August 15th, 1943 9:40 hours Norfolk Naval Station Virginia private Giuseppe Marino of the Italian Army stood on the deck of the transport ship watching the Virginia coastline approach his hands gripping the rail so tightly his knuckles were white he’d been captured in  Tunisia three months earlier when Italian forces collapsed  under Allied assault he’d spent weeks in North African P O W camps before being loaded onto this ship with 800 other Italian prisoners for transport to America during the Atlantic crossing he’d had plenty of time

to imagine what awaited him harsh labor camps minimal food guards who’d treat Italian  prisoners with the cruelty that enemy captives deserved the ship docked and American MPs began organizing the prisoners for disembarkation Marino shuffled down the gangway with the others trying to look alert despite  exhaustion from the voyage an American sergeant with a clipboard was checking off prisoners as they filed past and when Marino reached him the sergeant looked at his identification tag and smiled Marino the sergeant said hey

my name is Marino too staff sergeant Anthony Marino 3rd generation from Palermo where’s your family from Marino stared at the American sergeant at his US Army uniform at his face that could have belonged  to any of Marino’s cousins back in Sicily at the name Marino stenciled on his uniform for a moment he couldn’t  process what was happening this American soldier who was guarding Italian prisoners who represented the enemy that had defeated Italy’s forces this man was also Marino probably from the same region

possibly even distantly related Palermo Marino finally managed in broken English my family also Palermo Sergeant Marino grinned and said something in rapid Sicilian dialect that made several nearby prisoners laugh despite their circumstances then he switched back to English welcome to America Paisa you’re going to be fine here we take care of our own even when they’re on the wrong side for Giuseppe Marino and approximately 51,000 other Italian POWs who would be held in more than 600 camps across America during the war

that first encounter with Italian American guards workers and civilians created cognitive dissonance that challenged everything they’d expected about captivity and about the nation they’d been fighting against the unexpected destination the decision to transport Italian POWs to America rather than holding them  in North Africa or Britain was driven by practical logistics rather than humanitarian considerations the massive number of  prisoners captured in Tunisia over 275,000 Italian and German soldiers surrendered in May 1943

overwhelmed local detention capacity Britain couldn’t house them without diverting resources from war effort North Africa lacked infrastructure to support large p O w populations America had space resources and agricultural labor shortages that POWs could help address the scale of Italian POW transport to America was substantial Between June  1943 and September 1943 approximately 51,000 Italian military personnel were shipped across the Atlantic to camps established throughout  the American interior they joined approximately 5,000 Italian civilians who’d been interned at war’s start

and were being held in detention facilities separate from military Pows the military prisoners ranged from teenagers conscripted just before capture to career soldiers who’d fought in North Africa Sicily and other theaters the expectations Italian POWs carried to America were shaped by propaganda about American brutality and by their own military’s treatment of prisoners Italian forces in North Africa had treated British and Allied prisoners harshly inadequate food minimal medical care forced labor in dangerous conditions the Italian prisoners assumed

they’d receive similar or worse treatment from Americans the propaganda had emphasized American cultural inferiority and suggested that democratic  societies produced weak undisciplined soldiers who’d treat prisoners badly out of incompetence rather than deliberate cruelty the camp system the POW camps established across America for Italian prisoners ranged from large installations holding thousands to small branch camps attached to farms or work projects holding dozens the camps were distributed across 45 states

though concentrated heavily  in agricultural regions where labor shortages made prisoner work valuable the living conditions in American POW camps were governed by Geneva Convention requirements and by American military efficiency that ensured adequate food housing and medical care the typical camp provided barracks housing three meals daily meeting minimum 2,900 calorie requirements medical facilities staffed by American and  prisoner medical personnel recreational facilities and opportunities for work

that provided small wages the conditions exceeded what many Italian soldiers had experienced in their own military service and far exceeded what they’d  expected from captivity the food was particularly  striking to Italian POWs who’d been on reduced rations during North Africa campaigns American military rations provided abundant food by Italian military standards meat bread vegetables coffee desserts the meals weren’t Italian cuisine but they were adequate and sometimes generous many POWs gained weight during captivity

