"We were always called the forgotten theater and still are today." (Audio Interview, Part 1, 13:42)

Philip B. Piazza

Philip Piazza in uniform War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army Unit: 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) Merrill's Marauders Service Location: United States; Trinidad; India; China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater Rank: Captain Place of Birth: CT

Philip Piazza passed up a college basketball scholarship to enlist in the Army—a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor. His first duty stations were in the Caribbean and Central America, where serving in the jungle prepped him for his ultimate mission in World War II, with Merrill's Marauders in the China-Burma-India Theater. Piazza points out that, in addition to enduring abominable living conditions for months, the Marauders were up against Japanese Imperial Marines, an elite fighting unit. Piazza suffered a wound that required he be evacuated from the field, a risky maneuver in the dense jungle. His mother received three telegrams about his status; in the first, he was reported killed in action, in the second he was only missing, and the third got it right. Piazza became president of the Merrill's Marauders Association, which held annual meetings for over 50 years after the war.