Prompt: Witness to History                                                                                 January 18,2024

World War II, indeed, was a global conflict that had a profound and lasting impact on the world we live in today. From 1939 to 1945, millions of people were killed, cities were destroyed, and the political landscape of the world was forever changed.  

The war was fought on land, sea, and air, with major battles taking place in Europe, Asia, and Africa.  Some of the most well-known battles include the Battle of Iwo Jima, the D-Day invasion, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

We've all seen movies, read books and heard stories. But there were those who lived and partook in this history. 

Biagio "Bennie" Philip Vampatella was 14 when the war started. Born in Connecticut on the 4th of July 1925, he was the first son of Philip and Antoinette Vampatella. As the naming pattern of Italian families go, he was named after his paternal grandfather. 

I imagine the family huddling around the radio and listening with anxiety and anticipation to the distant news of the day. Bombs, air raids, captures, injuries, and deaths occurring across the Atlantic and Pacific. Family discussions regarding the role of the United States and its allies against fascism, the role and the power of democracy and freedom. Bennie's father reminding his family what life was like in Sicily and how much better life was in the U.S. because this country heard the voices of its people in making laws and decisions and voting in the leader of the country. This is the "land of the free and the home of the brave".

In 1943, 2 days before he turned 18, Bennie enlisted in the navy. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Arkansas, a dreadnought battleship. The Arkansas was initially used to accompany occupied forces to Europe but help was needed on the sea to assist in the war effort.  The ship needed some repairs and updates. When they were completed, her first mission was June 6, 1944 off the northern coast of France - D-Day! 

Arkansas (BB 33) (navy.mil) - More Information about the U.S.S. Arkansas

Bennie was in the Gunnery Department along with many other men. The sailors would have been dwarfed by the sheer size of the 12-inch guns they toiled to load. These behemoths, towering like steel sentinels, were capable of hurling shells weighing over a ton, each one a monstrous harbinger of destruction for the enemy lines.  

Imagine the scene: Bennie, his muscles straining under the exertion, heaving on ropes thick as his arm to drag a shell up the loading ramp. his comrades, faces grim with determination, would be manhandling other components, their synchronized movements a desperate ballet against the clock. the Guns themselves, their dark bores glinting with malevolent purpose, would dominate the space, their every shudder a portent of the violence to come.

General Eisenhower lead the initiative of the allies to storm the beaches of Normandy. D-Day!!  The ship was located about 4,000 yards off Omaha beach.  All the men were aware that their goal was to bomb the hell out of the Germans in hopes of softening the enemy before the land invasion. The intensity of their mission was felt throughout the ship. This was the do or die moment for the allies. Bennie along with his fellow gunners, loaded those barrels and started firing about 6am for about 40 minutes before the assault troops landed on the beach.  The sounds of the guns were deafening, the acrid smell of cordite, the smoke and sweat burned their eyes as these crew members worked tirelessly to aid in the landing of the troops on Omaha Beach.

Bennie's father, Philip Vampatella writes in Passeggiata: When the firing ceased, "the forward part of the wooden cover over the steel decking of the Arkansas was torn up and in splinters, not from enemy shell hits but from concussion or vacuum created by her own blasts. That night Ben left the gun turret, found a spread tarpaulin on a section of deck, crept under it, went to sleep with his head resting on what appeared to be a sea bag. On awaking he found the ship heading westward and the object he had used a a pillow, the rigid body of a dead shipmate". 

Meanwhile, back in Great River, Long Island, New York, Ben's mom and dad listened to the radio and heard the first radio bulletin on NBC - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9xk9GaV0NE

The Arkansas's job continued the 25th of June bombarding Cherbourg attacking the German fortification of the port.  The allies won!

From the end of June to September, Bennie and his fellow crewmates helped the allied forces in Oran, Algeria; Taranto, Italy; southern France; and Sicily then headed back to Boston for repairs. 

Bennie's little brother Philip was 4 years old when Bennie got leave.  Philip writes, "Now I really don't know if he had called ahead or if it was a surprise... but one day, big brother Ben appeared at the front door. He had gotten some time off while the ship was in port.  I remember jumping for joy, but most of all, I remember my mother, his mother, and her reactions. she grabbed him and wouldn't let go. she cried, she laughed, she loved, she kissed him. I never before (or since) seen such consummate joy in a human being as I saw in my mother that moment. But that's when the trouble started. Mom when she had collected herself, asked 'how long are you home for'? 'For a little while,' he said and I, a four year old, had no idea what a "little while" meant.  Was it minutes? Was it hours? all I know is that I broke into uncontrollable sobs because I thought he was leaving right away. As it was he was home for a week or so." 

