Our Veterans

“The representative of the Italian immigrant contribution to America is Alphonse Capone.” Alistaire Cooke, America the Immigrant, is a national TV documentary following WWll. Beyond that prevailing “sickening feeling of inferiority,” one can only imagine the pain those words inflicted on those mothers who had answered their doorbell on that dreaded day. “They have no prosthetic for that, you know.”

John Basilone, son of immigrant parents, was the only enlisted man in WWll to be awarded both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. (The Navy Cross is only given for valor in battle.) Taylor Street’s Vito Favia was also killed on the beaches of Iwo Jima, as was fellow Marine John Basilone. Constant reminders of what it took to be a member of that “greatest generation.” Both Ray and Vito, along with 247 other BCC alumni who fought for our freedom in WWll, are also mentioned in the story of the Bowen Country Club-the Hull House Summer Camp.