FAMILY SERVICE
George Toriello researched this material from Census and Military records May 3, 2020 on Anthony Thomas Parisi.
Alphonso (Frank) Parisi (1892-Feb 1979) and his wife Rose, who were both born in Italy, had their first of five sons, Anthony Thomas Parisi, on April 27, 1922 while living in Paterson. Both the 1930 and 1940 Census shows the family living in a multi-dwelling building at 17 Jackson Avenue Hackensack, NJ. Anthony T. Parisi attended Hackensack Schools and would have attended the High School sometime between 1936 to 1940, but did not graduate because as his son Gary explained, “He was the oldest of five boys so like a lot of other guys he had to quit High School and get a job to help out.” According to World War II draft card records found Anthony Thomas Parisi was drafted in 1943.
Anthony Thomas Parisi served in the Navy on board the U.S. Navy ship PC-818 based out of Adak, Alaska. The PC-818 was classified as a Submarine Chaser. The type symbol PC-(Patrol Chaser) was retained for the steel 173-foot vessel. The SC-(Submarine Chaser)
symbol was used for ships during World War I, which were still being used in World War II, but had wooden Hulls and they felt the need
to differentiate.
Anthony Thomas Parisi had two brothers who also served during World War II. Sam Parisi, who was born November 14, 1925, and was employed by Goldberg’s Slipper Factory His World War II Draft Card is November 24, 1943. John J. Parisi, born September 23, 1923, was employed by Louis Russell’s in Maywood, drafted on June 30, 1942, and passed away September 10, 1976. The whole Parisi family lived at 17 Jackson Avenue, Hackensack, and attended school in Hackensack up to World War II. This is all the information we know of Sam and John J. Parisis’s service at the present time. We do not know their branch of service where they served or for how long.
Anthony Thomas Parisi came back after the War and married Margaret (Wolf) Parisi and they had three sons Richard, Gary, and Ronald, all Hackensack High School graduates. Anthony and Margaret Parisi raised their three sons on Catalpa Avenue in Hackensack.
The Aleutian Islands Conflict
I, Bob Meli, researched this information on the little known Allutian Islands Campaign during World War II and according to the Naval History Web Site, on June 3-4, 1942; Japanese carrier-based aircraft attacked Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands chain of the U.S. Alaska Territory. It has been thought that the object of the Japanese foray into the Aleutians was to divert U.S. forces from the enemy’s focus of effort at Midway. However, the Japanese attacks on Dutch Harbor were actually intended to complement the Midway operation, with the purpose of setting the conditions for a Japanese occupation of the Aleutian Islands, which in turn was to prevent the United States from using them as a base to attack Japan from the north.
The Naval casualties occurred by the Komandorski Islands. This section pertains to the Aleutian Islands Campaign, which began when the Japanese attacked Dutch Harbor in June 1942, followed by the unopposed invasion of Attu and Kiska Islands. To thwart the enemy and subsequent attacks, the U.S. Army established an airbase on Adak Island, which is where Anthony Thomas Parisi’s ship the PC-818 was based, and measures were taken by the U.S. Navy to utilize submarines to attack Japanese enemy ships.
On March 26, 1943, the U.S. Navy intercepted an enemy supply convoy to the Aleutians, resulting in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands. Following persuasion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Rear Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid, USN, to resolve the Alaskan situation, U.S. Forces invaded Attu on May 11, 1943 defeating the Japanese by the end of the month. Subsequently, on August 15, 1943 when U.S. and Canadian Forces invaded Kiska, they found the Japanese had already evacuated. The fierce combat for Attu and the invasion of Kiska, with the harsh weather conditions created 3,929 U.S. casualties: 549 men were killed, 1,148 were wounded, with another 1,200 men suffering severe injuries from the cold weather. In addition, 614 Americans died from disease, and 318 from miscellaneous causes, mainly Japanese booby traps or friendly fire.
The United States Navy had one American cruiser and two destroyers damaged, with seven U.S. sailors killed. Two Japanese cruisers were damaged, with 14 men killed and 26 wounded. Japan thereafter abandoned all attempts to resupply the Aleutian garrisons by surface vessels, and only submarines would be used, which is why ships like the PC-818 that Anthony Thomas Parisi was serving on were continued to be stationed there. Although Anthony Thomas Parisi, whom I knew for so many years growing up, along with so many other servicemen at the time, risked his life to preserve our freedom in a baron far off freezing area by Alaska, to me, I can only think of him as my Little League coach and for those memories, I will always be grateful. For some reason I think that is how he would want it.
Written by:
Bob Meli
May 6, 2020 |