Not long before his 20th birthday, in January 1943, Luciano “Louis” Charles Graziano received an official letter in the mail from the U.S. government. He had been drafted into the U.S. Army. He was the youngest of his New York Sicilian family—a family composed of hairstylists and beauticians. After having to drop out of school after the eighth grade to help the family of seven, Mr. Graziano eventually joined the family occupation. But now the hairdresser would have to put away the comb and scissors and pick up a rifle.
Reaching England
The ship found itself nearly capsizing after a storm tossed it to and fro. Along with escaping the storm, the Queen Mary made near escapes from the German U-boats that infested the waters near the coasts of the British Isles. The ship actually didn’t arrive at its appointed location, but arrived off the coast of Scotland. From Scotland, the troops were transported by train to Camp Weston in England.“If I was walking down the street and the bombing came, I just laid down on the sidewalk and the bomb blew up,” Mr. Graziano said matter-of-factly. “They would come over every day when I was there. They lasted about 15 to 20 minutes and then kept flying by.”
D-Day: June 6, 1944
After waiting 24 hours for the inclement weather to pass, the Allies moved across the English Channel toward the beaches of Normandy. The Canadians would land at Juno Beach, the British would land at beaches Sword and Gold, and the Americans would land at Utah and Omaha. Mr. Graziano would be among the third wave that stormed the deadly Omaha Beach.Mr. Graziano drove a gasoline truck. He drove it onto one of the landing ship tanks. He said it took about three days for all the ships to be loaded. Altogether, there were nearly 7,000 naval vessels carrying more than 130,000 soldiers and personnel.
When Mr. Graziano’s third wave arrived at Omaha Beach, he tried to maneuver as best he could to avoid the mines and the gunfire. He drove closer to where he believed it was safest, especially for a truck full of gasoline.
“I got in underneath the cliff,” he said, referencing the 100-foot-high cliff of Pointe du Hoc.
He led his 35 men toward the cliff. Two were killed in the process. He noticed a machine gun above them and aimed to put it out of commission. He and another soldier grabbed the flamethrower and sent a massive flame skyward, setting fire to the machine gun nest and surrounding brush.
Reaching Reims
The following day would require climbing the 100-foot cliffs. He prepared his men as best he could.“When they were getting in the water, they had to drop their guns otherwise they would drown because they had so much equipment. I said, ‘Go get yourself a gun from one of the dead soldiers and come follow me up the cliff,’” he recalled. “And that’s what they did.”
Over the second and third days, the Army Rangers worked to clear Pointe du Hoc of the German machine guns. Mr. Graziano and his men climbed the rope ladders 100 feet up to help in the effort. The heavy fire continued as the Rangers fought their way forward.
“It was a terrible thing to watch, but they just kept on going and fought their way up there,” he said. “We went up the cliff and we fought our way all the way to Saint-Lô’s.”
Building in Reims
“I was put in charge of the city of Reims and all the troops that were there. I had to put them all to work in different places around the city,” he said.Just as he had done in England, he put his subordinates to work, building barracks, buildings, and even a 2,000-seat amphitheater. The theater would be a place to entertain troops. Jane Froman, the famous American singer and actress, performed for the troops at the amphitheater.
The fact is that Mr. Graziano had no idea how to construct a building, much less an amphitheater. But where others failed, he succeeded. To build the barracks and the mess hall in Reims, Mr. Graziano went so far as to conscript the German prisoners and used guards who could speak German and English to communicate with them.
“I just kept doing the things I was supposed to do. I didn’t have no experience,” he said. “I just figured it out and knew what I had to do.”
Mr. Graziano said he knew how to manage people and how to put them to work. He also knew how to meet the demands of his commanding officers, such as Gen. Charles Thrasher and Lt. Col. W.H. Boshoff.
The latter appreciated Mr. Graziano’s outstanding work ethic and know-how so much that he recommended him for promotion, writing in October of 1944: “Your hours have been long, your help few, material scarce, and difficulties abundant, but you have done well. I consider you as an example to the remainder of your non-commissioned officers. I find in you a man who says little, but does much.”
Indeed, Mr. Graziano is a man of few words. His explanations of war memories, even those that are of historic significance, such as witnessing the German surrender, are brief.
One moment, however, gets a laugh out of Mr. Graziano, and a little more detail. It took place while building the amphitheater.
“My men found a wall while building the theater. I told them to make a hole and take a peek and see what’s in there,” he recalled. “They did. He said, ‘It’s a wine cellar.’ I said, ‘Well, make a bigger hole. And get some of that champagne. Get the ones with the most dust, that’ll be the best.”
He said the locals reported it to his commanders. He and his men were told by the general that they would have their pays deducted in order to pay for the wine and champagne.
Love in War
Mr. Graziano always found work for his men, but he was also fair to them. He provided nightly passes for the soldiers to venture into the city, as long as they returned in time for reveille. Mr. Graziano remembered one soldier, however, who abused the privilege and continued to arrive late. He told the soldier he was revoking the pass. The soldier decided to fight Mr. Graziano over it.
“He said, ‘Take off that shirt.’ They wouldn’t fight you with your shirt showing your rank,” Mr. Graziano said. “A lot of the boys knew I was a hairdresser and thought I wouldn’t go out there. I says, ‘All right, I’ll be right there.’ I took my shirt off, went outside, and beat the hell out of him.”
What the soldiers didn’t know was that Mr. Graziano had lived next to a boxing gym and had plenty of pugilistic experience. The issue of the revoked pass was settled.
World War II was life-changing for so many people in so many ways, but not always because of the battles. Mr. Graziano found love during wartime in Reims. He met Eula Estelle Shaneyfelt. She went by “Bobbie” because she didn’t like her real name. The two dated throughout the rest of the war and after the German surrender. Mr. Graziano had an engagement ring shipped to him from the States, and during a dance at the officers’ club in June 1945, he proposed. The two were married in October and would have an official Catholic wedding ceremony when they returned home. They were married for 62 years.
