I have been having coffee at a local place with Vince Colletti, (not sure of the spelling!) for about the last 3 weeks. This moring though he finally opened up and told me a few of his stories. I thought I would share these with you! He trained at Ft. Bliss, Tx. After finishing basic there he went home to Chicago, got married and he and his new wife took a train to Leesville? Where they found a basement apartment, and stayed there until he shipped out. He thought he was going to the ETO, as did all of his friends. When they boarded the tropp train, they headed west. He said he was very surprised! They boarded a troop ship in California, and headed to the Phillipines, which they reached 32 days later! The ship was built in 1916, but he could not remember the name. After being in the Phillipines, they went on to New Guinea. He then started to tell me of when he was wounded, and almost met MacArthur! It seem that Mac was one tent over with the more seriously wounded. After a particularly heavy shelling, Vince was in a small and not deep enough slit trench, he and his buddy climbed out and his buddy told him "you're hit", as he was bleeding all over his left shoulder! He didn't even know he had been hit! He was evacuated to a "tent Hospital", he called it, with a head wound. Once there the medic, a very large man, told him to grasp his wrist the Doc was "going in"! No anesthesia! The doctor found piece of shrapnel approx. 3/4" x 3/8" lodged between his skull and scalp. The medic was unhappy with Vince and told him to let go, "you're cuttin' off the circulation to my hand!" He told me that his melmet slowed the shrapnel enought not to do any serious damage. His wife told me a little about her experience of his wounding. She said that sh hoped the gov't. figured out a better way to tell the wives that hteir husbands have been hurt. Because she did not like the way they notified her! She recd a telegram that simply said, "we regret to inform you that your hisband has been wounded in battle." She didn't find out how badly he was wounded until another soldiers wife sent her the company letter from Ft. Bliss, that had Vinces picture on the front page recg his purple heart and smiling! Then she knew he was ok! Just wanted to share that, it was truly a great experience for me!
Great story. Thanks for sharing that experience. We need to seek out such veterans and here their stories for those who wish to share.
Thanks PzJgr! This was my first experience "interviewing" a vet. I was apprenhensive at first, and I think he was too! But It wasn't bad at all, and I think once he saw I was genuinely interested in everything he said, he really opened up. I have more confidence know to approach others and really talk to them, instead of just saying hi and thanks! I agree that we need to get these stories out of these guys before they are gone forever!
Great story, Scott. Thanks for sharing it with us. My passion is exactly what you've done; sitting down and chatting with veterans, particularly air crew. I have learned so much from these gentlemen from an era of understatment and modesty. If there's interest, I'll post some snippets from the chaps I've spoken to as well as your tale seems to have been very well received. Thanks again, I can listen to these stories all day and a bit more. Cheers Owen
I agree with Carl, fantastic post Scott. Many years ago i worked with a German who had been an Me109 pilot during the war. I only found this out after a couple of years of working with him and he gradually started to tell me his wartime stories. He recalled how, after dogfights over the south of England, he would break off and head back towards France, but before doing so he and the RAF pilots would wave to each other ! He was eventually shot down and became a POW in Scotland.
Thanks guys! this really was great fun for me! Owen, I look forward to reading the posts of your conversations with Vets! I'm leaving for Florida on Monday (computer goes with me, because I need access to this site!) and I know of quite a few WWII vets that live in the same park as my parents, so I hope to interview them as well!
Hi Big Fun and C. Evans, I've posted a snippet about some aerial combat over Dunkirk under "Books and Publications". I'll add others from time to time as well. Cheers Owen
Want to let you all know that Vince Colletti passed away on 07 March at age 93. Here is a link to his obit. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?n=vincent-colletti&pid=178031900 I'm the Chairman of the Chicago Chapter, 82nd Airborne Division, and get automated emails from Legacy.com whenever there is a Chicago-area obit with the keywords "airborne", "paratrooper" or "glider", Unfortunately, I saw Vince's obit this weekend and Googled his name this morning. I did not know him personally, but saw this discussion about him and thought I would share the news. Mark Mueller chairman@chicagoairborne.com
Vince was such a great guy ...... always a smile on his face, ever the optimist, and a very proud Airborne man. I haven't seen him in quite a while but I can still hear him telling his bad jokes and asking his bride if she needed any more coffee! RIP Mr Colletti, and again thank you for everything! and Thanks Mark for the heads up here!