The war continued and Bennie was now headed to the Pacific via the Panama Canal. The Arkansas was situated off the west coast of Iwo Jima in February 1945. The goal - the take the island and its airfields from the Imperial Japanese Army. They bombarded the Japanese resistance so the Marines could land on the island and take it over.  

In March of the same year they headed to Okinawa. For 46 days they bombarded the beach while the kamikaze's attempted to attack the Arkansas without success. A testament to the tenacity of its crew, who under Bennie's watchful gaze, kept the guns spitting defiance in the face of impossible odds.

Bennie's desire to fight for his country, defend against tyranny, and support a democratic way of life lead him into some of the most important battles of the war. He witnessed war firsthand and watched the tide turn in favor of the allies.

As Bennie stepped off the Arkansas at war's end, he carried within him the scars, both physical and emotional, of his wartime experiences. He had seen the face of evil, felt the sting of loss, and tasted the bitter sweetness of victory. But he also carried the unwavering spirit of a man who had stared into the abyss and emerged, forever changed, but unbroken. 

 

Prompt #3 FAVORITE PHOTO                                                                              January 15, 2024

Who is that elegant woman walking down the boardwalk in Atlantic City? It’s clear everyone wants to know. Look at them all turning to look at her! She walks with dignity and grace. People can’t even get close to her because she’s so special. She wears a wide brimmed hat to shade her from the hot sun which protects her silky-smooth skin. Her white gloves scrunched down to her wrists for a fashionable statement. A string of pearls encircles her neck. A simple dress for a daytime stroll, with hose and heels. 

Who took this photo? The photographer blurred the boardwalk’s throng into a haze leaving only this lovely lady to be the star.  Is she a celebrity, a socialite, a wealthy individual or even someone of royal descent?  She looks off and wears a Mona Lisa smile. What is she thinking? Who was she thinking about?

 

 

This is no celebrity, no socialite, no one of royal descent.  This is my great grandmother, Angelina Beccherini nee Bianchi. Nona was born in Treviglio, Italy on the 3^rd day of July 1883 and died in Islip, New York on the 4^th of December 1965. I remember playing a card game with her - “Steel the old man’s pack”. Nona was a tiny lady.  I remember being about 6 or 7 years old and being the same height as her.  Her curly hair was her gift to me. Her speech had a strong Italian accent pronouncing her words with stress on different syllables - for example comfortable was "comFORtable"

Angelina, along with her sister Arturina, arrived in New York on 4 June 1904 on the S.S. La Lorraine. They had $100.00 and they were going to their "brother Bianchi" on 78 Charlton St. New York. Her nationality was Italian, but her last permanent address was Havre France. 

She married Carlo Beccherini on the 14^th of October 1907 in New York City at St. Vincent De Paul and their original marriage certificate is written in French!  

She was very close with my father whom she called “Sonny”. Nona was a very special lady and I'm glad I got to meet her. 

 

 

PROMPT: Origins                                                                                     January 5, 2024

When I was a little girl, I was always curious to know where in Italy my family came from.  Both grandfathers, it was said, came from beautiful sunny Sicily – my paternal grandfather from Palermo and my maternal grandfather from Siracusa.  My paternal grandmother’s family was from Milan and my maternal grandmother’s family was from Naples.  As with most of us, even today, many times when someone asks us where we are from, we tend to give them the nearest largest city.  Although I didn’t realize this in my early years, I did learn this as I was doing my family history. 

Years later, I set off on a quest to find exactly where in Naples my maternal great grandfather, Sebastiano “Steve” Rapuano was born. His date of birth was November 2, 1877.  I was armed with Grandpa Philip’s memoir, “Passaggiata”. The book painted a vivid picture of the man who would eventually become his father-in-law, Steve Rapuano. Philip tells of the time that he and his father Biagio were at the humble home of Sebastiano and Mariella Rapuano in New Haven, Connecticut for the first time. 

Philip writes, “It did not take long for the two fathers to get chummy after revealing each other’s family history. It appeared that Steve migrated from Puglianello, near Naples and landed in New Haven when he was in his early teens.”

Puglianello is a comune or municipality in the Province of Benevento in the region of Campania.  Puglianello is about 60 Km(37 miles) north of Naples. 

