John (Giovanni) Mario Risi


S/Sgt    13176766    614th
Pennsylvania
1925 - 1944

Ball turret Gunner aboard 42-39881 ( Gloria J )




    

Ardennes cemetery, Belgium
Plot : D , Row : 18 , Grave : 11.
1924 - 1944






              John was born jan 18, 1925 Villa St Lucia, Italy.
              On 1st March 1927 his father immigrated from Naples Italy on the ship Calabria.
              He arrived March 17 and rented a house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

              4 years later John and his mother also immigrated to the US and joined his father.

              In Dec 4, 1942 he enlisted to the air corps.

              In 1943 he arrived in England to join the 401st BG
              His last mission, Apr 11, 1944, Target: Sorau, Politz, thier plane was on fire.
              Only 2 men survived when the plane blew up in the air.

              He was awarded with an Air Medal and a Purple Heart Medal

                       In 1944, when John died on the age of 19 he left behind his family :

                           His father, Loretto Risi, age 52
                           His mother, Liduina Risi, age 50
                           His sister, Lillian Risi, age 17




         John was born as Giovanni and was given the name John when he immigrated through NY (age 6)
         with his sister Tulia (age 5), and their Mother Liduina, to meet their father, Loreto, in Philadelphia.
         His sister was given name Tille upon entering NY and it was changed to Lillian soon after.
         Loreto worked in the Navy yard and Liduina worked as a seamstress while the kids began school.
         A few months after the move, Johnny became very ill.
         Lillian stayed home to care for Johnny while their parents worked extra shifts to save enough
         money for a doctor visit.
         He was soon diagnosed with Diphtheria and the doctor ordered one of the parents to stay home.
         They werent able to afford that instruction, as much as they wanted to.
         So Liduina had to sneak out the back alley every morning to avoid attention from the neighbors while
         Lillian stayed home to nurse Johnny back to health.
         She was only 5-6 years old at the time.

         Johnny and Lillian were best friends as well as siblings.
         Their parents did not learn English, so after a year or so of school, they were able to use it as a secret code
         in their home, while using Italian as a secret code in school.
         They didnt have many toys growing up. They spent most of the time playing kick the can with the
         neighborhood kids in the alley.
         One Christmas, Johnny made a nativity scene for them to play with, using figures and animal toys
         that he found in the back alley.
         This became a staple shared toy for the remainder of their childhood.

         Another year, Johnny made them a scooter with scrap parts also found in the back alley.
         He broke his arm later that same day, but continued riding anyway.

         Johnny enlisted in the US Air Force in 1942 at 17 years old.

         Im unclear if he forged his parents signature or if he lied about his age. But either way, my grandmother
         explained that he enlisted a year before he was supposed to be able to, because their parents were not
         supportive of the decision.
         Upon leaving, he was able to write letters on occasion, but communication was very minimal.
         The family received a letter in 1944 explaining that Johnnys plane was hit by flak during a mission over
         Germany and was considered MIA, but with little to no expectation of survival.
         They even offered his life insurance money..
         Lillian had to read this letter and translate to her parents (because they could not read or write English).
         Liduina refused to take the money. Im unclear if it was out of emotional denial or if she thought
         they would stop the search if she did.

         The war ended one year later, in 1945, and they received another military letter explaining that Johnny
         was confirmed dead (KIA) along with a check for his insurance money.
         I believe that letter was the most traumatic experience in my grandmothers life.
         Although Johnny died when she was barely an adult, he seemed to be a living part of her daily life right
         up to the end, when she passed away peacefully in 2015.

         I cant tell you how much I appreciate the effort to keep Johnnys memory alive.
         Im Lillians (Tullia) grandson and I grew up hearing stories about Jonny and their childhood together.
         I always sort of felt a personal connection to him because she liked to tell me how I was a lot like him.
         She also kept his military picture by her bedside her whole life.

         Daniel Pilling







Mission to Politz, Poland, after being hit by flak, the plane had no 2 engine on fire.
They crashed near Isernhagen, Germany.


If you have questions, remarks or information , please feel free to Email me
or leave a message in my guestbook

Top