Mariano J. Cuccio

Mariano Cuccio, who went by the first name Marty, was born in Lodi, New Jersey in August 1917. Before the advent of World War II, he worked in a dye house in Lodi, correctly sewing items that were not properly sewn initially, and then sending them to the next stage of production. Cuccio was drafted under President Roosevelt’s September 1940 “serve one year for training” draft, in July 1941. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December, however, Cuccio and other draftees found their terms of service extended to the end of the conflict.

Cuccio was assigned to Fort Lee, Virginia for a short amount of time, and then moved to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where he trained as a medic and worked in a hospital but disliked the job. He went to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for a brief time for more training, and then returned to Camp Shelby. During his second stay at the camp, a friend of his convinced him to take a parachute course.

During three weeks of parachute training, Cuccio excelled, despite breaking his ankle. He was assigned to G company of the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82^nd Airborne Division, as a combat medic. Cuccio moved around to other bases, including Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Camp Edwards, Massachusetts – his last stop before boarding the SS George Washington for a five-day trip to Casablanca, Morocco. Weather issues made flying difficult in Morocco, so the paratroopers could not take any practice jumps while there.

The 82^nd flew from Tunisia and parachuted into Sicily at the outset of the Italian campaign. When Cuccio landed in Sicily, he found himself on familiar ground, as his parents had emigrated from there to America, and he could speak that Italian dialect. While in Sicily, he was able to visit family members. Cuccio had received directions from a local police officer and a truck driver, and eventually reached a gentleman who knew his extended family and where they lived. The family welcomed him and showed him photos from many years ago. Due to his language skills, Cuccio served as an interpreter when needed.

Despite being in the army, Cuccio was not issued a weapon, because he was a medic. Soon after the invasion of Sicily, although elements of the 82^nd remained in Italy, Cuccio’ s battalion and others traveled to the Adriatic Sea and boarded a ship to Algiers, Algeria. From Algiers, they boarded another ship and headed west; the soldiers initially thought they were going home to the United States. The ship soon turned however, bringing them to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they had a short rest period. The Irish people were more than happy to see the soldiers, and supplied them plenty of whiskey. The 82^nd then moved to Scotland, and from Scotland traveled to England, where soldiers were forbidden to visit a nearby village. Many of them, including Cuccio, disobeyed, but were caught and had to do a fifty-mile march on Easter Sunday as a penalty. 

The 82^nd was reinforced, replacing the units left in Italy, and after Easter there was a practice night parachute jump scheduled. It was very foggy that night; and, after almost colliding with another American aircraft, the pilot decided to land Cuccio’ s plane. The division was scheduled to drop into France at night behind the enemy lines as part of the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. Unlike in Sicily, Cuccio was issued a .45 caliber pistol for self-defense. While dropping into Normandy, he oscillated in the air while he was falling, to avoid bullets, yet was slightly wounded. After landing, he did not encounter any Germans. His company was spread out, then the unit rallied at a designated point. When Cuccio arrived there, he learned that two of his friends had died, and one had lost his legs.

After meeting at the rendezvous point, the company made its way to the French town of Sainte-Mere-Église. There, enemy fire toppled a tree that landed on Cuccio, injuring him severely. Fellow soldier Chris Perry commandeered a jeep, got Cuccio into the vehicle and brought him to a field hospital, where he was injected with morphine, then sent back to England in a great deal of pain. His pelvis was shattered, and he had a bullet lodged next to his colon, which made it difficult for him to move his bowels. Cuccio had to relearn to walk while in England, as part of his recovery.

As he began to recover, the army sent Cuccio back to the United States and to a hospital in Ohio, where the bullet was removed from his body. Eventually, he was sent to Camp Upton, where he was awarded a Purple Heart and medically discharged with 100% percent disability benefits. Once discharged, Cuccio spent his time playing golf rather than looking for a job.

In the early twenty-first century, Cuccio was contacted for an interview by Phil Nordyke, who was authoring his book Four Stars of Valor: The Combat History of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment in World War II. Initially reluctant, Cuccio agreed. The book was published by Zenith Press in 2006; it led to an invitation to a unit reunion where he met Chris Perry, the man who saved his life in World War II France!

Cuccio would eventually share his experience in the war with the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey with this veteran oral history interview. 

After serving his country bravely and sharing his story, Mariano Cuccio passed away on October 16, 2015.

Additional Resources:

• 505th PIR Medical Detachment Roster
• Medics of the 505th PIR
  
• Fauville – Battle of Normandy
  
• Grave Marker