LIBERTY - Richard LoSasso had no intention of joining the military.
He had a successful career as a barber in Youngstown and already had met his future wife, Elizabeth, when he was drafted into the Army in October 1941 at the age of 24. He was only supposed to serve for one year, but the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor changed all that.
"When the United States joined the war, I knew I would be in longer," the 93-year-old LoSasso said.
He was honorably discharged as an Army staff sergeant on Oct. 4, 1945.
LoSasso completed basic training at Camp Lee, Va. When the United States joined the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was placed into the Army's 9th Infantry Division as a cadre replacement at Fort Bragg, N.C.
He arrived in the Port of Casablanca in North Africa on Christmas Eve of 1942. Casablanca was the site of a large American air base, which was the staging area for all American aircraft for the European Theater operations of World War II.
"It was a full moon when we got there, and I remember thinking how beautiful the moonlight was," LoSasso said.
One week later, on New Year's Eve, the German air force bombed the harbor in attempt to destroy American supply ships. The United States responded with anti-aircraft fire.
"We could see the German planes spiraling down to the ground after they were hit. We would cheer as it happened. The whole thing looked like fireworks and it lasted for several hours," LoSasso said.
He said several U.S. supply ships were destroyed, but many more were saved.
"We lost some men and some ships, but I would call it a victory for us," LoSasso said.
He then was sent to Tunisia, where he was injured in an accident. LoSasso said he was riding in the back of an Army jeep when it hit a hole and overturned, ejecting him, the driver and passenger. The other two soldiers were killed, and he suffered serious cuts and bruises.
"It hurt my pride more than anything," LoSasso said.
He spent about a week at a British hospital in Algiers before reporting back to his unit. Instead of going back into the field, he was sent to the Allied Forces headquarters in Algiers, where he spent 19 months as a file clerk.
"It was because I could type," LoSasso said.
He then was shipped to Italy with Gen. Mark Clark's company of soldiers.
"That was because I could speak Italian," LoSasso said.
He and his fellow soldiers endured a few bombing raids in Naples, but he did not see much action during the Italy campaign. He left Italy on St. Patrick's Day in 1945 and arrived back in the United States on April 1, 1945.
Thirteen days later, he married Elizabeth Septic, whom he met in 1938 while she was working as a caregiver at a home next door to his barbershop on Youngstown's East Side.
"We talked about getting married before I left, but if I died I wanted my mother to get the $10,000 in life insurance," LoSasso said.
He said despite not voluntarily joining the Army, he has no regrets about his service. LoSasso said it enabled him to see the world and he even met Pope Pius XII while serving in Italy, noting he kissed the pontiff's ring during a visit to the Vatican.
After his discharge, he returned to his career as a barber and was the first tenant in the McGuffey Plaza when he opened his own shop in 1956. He worked there until his retirement in June 2009.