Their stories were each different, filled with their own unique details and characters.
But as the four men gathered Saturday morning in the front room of the Berks County Military History Museum and spoke to one another and to the group that had assembled to listen, it was clear they shared something as well.
There were many of the same emotions, many of the same reflections. They had seen some of the same places, been through some of the same experiences.
And the had all known the devastation, destruction and loss that only a world war can inflict.
The men, each in their tenth decade of life, were all veterans of World War II.
They had been invited to the Mohnton museum by founder and state Rep. Mark Gillen, who hosts World War II vets there as often as he can so that they can share their stories with younger generations.
And, boy, did they have stories.
Like Lou Cinfici, a 93-year-old Reading native who joined the Merchant Marine when he was just 16.
Cinfici took a train to Philadelphia to sign up to fight in World War II, wanting to join four of his older brothers. To do so, he needed his parents to sign off.
On the train ride home he forged his parents signatures, hopping off at the train station and immediately getting on a train back to Philadelphia. Two weeks later he called his parents from Panama, finally letting them know what had happened.
While in Panama, Cinfici said, he was told he could hop off his ship, if he wanted. With his brothers already serving, his family was already doing their fair share.
“I though it over and said ‘What would my family say if I did something like that,’ ” he said.
So Cinfici stayed aboard the ocean-going tug boat as it headed for the Pacific Theater. He would serve through the end of the war, as well as during the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Joe Zebertavage, who turned 96 on Groundhog Day, spoke about watching D-Day unfold from his ship floating off the shore of Normandy. He said witnessing the scale of the invasion was mesmerizing, but seeing the aftermath was heartbreaking.
“It was something to see,” he said. “But you didn’t want to see what you saw at the end when you went on land.”
Zebertavage, a seaman first class, later found himself fighting in the Pacific, saying he took part in the invasion of the Philippines. He recalled the fear that the constant threat of Japanese kamikaze planes provided.
“That’s the one thing we were scared of,” he said.
The Muhlenberg Township man took part in a total of six invasions of islands throughout the Pacific, including being in the sixth wave of the attack on Okinawa. That, he said, was the fiercest battle he had ever seen.
Zebertavage was also almost involved in another invasion, saying his ship was on it’s way to Japan when it was recalled. Unbeknownst to him and the rest of the crew, the U.S. at decided to drop an atomic bomb instead.
Charles Brooking of Bloomsburg was on an 80-foot PT boat in the Pacific. The vessel was armed to the teeth and had a crew of just 11.
He recalled with joy the close-knit nature of being on such a small ship, saying it was a relaxed atmosphere where the men typical wore cutoff shorts and no shirts.
“We were like a family,” he said.
But just because he was able to build close bonds didn’t mean the experience was easy or fun. The gunner’s mate talked about manning the ship’s twin 50’s, guns that would regularly jam.
He said he kept a screwdriver in his back pocket to dislodge jammed rounds, which would fall to his feet, still live and at risk of exploding.
Brooking said that while his PT boat had “a whole lot of firepower,” it didn’t offer much in the way of protection from incoming fire. Despite that, he said, he never thought about the danger he faced or possibility that he could be killed.
“You did your duty,” he said. “You knew what you had to do and you did it.”
Mathias F. Gutman, 97, of the Allentown area, said he didn’t really think about the danger of the war until it was over. When he got word it was over, he suddenly longed for the safety of home.
“Our life was on the line all the time,” he said. “We were all excited to get home. We knew we weren’t fighting a battle tomorrow.”
Despite feeling that relief, Gutman was one of 28 men who volunteered to sweep Tokyo Bay for mines so that U.S. ships could safely enter — not exactly the safest of choices.
Gutman also spoke about dealing with storms while at sea, saying he hunkered down through three typhoons.
“It wasn’t pleasant,” he said. “We were hanging on for dear life.”
With all four men having served in the Pacific, Gillen asked them about their experience with Japanese civilians and their current thoughts on Japan.
Each said they had initially had concerns about walking around the country immediately after the war ended, but found the Japanese people to be kind and welcoming — as long as the Americans remembered to take off their shoes before entering homes.
“They didn’t want that war any more than we did,” Gutman said. “They were very civil. They accepted us.”
There is one thing that bothers each of the men, however: the Japanese flag.
Brooking, calling it “the meatball,” said seeing it still roils his blood. He compared it to seeing a Nazi flag, saying it brings back difficult memories.
Cinfici couldn’t agree more.
“That’s the only flag I hate,” he said.
Source: Berkshire mont