06/13/2026
Today I interviewed my friend, 101-year-old Mr. Dominic. I’ve known him for about a year now, but until today I had never sat down and recorded his story. This was the first interview he has ever done.
Dominic was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, in February 1924. He was one of ten children, growing up with four brothers and five sisters. His parents were both born in Italy and came to America looking for a better life. Times were tough, but they made it work. His father found work in the Pennsylvania steel industry, and his mother worked as a seamstress. In 1932, the family moved to Reading, Pennsylvania, where Dominic spent the rest of his childhood.
Dominic went to school until the 10th grade before leaving to help support his family. He remembers sitting in the dining room with his brother Samuel and their mother listening to the radio when news broke that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. Since his mother couldn’t speak much English, Dominic and Samuel had to translate the news into Italian so she could understand what was happening.
In 1943, Dominic was drafted into the United States Army. The recruiter asked him what branch would you like to go into? Dominic replied navy, but because he was colorblind, they put him in the army. After being sworn in and getting his physical in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he boarded a train to Camp Shelby, Mississippi. There he completed infantry and combat engineer training.
Before shipping overseas, Dominic returned home to say goodbye to his family. He then traveled to New York and boarded a troop ship bound for England. He crossed the Atlantic in a convoy and arrived in England in the spring of 1944.
A week before D-Day, Dominic was lucky enough to meet up with both of his brothers. One was serving in the Army and the other in the Army Air Corps. It would be one of the last times they would see each other before the invasion.
Dominic landed on Omaha Beach on D+7 under the cover of darkness. He served with Company B, 258th Combat Engineer Battalion. His unit was first attached to the 1st Infantry Division in Normandy and later attached to the 30th Infantry Division, where he spent most of the war.
Dominic’s job was heavy weapons. He was his company’s bazooka man and occasionally manned a machine gun. When he wasn’t firing at German bunkers, bridges, and fortified positions, he was helping with demolitions and clearing mines.
He fought through Normandy and continued across Belgium and the Netherlands before entering Germany with the 30th Infantry Division.
One thing Dominic still remembers vividly is the Battle of the Bulge. In fact, he still has nightmares about it. During one of his first nights on the line, he fell asleep from exhaustion. As the Germans launched their offensive, many of the men began pulling back. When Dominic woke up, he discovered his boots had frozen to the ground. The brutal cold caused severe frostbite, and he spent several days in the hospital before being sent back to the front.
Another memory that has stayed with him all these years was seeing a sergeant from A company, third platoon step off a landing craft and get shot right in front of him. It was a moment he never forgot.
Dominic told me he had many close calls throughout the war, but somehow he never received a scratch.
As the war came to an end, Dominic and his unit were among the troops that helped liberate Buchenwald concentration camp. He remembered the prisoners running up to hug the American soldiers. He said the smell inside the camp was something he could never forget.
After spending two months on occupation duty, Dominic finally headed home.
The first thing he remembers was walking through the door and seeing his mother run downstairs to give him a big hug and kiss.
Thank you for finally sharing your story, Dominic.
KeepingHistoryAlive.org
