Growing up in Philadelphia

War Breaks Out

Overseas to Italy

War's End & Postwar

Reflections on the War

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[Annotator’s Note: Talking is audible in the background throughout the segment.] Joseph John Mammino was born in 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Horses and wagons were prevalent, and most people sold goods from them. His father and mother were immigrants from Italy and Ukraine, respectively. He grew up with two sisters. His father worked for the gas company. His job was to detect possible gas leaks in neighborhoods or in people’s homes. His mother never knew how to read or write because she did not go to school growing up. She worked as a domestic maid and cook for some time, and then worked as an assistant nurse at a sanitarium. She met a man at the hospital and married him. After her husband died, his family took her in and brought her to New Jersey where she met Mammino’s father. He spoke about the different ethnic people in his neighborhood.

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Joseph John Mammino was unaware of the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States] as a kid, because he did not know of any better life. His parents were able to provide food, and his mother would go to the market every day. He had everything he needed on a day to day basis. Mammino was not aware that war was on the horizon. He did not have access to a radio, so he did not hear any news. He was working in a garage when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He knew that he would be going to war and wondered why the Japanese would do this to America. Following the attack, Mammino tried to enlist in the Coast Guard, but was rejected because of an overbite. Mammino found a job working for RCA [Annotator’s Note: The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919] to make money for the family. The mood of the country was to beat the Japanese. He was drafted into the Army in March 1943 and sent to Fort Benning [Annotator’s Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] for basic training. He learned about weapons, went on hikes, and crawls. He was taught how to kill. Following training, he stayed at Fort Benning as cadre for incoming recruits and was promoted to private.

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Following basic training and being part of a cadre at Fort Benning [Annotator’s Note: Fort Benning, Georgia], Joseph John Mammino went overseas to North Africa as a replacement. All of his mail was censored, so he gave his parents clues so that they could figure out where he was located. He also had a friend that got him a pass [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] so he was able to go home and see his family before he went overseas. His family gave him lots of food to take with him. He returned to base, and the next day he boarded a liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship] and left with a convoy. On their way overseas, his convoy was attacked by German planes. His ship landed in Morocco in North Africa. It was an unusual place. He was assigned to a heavy weapons company in the 45th Infantry Division and sent into combat north of Naples [Annotator’s Note: Naples, Italy]. After just three weeks in combat, he was wounded in the head and leg by shrapnel near Venafro [Annotator’s Note: Venafro, Italy]. They had sent a telegram to his family stating that he had been killed in action. Two men carried him down on a stretcher to a field hospital. He was evacuated to Casablanca [Annotator’s Note: Casablanca, Morocco] where he recuperated for five months before returning to the United States. He played cards and other games with other patients during his stay at the hospital.

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After being wounded in Italy, Joseph John Mammino’s family was sent a telegram stating that he had been killed in action. While he was in the hospital, his mail had caught up with him and he had a large stack of V-mail [Annotator's Note: Victory Mail; postal system put into place during the war to drastically reduce the space needed to transport mail] to read through. He never experienced hand to hand combat with German soldiers. He often stood guard duty and never saw a German soldier. Mammino thought that the German soldier was there to do a job for the same reason he was there. He received orders on daily notice, and he accepted whatever orders were given to him. While he was recuperating in a hospital in Casablanca [Annotator’s Note: Casablanca, Morocco], he knew that his wounds were so severe that he would not return to combat. He was sent back home to a hospital in Maryland. He received a medical discharge in November 1944 with the rank of private. He celebrated with the rest of the country when the war in Europe was over. When the war ended, he pondered what he would do next with his life. He went to school on the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment]. He then worked in a Navy shipyard working with electronics including radio, radar, and sonar. Trying to find a job was a constant thought on his mind after he was discharged.

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[Annotator’s Note: Dishes clattering and other noises are audible in the background throughout the segment.] Joseph John Mammino’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was being wounded and put in a field hospital. He fought because he was told to, and he did not have any political leanings. It was his duty for his country to fight against the enemy. The war changed his life because he was able to go to school on the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] which later helped him pursue his career. He believes that the citizens are at the whim of a few people in Washington D.C. America should try not to get involved in any more wars. Mammino believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because people need to learn and support their history.

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