Charles Magnifico was born in 1923 in Jersey City, New Jersey during the Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945]. He was one of eight children. He lost his youngest brother to a fire accident. His father was employed as a longshoreman. Magnifico left high school at 16 to work. He pressed robes that were sent to hospitals. He was shocked when he heard that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. The day after Easter in 1943 [Annotator's Note: 26 April 1943], Magnifico enlisted in the Army and was sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey for induction. After completing his six month basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi] for two weeks. Magnifico thought he was a good soldier and got through training. Then he was put on a train and sent to Camp Myles Standish [Annotator's Note: in Taunton, Massachusetts]. Not long after, he boarded a transport ship and sailed for England. It took about five days to cross the Atlantic. He slept in a hammock and the food was bad. In England, he was assigned to the 5th Infantry Division and continued to train. Even though it was supposed to be a secret when they left for Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France], the townspeople came out to give the division a farewell. His unit landed at Utah Beach a couple of days after D-Day [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. As they landed, they were strafed by German airplanes. They were hit by heavy resistance as they advanced inland. His unit moved through France rapidly until they reached the outskirts of Metz [Annotator's Note: Metz, France]. The Army had run out of gas, and the advance stopped completely. They dug foxholes and he lived in a foxhole for over three weeks. During this time, Magnifico had a close call when an artillery shell landed right by him. It was a dud and never exploded. Around November 1944, during a small skirmish, Magnifico's friend was hit in the arm with shrapnel. He took his friend to the aid station, and Magnifico found out he had a very bad case of trench foot [Annotator's Note: immersion foot syndrome]. He was shipped back to England to the hospital for treatment. He also contracted pneumonia and stayed in the hospital for a few months. [Annotator's Note: A telephone rings at 0:11:30.000.] The doctors would check his feet every day to see if he had any feeling. He did not for quite a while and thought he might lose his feet. He started to get bored staying in bed, so he wheeled himself out of his room one day to try to watch a movie.

Charles Magnifico still suffers today from his injuries [Annotator's Note: Magnifico developed immersion foot syndrome, or trench foot, and was hospitalized]. He was not allowed back in combat, so the Army assigned him to the 296th MP Company [Annotator's Note: 296th Military Police Company] in Berlin [Annotator's Note: Berlin, Germany]. He worked with a partner and kept the peace in the area. His headquarters was out of a telephone company building. Many of the local people were hungry and wanted jobs. Some of the Germans continued to resist and Magnifico had to deal with them. He was arrested by Russian officials when he accidentally went into the Russian territory of Berlin. Eventually he was released. There were several G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also, a slang term for an American soldier] being detained by the Russians. [Annotator's Notes: Music can be heard in the background at 17:30.000.] Magnifico was sent to Camp Lucky Strike [Annotator's Note: one of the transit and rehabilitation camps in France named after popular cigarette brands; Lucky Strike was near Le Havre, France] to be shipped back to America. He returned home on the USS Washington (BB-56). It was a horrible experience because they went through very bad weather. They made it to New York [Annotator's Note: New York, New York] on Christmas Eve 1945. He was discharged and returned home to Jersey City, New Jersey. Magnifico used the G.I. Bill for photography classes. He made a career in law enforcement, first in the police force for 12 years, then secured a dress shop, and finally became a security guard in a prison. [Annotator's Note: Video cuts off while Magnifico is still speaking at 0:22:44.490.]