Grandpa, Were You Scared?

By Angelo Sammartino, Marion Sammartino and Stephanie Sammartino McPherson

Stephanie has eloquently captured the intense experiences of a battle-tested marine on Guadalcanal. Learn how World War II made a youth a marine.

Col. James A. Blakely Jr., USMC ret., friend of Angelo Sammartino for many years

In this true account, the faith of the authors father withstood his combat experience in World War II and led him to the realization that people are people all over the world.

Col. Samuel Boykin Hunter, retired, US Army

Grandpa, were you scared?

As soon as the words leave her mouth, eight-year-old Marianne realizes she has said the wrong thing. Grandpa never talks about his experiences in World War II, and the sudden silence makes her feel she has upset him. Then Grandpa starts to talk, and his story is both frightening and inspiring.

Grandpa, Were You Scared? deals with World War II in an honest but nongraphic manner. After seeing combat on Guadalcanal in the South Pacific, Grandpa witnessed the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. Weeks later, a chance encounter with an endangered toddler in the fishing village of Omadaka would change his outlook forever in this true, intergenerational story of conflict, courage, and reconciliation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512722161

Angelo Sammartino

Less than a decade after the end of World War II, Angelo Joseph Sammartino faced combat in the Korean War. Once again, his faith and his belief that all people are children of God saw him through the conflict. Angelo went on to many military assignments stateside, traveling from coast to coast with his family. After retiring from the Marine Corps as a major, Angelo launched a second career as a high school teacher of U.S. history. Students appreciated his talent for making all aspects of history come to life. Almost seventy years after World War II, the events described in this book remained vivid in his mind. Angelo’s quiet courage and faith, his keen intellect, and his youthful view of life inspired his children and grandchildren. His very young great grandchildren were also touched by his playfulness and boundless love. Angelo passed away quietly, surrounded by his family, on April 14, 2014. An award-winning educator, Marion Rita Sammartino taught English, drama, and social studies in junior high school. Besides inspiring a generation of students to do their best and to love learning, she left an impressive legacy in her writing and art. For many years, Marion wrote a popular newspaper column on educational issues called School Days. Her husband Angelo was always her first and best editor. Marion was an enthusiastic artist, developing a new technique that blended abstract and representational imagery, a genre she dubbed “cosmic art.” Marion’s wisdom and sense of humor, her willingness to stand up for her beliefs, and her strong, musical voice are cherished by all who knew her. She passed away on February 11, 2013. When Stephanie Sammartino McPherson heard her father share his experiences in World War II with his grandchildren, she knew the story deserved a wider audience. Collaborating with her parents, she helped them recreate the real-life conversation that forms the basis of this book. Stephanie has written numerous newspaper and magazine stories as well as over thirty nonfiction and biography titles for children. Her recent book, Arctic Thaw: Climate Change and the Global Race for Energy Resources was a Junior Library Guild Selection for the fall of 2014. Stephanie and her husband Richard live in Virginia but also call California home. Born in Cooperstown, New York, cartoonist and illustrator Gerald L. Morrison received his degree in Advertising Art and Design from Penn State. He served in the Air Force and is a Vietnam veteran. He is retired from the Virginia state government and has lived in the Richmond area for forty-four years. This is his first book.

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Copyright © 2016 Angelo and Marion Sammartino and Stephanie Sammartino McPherson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2215-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-2216-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015919889

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/25/2016

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This book is dedicated to the next generation:

Joseph Gabriel

Christopher Angelo

Kiernan James

Adelaide Marion

James Bernard

Special thanks to Janis Sammartino, Col. James Blakely, Dr. Samuel Hunter, and Edith Fine for reading and commenting on this manuscript. As always, a big thank you to my husband, Richard McPherson, for his excellent suggestions and never-failing encouragement. — SSM

AlwaysaMarine.jpg

Always a Marine

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1   The Verge of War

Chapter 2   Time to Fight

Chapter 3   Stranded

Chapter 4   As Thin as Skeletons

Chapter 5   Japan

Chapter 6   Full Circle

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World War II Memorial, Washington D.C.

Prologue

This is a true story. For many years, my father, Angelo Sammartino, kept silent on what he endured in World War II. But one day in 1987, surrounded by family, he shared a memory. I