Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:12 | From East Aurora, NY, Louis Graziano grew up with parents that originally came to the US from Italy. After 8th grade, he had to stop going to school to focus on helping his family financially. He began working in his sister's beauty shop, and from there he was drafted into the second world war. He remembers how devastating the attack on Pearl Harbor was, and his training at Camp Hood, Camp Shanks, and Fort Dix. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
Keywords : Louis Graziano East Aurora NY school haircut family sister Pearl Harbor HI World War II Camp Hood Camp Shanks Fort Dix Italy drafted Vietnam Purple Heart son grandchildren army Navy
Graziano went aboard the Queen Mary to go overseas to Europe. Luckily, the ship was able to zigzag in a motion that avoided all of the German U-Boat attacks. Upon docking in Scotland, he and the other men were transported to England and from there he was instructed to take over a barber shop. He was part of the 3rd wave during D-Day on Omaha beach, and fought his way to Reims, France. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
On one mission Graziano's captain had special orders for him, and so they went to retrieve the 3rd Armored Division and tell them to go to Bastogne, Belgium. During the Battle of the Bulge, his feet were frozen and it almost resulted in irreversible trench foot. Had he gone a little longer in that state, he could have lost his feet altogether. While in Reims, France, he successfully helped construct a mess hall for the Army, which resulted in him taking on a lot more building projects later on. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
As part of another building project for the Army, Graziano was asked to build an open air theater. He did this by using the natural design of a hill to make leveled seating. He met his wife overseas as well, and talks about the dates he went on with her as well as the proposal. Another building project he took on was tearing down an old barn and replacing it with a nightclub. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
When the Germans surrendered, they came to the old red schoolhouse where Graziano worked to sign the paperwork regarding the surrender. He was there the entire time during that meeting, and he remembers everyone being very quiet and serious. From there, it was a matter of earning enough points to go home. Once he went home, Graziano went back to work at his sister's beauty shop. He gives his final thoughts about the war and General Eisenhower's leadership. (Interview conducted in partnership with the Eisenhower Foundation as part of their Ike's Soldiers program. https://eisenhowerfoundation.net & http://ikessoldiers.com)
