Launched in 2020 to remember the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, NIAF is recognizing Italian Americans who sacrificed, served and defended peace, freedom and democracy during the war through the #IAWW2Heroes initiative.
This entry is a special submission from Jim Marchio in honor of his late father.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Albert N. Marchio helped defend his country during the Second World War, honorably serving in the United States Coast Guard from October 1942 to April 1946. He began his Coast Guard service on Long Island, N.Y., as walking patrol along the beach to spot German U-Boats off the coast and thwart potential infiltration attempts.
He later served as a radarman on a Coast Guard cutter patrolling the east coast, from Brooklyn to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, protecting vital sea lines of communication and allied shipping from German submarines.
Born in 1922 in Plainfield, N.J., Al worked in his father’s grocery and butcher shop prior to enlisting. Both his father (Niccola, born in Pitigliano, Toscana) and mother (Anna DeMatteo, born in Alvignanello, Campania) emigrated to the United States prior to the outbreak of the First World War. Al returned to his father’s shop after the war but eventually went on to have a very successful career as a beer and liquor salesman.
If you’d like to make a submission to NIAF’s #IAWW2Heroes initiative, email the photo and description to media@niaf.org.
Benvenuti to the NIAF Pensieri Blog 