Naples 1944 - How it all started

My father’s older sister Tina was an 18 year old war bride. She came to the states on one of those giant military transport ships with thousands of other young women just like her-sailing towards a new life in America. She settled in Boston with her new husbands’ family while he completed his tour of duty. Imagine being 18, not speaking a word of English, and coming to a new country without your husband around.  It’s hard to imagine how scared and lonely she must have been.

Before she left to begin this new life she asked her youngest brother (my dad) if he wanted to come to America too.  It was right at the end of the WW II and he was a 13 year old kid with absolutely no prospects for the future.  Italy had been ravaged by the war. They had all survived bombings, hunger, blackouts, and occupation but the reality was that things would not be better for a very long time.  He was the youngest of 5 kids in a family that had always struggled to survive even during the best of times.  Heck yes he wanted to come to America!  To Italians at that time, America represented hope, prosperity and a chance at a better life.  It was decided that once she was settled in she would begin the paperwork that would allow him to follow his sister.

At the time they had little understanding of immigration laws, quotas and how it all worked.  Nevertheless she filed the papers as promised and then life went on.  Zia Tina and her husband bought a house in the suburbs, raised two kids,   and got on with the business of life.

Back in Naples my dad too, got on with the business of life.  He survived by his wits and determination. He found a job working for Coca Cola, got married to my beautiful mom, had two little girls and had made a nice life for himself and his family.  By the time I was four they had started a small business, moved into a new apartment building and were making a decent living when the letter from the US consulate came.  It basically said that “his number had come” and if he still wanted to come to America it was now or never.  It was 1964 and exactly 20 years had gone by since those papers had been filed.

I am told it took my parents barely a few minutes to decide.  Absolutely we still want to come to America!