Frank Dominic Lanzetta was born in August 1925 in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. He had six siblings and his father worked for the United Fruit Company. Before World War 2, Lanzetta was attending Saint Aloysius High School. He recieved his draft notice and on 11 November 1943 he reported for his physical. A few days later, he left for San Diego, California for boot camp. He tested well with signals and was sent to the University of Illinois in Chicago for six months. After his completion he received the rank of Seaman 1st Class and was assigned to the USS Hill (DE-141) in Norfolk, Virginia. His ship conducted antisubmarine patrols off the East Coast of the United States. They would go on patrol for 22 days at a time then return to their base in Norfolk. During patrols, they would usually steam down to Brazil and search for German U-boats [Annotator's Note: submarines]. There were two occasions during which they were almost hit by torpedoes from an enemy U-boat. On another patrol, Lanzetta and the rest of the crew got credit for sinking a U-boat. They tracked the enemy submarine until they finally had it boxed in. Once it was contained the ships, including the USS Hill (DE-141) dropped depth charges on it. They were convinced that the enemy submarine had been destroyed because of the amount of debris that rose to the surface.

Frank Dominic Lanzetta was transferred to the USS Achernar (AKA-53). While serving aboard the Achernar, Lanzetta took part in the invasion of Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan]. On 1 April 1945, he was ordered to grease himself up with Vasaline to protect himself from potential poisonous gas and then he went to his general quarters station on one of the ship's 20mm antiaircraft gun. He witnessed the Higgins boats [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP] heading towards the beach. He also saw Japanese planes that flew at them from over the mountains. Early the following day, 2 April 1945, a kamikaze plane could be heard but not seen due to the smoke screen being put up from the ship. The enemy aircraft hit the superstructure of the Achernar above the water line. Fortunately, at the same time, the bomb fell off the aircraft and did not detonate topside. This "miracle", as it was called later, lessened the death toll and damage to the ship. Only about five people were killed, and several others were wounded. Soon after being hit, the ship left Okinawa to make temporary repairs. They then returned to the United States for repairs, and Lanzetta had received a 30 day leave. When the ship was repaired, they returned to Okinawa carrying livestock, then they headed to China for about a month. Finally, they headed to Japan for occupation duty. Lanzetta remarked that they only were allowed leave during the day, never overnight leave, when their ship was in port. He returned to the United States and was discharged on 26 April 1946 at the New Orleans Naval Station [Annotators Note: New Orleans, Louisiana].

Frank Dominic Lanzetta witnessed the damage done to many of the ships due to the Kamikazes around Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan] and how the ships used their antiaircraft guns to fight against the Japanese. There was even a point that the ships were accidently hitting allied planes because they were in the crossfire. His ship was attacked by a kamikaze, but they could only hear the plane coming because the ship had a smoke screen up for protection. He also recalled that on the morning of the invasion he looked out and saw the armada of ships and wondered if he would make out alive. Prior to the invasion of Okinawa, he remembered only being told that they would take part in the battle, but that was it. He also remarked that they were drilled until the day of the battle. Because Lanzetta was in the signal corps, he received the nickname "Skinny Waver". He also remarked about the initiation of when he crossed the international dateline. Lanzetta was in Pearl Harbor on VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. He remembered the ships were shooting off their 20mm guns. During the occupation, he was stationed in Tokyo [Annotator's Note: Tokyo, Japan]. He remarked that the local people were hospitable to the Americans. His liberty during occupation was from one in the afternoon to four in the afternoon.

Frank Dominic Lanzetta remarks on the different places he visited and the treatment he received from the local populations. He thought the Japanese were friendly with him. He was discharged from the service on 26 April 1946 and he enrolled in Soule Business College [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. In the fall, he began his senior year at Saint Aloysius and graduated in June 1947. He remembered that two weeks before he graduated high school, he was diagnosed with an acute appendicitis. He refused to go to the hospital until after he received his diploma, which he did. He initially wanted to go to pharmacy school, but Loyola University [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] told him he would have to wait a year. Instead he decided to enter an order of Brothers. Later in his life, he pursued several degrees and taught classes in a seminary and at a high school.

Frank Dominic Lanzetta was glad to serve his country. When he returned, he just continued with his life as a civilian. He believes World War 2 changed the rest of the world because it helped spread democracy and gave dignity to human beings. Lanzetta believes that The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] is the greatest thing that could happen for the millions of tourists. He believes this institution will help a lot of people and children that visit it.