Italians | On American Soil

On May 21, 1944, a company of Italian prisoners of war arrived in Seattle after a sixty-four hour train transport from a sprawling POW compound at Camp Florence, Arizona. The Italians were to be members of the twenty-eighth Italian Service Unit, assigned to quartermaster duties in and around Fort Lawton, in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood.

The ISU was housed in four barracks in a segregated area of the Fort, adjacent to the so-called "Colored Area," reserved for African-American soldiers.

Seven American soldiers were assigned to supervise the 28th ISU; an Italian captain had titular command of the approximately two hundred men in his company.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS ASSIGNED TO THE 28TH ITALIAN SERVICE UNIT, FORT LAWTON

	Staff Sergeant FRED J. PERATA 28th Italian Service Unit \| Interpreter born August 25, 1916 San Francisco, California inducted September 1941, San Francisco, California “I think they were trying to kill me. Here I am, down on the floor—when I was hit in the head, I just, I was out. They came into that orderly door, and they just—I mean, I’m surprised I’m alive because down here, it just missed. Broke the second or third rib. And then they stabbed me in the back.”

	Sergeant EDWARD STANFORD HASKELL 28th Italian Service Unit \| Supply Sergeant born October 26, 1919, San Francisco, California inducted 1942, San Francisco, California died December 15, 2006, San Francisco, California “Our intention was to keep [the Italians] away from the American troops, except for where they were working; they worked together, and wherever they worked, they got along fine. But, socially, it didn’t work out, and we knew that.”

	Sergeant GRANT NOEL FARR 28th Italian Service Unit \| Company Clerk born December 25, 1919, Utah died May 1985, State College, Pennsylvania “The faces of the men I saw in the doorways and in the room were faces that were distorted, bloodshot eyes, lips drawn back over their teeth, and a general appearance of frenzy and hate … the nostrils were dilated.”

	Private First Class HAROLD MASON GOULD 28th Italian Service Unit \| Interpreter born September 14, 1919, Woodhaven, New York inducted 1943, Fort Dix, New Jersey “I was confronted with a large Negro who was standing in the middle of the road and who threw a rock at me, hitting me. I knew it wasn’t on the head. I told him I was an American. I was helpless at the time with a busted arm and he said, ‘Well, get the hell out of here.’”

	Captain FRANCIS W. BECKMAN 28th Italian Service Unit \| Company Commander

	First Sergeant CHARLES R. CRAIG 28th Italian Service Unit \| First Sergeant

	Private First Class ALBERT A. DiGIACOMO 28th Italian Service Unit \| Interpreter

PARTIAL LIST OF THE 28TH ITALIAN SERVICE UNIT, FORT LAWTON

COURTESTY: ORESTE OLIVOTTO	Private GUGLIELMO OLIVOTTO 28th Italian Service Unit \| Barracks 709 born September 23, 1911, Nervesa, Italy died August 14, 1944, Seattle, Washington



Captain ERNESTO CELLENTANI 28th Italian Service Unit Company Commander Chief Warrant Officer GIOVANNI PRINZI First Lieutenant FELICE BONURA Second Lieutenant GIOVANNI LOBIANCO Second Lieutenant VITO MELPIGNANO		COURTESY: EDWARD HASKELL
Sergeant Major GAETANO PAGLIAMINUTA Sergeant Major EUGENIO RENZUOLO Sergeant Major RUGGERO SARCINA Sergeant Major ANTONIO URBANO		Sergeant BRUNO BIGATTI Sergeant ANGELO FUMAROLA Sergeant ANTONIO LICCIARDELLO Sergeant MARIO MARCHELLI Sergeant MARIO MARTINOTTI Sergeant GUISEPPE PULVINO Sergeant PASQUALE SOLOMBRINO Sergeant AUGUSTO TODDE

	Corporal Majors ENZIO ANTONELLI GUISEPPE BELLE VITTORIO BELLIENI STELVIO FEDERICI RINO FERRANTE LUIGI FURLANELLI OSVALDO GROSSI VIRGILIO MANCA BRUNO PATTERI ROSARIO SIDOTI
	Corporals MARIO CIARLARIELLO BENEDETTO MARINO LIVIO PETRICCIONE ELSO REGONDI


	Privates NULLO BERETTA PRIMO BERNABOVI BORTOLO BERTOLI LUIGI CANEVARI FERNANDO CATENARO NICOLA COREA ANGELO FACCHINI