recovering from malnutrition  experienced during combat and after capture Corporal Antonio Romano captured in Tunisia and held at a camp in Texas described the food situation in a letter to his family we eat three times every day the food is American strange  to our taste sometimes but there is always enough meat almost daily fresh bread coffee and sugar I have gained 15 pounds since arriving here the guards joke that we eat better than Italian soldiers did in the field and it is true I am healthier as prisoner in America than I was as soldier fighting in Africa

the work programs the Geneva Convention allowed prisoners to be employed in nonmilitary work and American authorities quickly  organized work programs that addressed agricultural labor shortages while providing prisoners with activity and small wages the work assignments varied widely harvesting crops logging food processing construction maintenance and various agricultural tasks the work brought Italian POWs into direct contact with American civilians particularly farmers and agricultural workers these encounters often revealed  shared Italian heritage

as prisoners worked alongside  Italian American farmers or in communities with significant Italian American populations the cultural connections that emerged complicated the prisoner captor dynamic and created relationships that neither side had anticipated the work conditions were generally reasonable by both Geneva Convention standards and by comparison to what Italian P 0 ws had experienced in military service hours were limited safety  standards were maintained and prisoners received small wages typically 80 cents daily

in script that could be used at camp canteens the work was often agricultural labor familiar to many prisoners from rural Italian backgrounds the supervision was typically professional rather than harsh the Italian American complexity for Italian American guards and civilians interacting with Italian POWs the situation created complex emotional responses they were Americans serving American interests but they were also people with cultural and often family connections to Italy who found themselves managing prisoners from their ancestral homeland

the dual identity created tensions that varied depending on individual  circumstances and attitudes some Italian Americans maintained strict professional distance from POWs emphasizing their American identity and treating prisoners as enemies regardless of shared heritage others found themselves drawn to prisoners who reminded them of family members who spoke dialects their grandparents had spoken who came from towns and regions they’d heard about throughout their childhoods the range of responses reflected broader Italian American community

tensions between maintaining ethnic identity and demonstrating American loyalty the Italian American community faced particular pressures during the war Italy was enemy nation and Italian Americans were sometimes viewed with suspicion despite their American citizenship and their service in American military the community responded by emphasizing American patriotism by serving in disproportionate numbers in military and by carefully navigating the complexity of having cultural connections to enemy nation while being thoroughly American in loyalty

and identity staff sergeant Vincent Russo who supervised Italian P 0  W’s at a California camp described his conflicted feelings my parents came from Naples I grew up speaking Italian at home when Italy declared war it felt personal like family had betrayed us but then I’m assigned to guard Italian prisoners and they’re just guys like my cousins speaking the same dialect my grandmother spoke I had to separate my job from my heritage I treated them fairly as prisoners but I made sure they understood  I was American first

still I’d catch myself helping them more than I should have explaining things in Italian when I could have made them struggle with English looking the other way when they bent minor rules the connection was there  whether I wanted it or not the first encounters the initial encounters between Italian P 0 ws and their American guards and handlers consistently produced surprise and confusion as prisoners discovered  that many of the Americans wore Italian names spoke Italian dialects and had family connections

to the same regions of Italy the prisoners came from the statistics of Italian American population explained the pattern by 1940 approximately 4.6 million Americans identified as Italian or of Italian descent roughly 3.5% of total US population they were concentrated heavily in northeastern and Midwestern states where many P O W camps would be established in cities like New York Boston Philadelphia Chicago and San Francisco Italian Americans comprised significant percentages of local populations many had parents or grandparents

who’d immigrated from Italy spoke Italian at home maintained cultural  connections to Italian regions and identified strongly with Italian heritage even while being thoroughly American the military service patterns  of Italian Americans added another layer of complexity approximately 500,000 Italian Americans served in US military during World War two about 10% of Italian American population roughly proportional to overall American military service rates they served in all branches and theaters including as guards and  administrators in POW camps

