Frank Cortese is one of the few people who fought on both sides during World War II. He started as a sailor with the Italian navy, fighting against the Allies. After Italy surrendered, he continued as an Italian sailor fighting for the Allies. As most familiar with history remember, Italy entered the war on the side of Germany and Japan, before surrendering in October 1943.

Cortese enlisted in his country's navy when he was 16 years old. The move was not necessarily out of a sense of patriotism. His mother, Maria, suggested it as a job opportunity, given that Italy's economy was a wreck. Desperate for work herself, she had become a member of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party. That opened the door to a job sewing tailored shirts for party members.