 

The search for a birth record for Steve started.  Antenati.cultura.gov.it, is an online treasure trove of Italian vital records.  I searched in Puglianello and in various years of birth without any luck.  This was a painstaking search that ended in disappointment. My search broadened to other comunes in the Provence of Benevento and stumbled upon Sebastiano’s birth record in a quaint village nestled in the mountains called FAICCHIO!! What a find!! Not only did it match his birthday, I learned the names of his parents! Angelantonio Rapuano and Mariantonia Friso or Freso – my great great grandparents – the people who are some of the reason I sit here today writing this story. I want to know more!

 Faicchio is 8.6 Km (5.3miles) north of Puglianello.

San Salvatore Telesino is 5.9 Km from Faicchio (3.6 miles) and 5 Km from Puglianello (3.1 miles)

Angelantonio Rapuano was 31 years old in 1877 so I took an educated guess that he was born about 1846 in Faicchio.  The search was grueling, always ending in disappointment.  As I was perusing through ancestry.com, my curiosity was piqued by a man who had a huge Rapuano/Rabuano family tree. The “p” and “b” have similar sounds and many times they are interchanged in the records. Tom was good enough to answer my messages and lo and behold, we are very distant cousins along the Rapuano line. His thorough and extensive research had me focus on a very ancient village called San Salvatore Telesino.

BINGO!! Angelantonio was born 25 September 1846 in San Salvatore Telesino to Sebastiano Rapuano and Maria Grazia di Brigida!  I am now dancing throughout the house and yelling, “I found it!” to anyone who would listen! (My poor husband Mark).

Tom’s research has led him to discover some of our oldest Rapuano/Rabuano ancestors, two of whom are Nicola and Cleto who were born in the late 1500’s.  It is unknown how they may be related, but it is likely they are our 10^th Great Grandfathers. 

Without Tom’s expert experience, I may never have found the origin of my Rapuano/Rabuano ancestors.

 

 

Prompt: FAMILY LORE                                                                                          JAN 5, 2024

Little Vincent Huneke born Dec 3, 1901, in Brooklyn, New York, loved playing with his grandfather, Anthony Rush born Nov 16, 1835 in Roscommon, Ireland. Vincent was living at 334 39^th Street, Brooklyn, New York with his father, George Huneke, his mother, Margaret, his siblings, Helen, Bernadette, Lillian, and George C and his grandfather, Anthony Rush and his uncle Patrick J. Rush.

They were getting ready for winter and Vincent was out with his granda chopping wood.  At 75, Anthony had a little loss of hearing and a touch of senility. That didn’t stop him from telling his grandsire stories of his antics in the Civil War.  With his strong Irish brogue, he told Vincent of the various battles that Company C of the 78^th New York Regiment Infantry engaged in.  I Imagine it went something like this:

Aye, the memories of war, lad, they cling to you like the scent of gunpowder and sweat.

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a hot day that August of 1862. We were at Cedar Mountain in Culpepper County, Virginia. There were rolling hills that reminded me of my home in Ireland.  But the forest was thick and that helped us battle those confederates.  So many were wounded and died, but I survived.

Just a month later, on an early September morning, the battle of Antietam occurred in Maryland. Now that was a battle to end all battles, but it didn’t! The air was thick with smoke and the sounds of canons. We were able to push those confederates back. But that damn Lee refused to retreat, and the battle continued into the evening. We were all exhausted!!

Aye, then there was that Battle at Chancellorsville. That was three days of hell in May 1863.  We marched in with numbers on our side, a tide of blue against the rebel gray. Yet, Lee, the old fox, outsmarted us. He slithered through the thickets, flanking us with whispers of steel and smoke. The union was outsmarted, and we had to retreat. 

Aye, this damn lumbago!! It’s a brutal beast that has caused me so many problems since that bullet caught me. I was shot by some johnny reb in Chancellorsville.

Vincent, a rambunctious little boy, rolled his eyes at the blarney his granda was giving him. He had heard the stories before, and the ailments Anthony complained about. Finally, after hearing enough, Vincent says, “Well, you wouldn’t have been shot in the back if you weren’t runnin’ away!” At that, Anthony picked up his axe and hurled it at Vincent missing him by a hair.

This family story led to years of research and the truth.  Anthony was in those battles, and he was shot at the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863.  His left hand near his index finger had a bullet through it. Per his deposition to the special counsel regarding pension Anthony says, “…he looked at my hand; three or four other doctors were busy amputating and the hospital steward – don’t know his name – washed my hand. The doctor bound up my hand and I remained about two days around camp when we got (unable to read) away. Doctor took out splinters of bone; I didn’t go to hospital; the troops fell back about the 5^th of May and I joined the regiment….”

It always made the family proud that their ancestor was fighting for the union army and they would chuckle to think he was running away when he got shot.  He wasn’t running – he was fighting!!