holding Italian prisoners the situation created awkward encounters where American soldiers  with Italian names guarded fed and managed prisoners from the nation their parents or grandparents had left decades earlier private Giuseppe Marino’s experience at Norfolk was replicated across hundreds of camps as Italian POWs encountered  Italian American guards camp workers and local civilians the encounters typically followed similar patterns initial confusion recognition of shared names or regional origins awkward conversations mixing English and Italian

and gradual development of relationships that transcended the formal prisoner guard dynamic the cultural exchange despite the formal prisoner guard relationship cultural exchanges developed between Italian POWs and American communities particularly in areas with significant Italian American populations the exchanges ranged from simple conversation to shared meals to collaborative work on projects that benefited both prisoners and locals the exchanges often centered on food and traditional practices Italian POWs would teach American guards

or local civilians how to prepare traditional Italian dishes using available ingredients Italian American families would bring food to camps fresh bread pasta traditional dishes that  reminded prisoners of home the culinary connections created bonds that transcended the wartime enmity The Catholic Church played significant role in facilitating cultural exchange many  Italian P 0 ws were Catholic and American Catholic parishes often with Italian American congregations organized services social events and

assistance programs for prisoners the religious connections created additional bridges between prisoners and communities private Giuseppe Marino working on a farm near Rochester New York encountered an Italian American family who invited him to Sunday dinner after church an arrangement that technically  violated regulations but was tolerated by authorities who recognized the humanitarian value they treated me like family Marino wrote to his mother the grandmother spoke Sicilian dialect like home they served pasta and wine

and told stories about their village in Sicily for a few hours I forgot I was prisoner they asked about current conditions in Sicily I told them what I knew they told me about America about how they’d built good life here it made me understand why they fought for America even though Italy was their homeland they’d become Americans without forgetting they were Italian the propaganda value American  authorities recognized the propaganda value of  treating Italian POWs well and facilitating positive  interactions with Italian

American communities the goal was encouraging Italian prisoners to view America favorably and to spread positive reports about American conduct that might influence Italian public opinion and military morale the approach was remarkably successful Italian P 0 ws consistently wrote letters home describing their treatment in terms that contradicted axis propaganda about American brutality the letters emphasized abundant food decent living conditions fair treatment and often mentioned encounters  with Italian Americans

who’d shared names regional origins and cultural connections the propaganda effect was amplified when Italy signed armistice with allies in September 1943 and switched sides to fight against Germany Italian P O WS in America were offered opportunity to volunteer for service with Allied forces and approximately 35,000 40,000 accepted roughly 70 80% of military age Italian P O WS the high volunteer rate reflected both their treatment during captivity and their willingness to fight against Germany once Italy formally changed allegiances the paradox of captivity for many Italian POWs

captivity in America created  paradoxical situation where imprisonment meant better living conditions more food and greater security than they’d experienced as soldiers in Italian military service the paradox challenged their  understanding of victory defeat and what constituted hardship the conditions prompted reflection and sometimes bitter recognition of how poorly Italian military had treated its own soldiers adequate food decent housing medical care and fair treatment these basics that American captivity provided highlighted by contrast

how inadequate Italian military logistics and leadership had been many prisoners concluded that they’d been sacrificed  by incompetent government and military leadership  that had sent them to fight without adequate preparation supply or support Corporal Antonio Romano articulated the paradox in a letter I am prisoner but I live  better than I did as soldier I am defeated but I am healthier and better fed the Americans treat Italian prisoners better than Italian officers treated Italian soldiers this makes me angry at my  own country’s leadership

not at the Americans who captured me they defeated us but they are not cruel our own leaders sent us to die and didn’t care if we had food or equipment or medical care who is the real enemy the friendships that formed despite regulations discouraging fraternization between prisoners and guards or civilians friendships formed between Italian POWs and Americans particularly Italian Americans that would sometimes last beyond the war the connections were built on shared cultural heritage common humanity and simple

human kindness that transcended wartime roles the friendships were particularly strong between prisoners and Italian American guards or civilians who’d worked closely with them the shared language cultural references and often regional connections created bonds that felt more like extended family than enemy relationships after the war some Italian POWs would maintain correspondence with American friends they’d  made during captivity and a few would eventually immigrate to America partly because of connections

