From the Revolutionary War through modern times, Italian Americans have
fought to protect the United
States.
During the American Revolution, three Italian regiments
totaling 1,500 men assisted the colonists. Also, Italian names are found on the
rolls of colonial American regiments.
An estimated
5,000 to
10,000 Italians fought in the American Civil War for both the
North and the South. The exact number is not known since many names were
Americanized.
Giuseppe Garibaldi, who
led Italy
to unification in 1861, was offered a command as Major General in the Union
Army by President Lincoln. Garibaldi declined, but to honor him, the 39th New
York Infantry was known as the Garibaldi Guard. About 150 of its 850
men were Italian. It fought in the Union Army from Bull Run to
Appomattox.
More than 100 Italian Americans served as officers
in the Union forces during the Civil War including 4 generals;
2 naval commanders; 11 naval officers; 9 colonels and lieutenant colonels; and
28 majors and captains. The exact number is unknown because of the
Americanization of Italian surnames and mixed marriages.
Four Italian Americans became generals
during or following their Civil War service: Luigi Palma di Cesnola;
Enrico Fardella; Eduardo Ferrero; and Francis
Spinola. Gen. Ferrero of the 51st N.Y. Regiment, was among
the first Union officers to command black troops. Col. di Cesnola, commander of
the 4th NY Cavalry, received the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor.
It was awarded in 1897.
Among the handful of survivors of the
Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 were four Italian Americans: Lieutenant Charles
De Rudio, and enlisted men Augusto De Voto, Giovanni
Casella (listed as "John James") and John Martin,
(born "Giovanni Martini")
Giovanni Martini was the last
man to see Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer alive.At the battle of the Little Big Horn, Custer had divided his command
into three segments, one under MajorMarcus Reno,
a second consisting of a small reserve force and the pack train under Captain
Frederick Benteen and the final one under his own command.When Custer realized the strength of the enemy
forces he set orders to Captain Benteen to bring up more ammunition via Martini.Adjutant Lt. W. W. Cooke, uneasy about Martini's poor English, hastily
wrote the order down, and handed it to the courier. It read:
Benteen
Come on. Big Village.
Be quick. Bring packs.
W. W. Cooke
P.S. Bring Packs
In carrying
this message to Benteen, Martini’s life was spared.He lived until December 29, 1922 when
died in Brooklyn,
New York.
Bancroft
Gerardi was the first Italian American to attain the rank of U.S.
Admiral. He and Louis Sartori were U.S. naval commodores during the
U.S.-Mexican War.
Over 300,000 Italian Americans, including
87,000 Italian nationals, served in the U.S. military during World War I.
Among them was Lieutenant Fiorello La Guardia, one of the
first soldiers in the new U.S. Army Air Service, the forerunner of the Air
Force.
Among the first U.S. casualties in World
War I was John Eopolucci, an Navy guard, who perished after
his steamer, "Aztec" was torpedoed near France on April 1,
1917.
The first Italian American to receive the
U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor was Luigi Palma di Cesnola,
a Union general in the Civil War, who later became the first director of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
City.
At least 39 Italian Americans have received the U.S. Congressional
Medal of Honor, the highest military award given by the U.S.
government for bravery "above and beyond the call of duty:" six in
the Civil War; two in the Indian War; one for the Spanish-American War; one for
the China Boxer Rebellion; one during peacetime service (1889-1911); one in
World War I; fourteen for World War II; three for the Korean Conflict; and ten
in the Vietnam War.
More than 1. 5 million Italian
Americans served in World War II, according to the late Vice President
Nelson Rockefeller. In a speech to the Italian American War Veterans of America
August 25, 1961, Rockefeller said that Italian Americans constituted "more
than 10 percent of the might of the American forces in World War II.
Valente died at age 80 and is buried in
the Long IslandNationalCemetery in Farmingdale, New York.
Medal of Honor citation
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy during the
operations against the Hindenburg line, east of Ronssoy, France, 29 September
1918. Finding the advance of his organization held up by a withering enemy machinegun
fire, Pvt. Valente volunteered to go forward. With utter disregard of his own
personal danger, accompanied by another soldier, Pvt. Valente rushed forward
through an intense machinegun fire directly upon the enemy nest, killing 2 and
capturing 5 of the enemy and silencing the gun. Discovering another machinegun
nest close by which was pouring a deadly fire on the American forces,
preventing their advance, Pvt. Valente and his companion charged upon this
strong point, killing the gunner and putting this machine gun out of action.
Without hesitation they jumped into the enemy's trench, killed 2 and captured
16 German soldiers. Pvt. Valente was later wounded and sent to the rear.
Date and place of birth: 13 February 1929,
Staten Island, New York Vincent Robert CapodannoVincent Robert Capodanno (13 February1929
- 4 September1967)
was a United States Navy
chaplain and a recipient of America's highest military decoration - the Medal of Honor - for actions during the Vietnam War.
Vincent Capodanno was born in Staten Island,
New York,
on 13 February 1929. He was educated at Fordham University for a year before entering
the Maryknoll
Missionary seminary
in New York.
Ordained a Catholicpriest in June
1957, he served as a missionary in Taiwan and Hong Kong from 1958 to 1965. In December 1965,
Father Capodanno received his commission as a Lieutenant in the Navy Chaplain Corps. He
was assigned to the First Marine Division in Vietnam
in April 1966. While serving as Chaplain with the Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, during combat with enemy
forces in QuangTinProvince
on 4 September 1967, he lost his life as he provided assistance and comfort to
Marine casualties. For his actions on that occasion, Lieutenant Vincent R.
Capodanno was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His body was recovered
and interred in his family's plot in Saint PetersCemetery, West New Brighton, Staten Island, New
York. On May 19, 2002, Capodanno's Cause for
Canonization was officially opened, and so he is now referred to as
a Servant of
God.
Father Capodanno's official Medal of Honor citation is as follows:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty as Chaplain of the 3d Battalion, in
connection with operations against enemy forces. In response to reports that
the 2d Platoon of M Company was in danger of being overrun by a massed enemy
assaulting force, Lt. Capodanno left the relative safety of the company command
post and ran through an open area raked with fire, directly to the beleaguered
platoon. Disregarding the intense enemy small-arms, automatic-weapons, and
mortar fire, he moved about the battlefield administering last rites to the
dying and giving medical aid to the wounded. When an exploding mortar round
inflicted painful multiple wounds to his arms and legs, and severed a portion
of his right hand, he steadfastly refused all medical aid. Instead, he directed
the corpsmen to help their wounded comrades and, with calm vigor, continued to
move about the battlefield as he provided encouragement by voice and example to
the valiant Marines. Upon encountering a wounded corpsman in the direct line of
fire of an enemy machine gunner positioned approximately 15 yards away, Lt.
Capodanno rushed a daring attempt to aid and assist the mortally wounded
corpsman. At that instant, only inches from his goal, he was struck down by a
burst of machine gun fire. By his heroic conduct on the battlefield, and his
inspiring example, Lt. Capodanno upheld the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval
Service. He gallantly gave his life in the cause of freedom."
