World War II, the war to end all wars — more than any other event in U.S. history — exhibited the love, loyalty and patriotism Italian Americans held in their hearts for our nation. Italian Americans rushed to enlist to defend the U.S., and more than 1.5 million Italian Americans served in the armed forces during World War II, amounting to some 10% of American soldiers in total.

Italian Americans served our country with great distinction and 14 of them were awarded the Medal of Honor. The actions of three Italian American servicemen are among the most heroic stories of WWII. Sgt. John Basilone, who Gen. MacArthur called “a one-man army” was the only American marine to be awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross, our country’s two highest awards for military bravery.