Miracle at St. Anna (Movie Tie-in) (32 page)

It took the better part of thirty years before that pride shook me awake one night and began to spin itself into the web and labyrinths of characters who now inhabit this book. They came alive on their own, without prodding, through the stories of the many men and women, from both America and Italy, who shook the demons of their memories off long enough to sit down and reveal to me that same pride that my uncle Henry had. These men and women have a moral character and fiber that, sadly, is missing in our world today, where the level of social progress is measured not in leaps and bounds of moral justice and thirst for knowledge but in the feet and inches of television ratings, survival shows, and video games that teach our children war in a world where 125 million children go to bed hungry every night and real wars are waged on innocent civilians by hidden terrorists who call these murders righteous acts of God.

Nonetheless, I am thankful to these survivors of the so-called Good War, the veterans of the 92nd Infantry Division who fought in Italy, the Italians who fought with them, and the Germans who fought against them—they were victims all. Many of these men and women sat with me, unlocked their hearts, and told stories that sometimes caused their hands to shake and tears to roll from their aged eyes. Most I have interviewed personally. A few I have met only through their written accounts. Sadly, many of them, both in Italy and in America, have died during the writing of this book, and those who are still alive are in their twilight years. If you see one, shake their hand.

Thanks to Florentino Lopez, the miracle survivor of the Sommocolonia tragedy at Castelvecchio di Pascoli; Captain William E. Cooke, Captain Lloyd Parham, Ed Price, Captain Harold Montgomery, Joseph L. “Steve” Stephenson, Denette Harrod; my late uncle Henry Jordan of Brooklyn, whose stories about the war, heard when I was a child, inspired this book; the Honorable James “Skiz” Watson, George Cherry, the Reverend Edward Belton, A. William Perry of the Huachucan Veterans Association; Albert O. Burke, president, 92nd Infantry Division Association; John Fox of Cincinnati, a Medal of Honor recipient; Wendell Imes of St. James Presbyterian Church in Harlem; Edgar S. Piggott, Rufus Johnson, Jesse Brewer, Deacon “Wooley” Gant, Thomas “Buddy” Phox, David Caisson, General Edward Almond, Captain John Runyon, Otis Zachary, my cousin Herbert Hinson, E. G. McDonnell, George “Bro Wimp” Wimberley, Robert Brown Sr., David Perkins, James Usery (former mayor of Atlantic City, NJ), and Spencer Moore, the walking historian of the 92nd. Thanks to Richard Hogg, Terry Brookens, Perry “Mack” Barnes, William Little, Arthur B. Cummings, and Sinclair Smalls.

Others to thank include Arlene Fox, Ruth Hodge (museum curator for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg), Solace Wales, Barbara Posner, and Robert A. Brown, Ph.D., University of the District of Columbia. Special thanks to Hondon Hargrove and Mary Penick Motley, whose historical works on the 92nd were written with clarity, accuracy, and honesty. Also thanks to Jehu C. Hunter and Lieutenant Colonel Major Clark for their work on that subject as well. Deepest appreciation to the wonderful staff at the U.S. Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Thanks to Jodi Reynolds of Los Angeles for her wonderful transcription work.

And a special, heartfelt thanks to Lieutenant General William J. McCaffrey of Arlington, Virginia, the former chief of staff of the 92nd Division, a pioneer of racial integration in the U.S. Army and a man of profound insight, wisdom, and truth, whose guidance proved to be a beacon.

I am equally grateful to the many Italians of the Serchio Valley, who gave their time, their stories, their hearts, their wine, and their wisdom to this project: Alfredo Lenzi, Roberto Dianda, Roberto Tonacchi. The late Manrico Duchessi (the great Pippo); his legendary lieutenant Tutsiana; the late partisan Leandro Puccetti; Bernardini; Franco and Giovanni “Gioni” Tognarelli; Mrakic Antonio and Frugoli Antonio. Also thanks to Lodovico Gierut, author of
Una Strage nel Tempo
, the Museum of St. Anna di Stazzema and its curator, Enio Mancini. Thanks to Enrico Tognarelli, Maria Olimpia Tognarelli, Malcolm Tognarelli, Dononi Diva, Del Frate Vaina, Fabiola del Frate, Bruno Bonaccorsi, Manule del Frate, Poli Gloria, and Gualtiero Pia. Special thanks to the Ricci family of the Seychelles and Castelvecchio, the Ricci Foundation of Barga, Italy, and the late entrepreneur Giovanni Mario Ricci of Seychelles, South Africa, whose bravery and generosity during World War II changed the lives of several American soldiers forever. Special thanks to Romiti Alderano and Salvo and all the brave farmers and survivors of Barga, Italy, who survived the war by the skin of their teeth. Thanks to Professor Umberto Sereni—the mayor of Barga—and to Anna and Paolo Zaninoni, for their wonderful insight and guidance as they read this book in its earliest form. Thanks to the Museo Storico della Liberazione of Lucca—its directors and curators, including Samuel Bennardini, General C.A.T.O. Gualtiero Alberghini, and its founder, Holocaust survivor Nusia Hoffman. A special nod to Professor Bruno Wanrooij of Georgetown University at Florence, whose insights and knowledge proved to be invaluable; thanks to the Italian Studies Institute of Floral Park, New York, and Good and Plenty at West Forty-third Street in New York City. Also thanks to Bafico of the Institute of the Resistance in Genoa.

Special thanks to my gifted Italian researcher, Patrizia Rampone. I extend my deepest gratitude to the Bogliasco Foundation in Genoa, founded by Jim and Marina Harrison. Without the help of the Bogliasco Foundation and its wonderful staff, including Anna Maria Quaiat, Alan Rowlin, and Ivana Folle, this book might not have been written. Thanks to the American International School of Genoa, Gary Crippen, and Dr. Marco Lagazzi for his insights into Italy today and yesterday.

My deepest gratitude to my wonderful agent, Flip Brophy, attorneys Mark Biegelman and Vinny “Skywalker” Carissimi, and my gifted editor and friend, Cindy Spiegel at Riverhead Books, whose brilliant insight led to whatever magic may lie in this work. And finally, thanks to my wife, Stephanie, my ultimate force, who pushes me to dream big and who teaches our children, Azure and Jordan, that God's love is the greatest miracle of all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James McBride is an accomplished musician and author of the
New York Times
bestseller
The Color of Water
and
Song Yet Sung.
His second book,
Miracle at St. Anna
is a major motion picture with noted American filmmaker Spike Lee directing and coproducing. McBride has written for the
Washington Post
,
People
, the
Boston Globe
,
Essence
,
Rolling Stone
, and the
New York Times
. A graduate of Oberlin College, he was awarded a master's in journalism from Columbia University at the age of twenty-two. McBride holds several honorary doctorates and is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. He lives in Pennsylvania and New York.