U.S. for men and women of Italian heritage. Contact her at [email protected] or call (202) 547-2900. 5.