Edward J. Manzi was born in Waterbury, Connecticut in February 1924 and grew up in nearby Woodbury. He was one of five children whose father owned a successful restaurant and grocery, which provided well for his family during the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. He was hit by a car three times during his childhood. He attended public school and graduated from high school. He took two years of college courses in business administration, while helping his father in the restaurant, and later he worked in the post office. He then went into the insurance business and stayed in that profession for many years. As a boy, Manzi was not aware of the rising hostilities in Europe and Asia because he was too involved in sports. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] he was swept up in the patriotic fervor of the moment and wanted to “go blow them up.” He was shocked by the audacity of the attack. His two brothers were drafted into the military before him. As the youngest boy in the family, Manzi’s entrance into the Army was hard on the family as the boys were needed to help with the family business. In 1944, he was inducted at Fort Devens [Annotator’s Note: Fort Devens, Massachusetts] before being sent to Camp Haan, California for basic training and then on to Camp Irwin [Annotator’s Note: in California] for artillery training in the Mojave Desert. He was sent to various camps for training until finally being sent to New Jersey to board a ship for overseas deployment.

Edward J. Manzi was drafted into the Army and sent to Camp Haan, California for basic training. He quickly learned to follow orders in the Army without question, even though he felt that many non-commissioned soldiers giving orders should have been the ones taking orders. Manzi was assigned to the 569th Anti-Aircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion as the chief of a gun crew in A Battery. He describes the makeup of the outfit and the weapons each gun grew was equipped with, especially the 40mm [Annotator's Note: Bofors 40mm antiaircraft automatic cannon]. On his trip overseas he mostly stayed on deck because he was seasick. The ship zig-zagged [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] as it crossed the Atlantic to avoid submarines. He looked at the Germans as the enemy, and he had to fight or be killed. After arriving in England, the 569th underwent additional maneuvers in preparation for combat. While in England, he met a family that he kept in touch with after the war. After his unit landed in Le Havre [Annotator’s Note: Le Havre, France], Manzi entered combat in the Colmar Pocket [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Colmar Pocket, area in Alsace, France, 20 January to 9 February 1945] where the 569th offered protection for engineer units along the front. He mentions repeatedly how many of their shots at incoming aircraft often missed the target. The only thing on his mind in combat situations was “Get rid of them before they get rid of you.”

Edward J. Manzi lost one of his crewmen because he stepped on a mine and blew his foot. Manzi’s men obeyed him because he did not give them crap. He was not a tough, gritty sergeant. He described his action when enemy planes flew above them and began strafing. He usually remained in his position and shot at them. After crossing the Rhine River in March 1945, the 569th Anti-Aircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion had their weapons taken and were converted into security forces responsible for capturing any remaining Germans in various towns and villages. He entered a house where there were rows of antique guns. His unit confiscated the guns and burned them. After the fact, he thought burning the weapons was a stupid idea. When he interacted with Germans, he just focused on carrying out his orders. He was not rude to them, but he made sure to follow his orders. When the Germans surrendered in May 1945, they were happy, but they soon realized that work was not done yet. He continued guard duty in Le Havre [Annotator’s Note: Le Havre, France] for four months until he was sent back to the United States.

Edward J. Manzi returned home and surprised his parents at their family restaurant in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was discharged in 1946 as a staff sergeant. He did not have any difficulty adjusting to civilian life after World War 2. He went to work helping his parents at their restaurant, then worked in the post office, and then began working in insurance business.

Edward J. Manzi’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was seeing a lot of dead bodies. He fought because he was drafted into service. By serving in the military, he was able to meet all different kinds of people. He believes that if America did not defeat the Germans, we would be under a Nazi dictatorship. Manzi believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations to prevent future war.