Millions of Italians came to the US between 1880 and the eve of World War I. As many as 300,000 of them served in the United States military during the war. Tens of thousands of Calabrians--inhabitants of Calabria, the region that makes up the toe of the Italian boot--came to America in the this so-called Great Migration. Thousands of them served in the US military during that war, and until now no effort has been made to document their history. Historian Peter L Belmonte begins his task by concentrating on the area around the city of Cosenza, the provincial capital of the northern province of Calabria.
This case study focuses on one specific group of immigrant soldiers: men who were born in, lived in, or whose family came from the neighboring villages of Marano Marchesato and Marano Principato, province of Cosenza, in the southern Italian region of Calabria.
By examining the service more than 140 men, this book lays the foundation for further studies of Italian immigrant soldiers in general, and Calabrians specifically. Their military history highlights the role of the US military; they served in every type of unit from stateside camps to the trenches of France and even to the Siberian wasteland. Many of the men suffered life-changing wounds; their story is told here.