Recently HBO has been airing a miniseries called “Pacific” which focuses on the role of the Marines in the Pacific during World War II.  My dad, Dominic Ragucci, was part of the Marine effort in the Pacific but rarely talked about it.  This was an opportunity to get his to talk about this time in his life.  There are marine photos in the Family History Photo Gallery.

Dom joined the Marines sometime in 1943.  He says that he joined because he expected to be drafted even though he was supporting his family because he had a younger brother.  He joined to try and protect  his younger brother Anthony from being drafted.

His training was at Marine Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.  From there  he was shipped out to the Pacific as part of the Marine “Night Fighter” squadron.  He talks about being on many of the famous WWII Pacific islands especially the Solomon and Russell Islands including Guadacanal, Bougainville,  Munda,  (See http://www.acepilots.com/usmc/hist9.html).  (see Marine Night Fighter Squadron 531 (VMF(N)-531)

His unit was responsible for support of the Marine aviation in the Pacific.  They were not the first units on an island which means he missed the brutal war of taking an island from the Japanese.  But he talks about Japanese snipers who would climb coconut tree and the kill men in his outfit.  His primary role was to maintain the marine aircraft between their missions which were primarily at night (where the name Night Fighters comes from).

He talked about times that his unit would be dropped on an island controlled by the Japanese in the dark of night and then hide and spy and report on the Japanese ship movements in the area before being picked up at night on to then next island.

Over the years he’s told a few stories.  Here’s a couple that I remember:

• He had been promoted to corporal but there was there other guy would would frequently not show up to relieve him from guard duty.  He decided to teach him a lesson by not showing up to relieve him one day. Unfortunately, he was reported to his commanding officer who stripped him of his corporate stripes.  It wasn’t until late in the war that he was got them back with another promotion.
• While he was stationed on a island that was freed of the Japanese, a friend of his who owned a car was transferred to another island.  He gave Dom his car.  They used to motor around the island on their time off.  Eventually an officer decided that he wanted the car and confiscated it for his own use.
• When he was in the pacific, another unit was responsible for sewing parachutes and other materials.  They were having problems with their sewing machines and Dom said he could fix them.  When he did the officer wanted him to help with the sewing and maintaining the machines.  Dom said he would if he were transferred to his unit.  So he was and started sewing parachutes and maintaining the machinery that kept needing repairs.  It kept him farther away from the dangers of war.
• One thing that was missing when stationed on these small islands was getting a haircut.  So he became the “barber” for the troops.  In this way he made a few bucks or other advantages.  He continued this role as barber when he returned home and worked on the docks of Port Reading and even cut his son Joseph’s hair until late in life.

He still has his dress uniform, his very large personal knife, and a few souvineers (like a ash try made from a shell from Bougainville).