Interview with Joseph J. Menditto, WWII veteran. CCSU Veterans History Project

Interview with Joseph J. Menditto of New Britain, CT conducted by Eileen Hurst. Menditto was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and was sent to Camp Gruber in Oklahoma for basic training. There he had military intelligence training, learning how to operate observation posts for the front lines. His battalion shipped out in October of 1943 for North Africa in a convoy of 105 ships. The large number of ships helped to defer the possibility of being torpedoed by German submarines. Menditto's company remained in North Africa for 4 months before sailing to Italy to back up forces there. There Menditto, fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, and witnessed a friend from New Britain sustain injuries that led to the amputation of both his legs. Menditto describes the procedure followed by the radio man, in particular the procedures they followed during the Battle for Santa Maria Infante. Menditto also describes his experiences in Angio, Italy, where it was his unit's job to cut off the use of the road to the German soldiers who were using it to receive supplies. It was also at this time that the U.S. soldiers ran low on supplies and became desperate for food at times. He describes the hard conditions that the soldiers were met with. It was in Mount Capello, Italy, that Meditto was injured not once but twice. After healing in a hospital in Rome, he was sent back to the front in Bologna, which was attacked just before the end of the war was announced. After volunteering to help return German POW's to Munich, Menditto was shipped to the United States where he was discharged at Fort Bragg. Menditto returned to New Britain, and joined the VFW, the American Legion, and the Elks. He remained in touch with many of his unit members through yearly reunions. Menditto's experiences during the Battle of Monte Cassino were also documented in the book "Monte Cassino: the Hardest Fought Battle of World War II" by Matthew Parker.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• CCSU
• VHP
• WWII
• WW2
• veteran
• interview
• oral history

[studioeriger777]

thumbs up if u watched the whole thing

[TheMeanSgtPlaysPiano]

This guy deserves free health care for his wounds. All war vets do. Internationally.

[Tool19672]

@Ralastar Not Many left to tell the stories...... my Grandfather never wanted to talk about the war much.... he would always get choked up when i would ask so i never aske him that much, I LOVE YOU GRANDPA.....Your Boy

[jkrogstad5]

these people have the most interesting stories. i have met about 15 vets, and i want to meet more, but i go to school and people ask me what d-day is, and what normandy is, and what side we are on..

the great american school curriculum

[Ralastar]

I hope that the Germans are doing the same as this VHP. These men have incredible experiences that should be told

[brucencalifornia]

joseph is a one in a million one in 10 million, your story has so many twists and turns,

So much the Interviewer missed or allowed to go by (

staying to her scrip I quess),You prove every person is a book with hundreds of chapters An Epic Thanks Joe Menditto

[cry2love]

Oh, parents of my mother and father fought for the Soviet Union at WW1 and WW2, and all survived, ... I loved their stories about the war and the desperate actions of soldiers who loved their country and people... they all heroes ..

war is very very useless thing for humanity