A Measure of Posterity - Gunnery Sgt. “Manila John” Basilone finally gets his due

Nov 07, 2017 850

BY: Niccolò Graffio

Two of the many fond memories I had of my childhood in Corona, Queens: 1) Growing up in a predominantly (Southern) Italian area 2) Playing “War” in the streets with my neighborhood friends. My paisani need no explanation for the former. The sights, sounds and the smells (especially around dinner time) of the old neighborhood provide me with a lifetime of memories. As for the latter? Those days running around, playfully shooting at “the enemy” while covering the backs of my friends were the first lessons I had about friendship, camaraderie and trust.

It seemed every boy in my area had a water pistol, a toy gun, and a G.I. Joe doll. In the latter case I recall it was considered something of a status symbol to have as many accessories for “Joe” as possible. Many of my friends bragged about how they were going to join the military when they grew up, and a number of them did, in fact. In retrospect, it is one of the regrets of my life I never did.

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SOURCE: http://ilregno2s.blogspot.it/

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