formed during imprisonment staff sergeant Vincent Russo maintained correspondence  with several former POWs after the war I’d guarded these guys for two years some of them I’d talked with almost daily we’d discovered our families came from neighboring villages in Italy after the war it felt natural to stay in touch I visited one in Naples when I went to Italy in 1950 he showed me around introduced me to his family we talked about the war and about how strange it had been that we’d met as guard and prisoner the connection we’d formed

during the war survived it the repatriation the repatriation of Italian P 0 W’s began in 1945 after Germany’s defeat continuing through 1946 as shipping became available and Italy’s post war situation stabilized enough to receive returning prisoners for many prisoners repatriation was bittersweet they wanted to return home  and reunite with families but they were leaving country where they’d been treated well and sometimes developed genuine friendships the departing prisoners carried memories that would shape their postwar attitudes toward America

and sometimes influence their life decisions many would tell families and friends about their treatment in American captivity describing experiences that contradicted everything they’d been taught about America before capture some would eventually immigrate to America drawn by opportunities and by positive memories of their time as prisoners the repatriation also affected American guards and civilians who’d worked with prisoners for Italian Americans particularly the departure of prisoners they’d befriended created sense of loss

the connections had been  complicated by circumstances but had been real nonetheless the names that connected the moment when Giuseppe Marino encountered Sergeant Anthony Marino at Norfolk Dock was replicated thousands of times across hundreds of camps as Italian P 0 ws discovered that their guards supervisors doctors chaplains and neighbors bore  the same surnames Marino Romano Russo Caruso Demaggio Lombardi the shared names represented shared heritage that complicated enemy relationships and created bridges between recent adversaries the names carried meanings beyond simple

identification they represented family histories regional origins cultural traditions and connections that transcended the  temporary circumstance of war when an Italian prisoner named Romano met an American guard named Romano the surname created immediate connection that suggested they might be distant relatives that their families might have come from the same villages that they shared heritage despite being on opposite sides of the war the connections built on shared names often expanded into genuine relationships

prisoners and guards would discover they had family connections to same regions of Italy they’d share stories about traditions foods festivals they’d sometimes discover they actually were distant relatives second or third cousins whose family lines had diverged when one branch immigrated to America decades earlier for the Italian POWs the encounters with Italian Americans challenged their understanding  of what America meant they’d expected foreign enemy who’d be incomprehensible and hostile instead they’d found people who looked like them

who spoke their language or  their grandparents’dialects who understood their culture who bore their names the discovery that millions of people with Italian heritage had built successful lives in America while maintaining cultural identity suggested possibilities that many prisoners hadn’t imagined for Giuseppe Marino working on farms in upstate New York and encountering Italian American families who’d emigrated from the same Sicilian villages his family still lived in the experience was transformative

they asked me to stay he  wrote to his family in 1946 as repatriation approached they said I could work here that opportunities exist that don’t exist in Sicily anymore they showed me how Italians could be successful in America without forgetting where they came from I told them I must return home first but perhaps someday I will come back America is not the enemy I thought it was America is a place where people like us can build good lives the story of Italian POWs in America who couldn’t believe so many Americans

had Italian last names documented more than curious coincidence or amusing cultural connection it documented how shared heritage could  transcend wartime enmity how cultural bridges could  exist even between enemies and how the accident of immigration patterns had created situation where prisoners discovered that the nation they’d been fighting against included millions of people  who shared their names their culture and their heritage and who’d built successful lives while maintaining the traditions that prisoners still valued

the names on the dog tags and prisoner rosters Marino and Marino Romano and Romano Russo and Russo represented connection that survived war that complicated enemy relationships and that ultimately contributed to building post war cooperation between nations that had been adversaries just years before the Italian P 0 ws who returned home carried memories not just of decent treatment but of discovering cousins they hadn’t known they had wearing American uniforms and speaking in dialects their grandmothers would have recognized