Army Pvt. Paul Bongiorno landed in Sicily from Tunisia in July 1943 in the first wave of an historic Allied invasion that helped reverse the course of World War II by providing the Allies a gateway to the Italian mainland and then to Europe's interior.

"I took part of the invasion of your native land, Ma and Pa,” Bongiorno wrote on July 15 in a letter penciled to his parents, Sicilian immigrants who lived on Common Street and owned a grocery store where their son worked before enlisting. “I am glad, though, that you went to America so I could be born there. I've taken part in two invasions now and I guess before I get home I'll be taking part in some more."