Joseph R. Romano was born in Cleveland, Ohio in November 1923. He had six sisters and three brothers. He was number three. He grew up 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]. His father was a truck driver for the same firm for 52 years with no work disruption even during the Depression. Life was rough during those years. Romano had to work part-time to supplement family income. Romano was 16 years of age when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was listening to the radio when the announcement was made. The news was frightening. He did not know the impact on his life. In August 1943 when he was 18 years of age, he received his draft orders. He wanted to be in the Army, but his IQ [Annotator's Note: intelligence quotient] was too high. His only choices, consequently, would be the Navy or Marines. He wanted the Army so he could be on the ground plus he liked the uniforms. He ended up in the Navy despite not knowing how to swim.

Joseph R. Romano was sent to Great Lakes at Chicago, Illinois [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois] for his boot camp training. It was rough but made him a man after he completed it. It was good training. It was his first time away from home. Romano's two brothers, his son, and five grandsons served in the military. His second brother was in the Army during the war. Boot camp taught him to move fast and join the activities quickly. It was hard but nice. The food was good. He enjoyed being around the people with him. He began to understand people better. He met men from all over the world. He did not stay in contact with any of them afterward. After boot camp, he went to Norfolk, Virginia for gunnery school. He went to navigation school and trained aboard an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. He also learned aircraft recognition. He was there for a couple of months. Afterward, he went to Boston [Annotator's Note: Boston, Massachusetts] to await overseas orders. He arrived in Boston the first part of November [Annotator's Note: November 1943]. Later in the month, he boarded the Queen Elizabeth [Annotator's Note: RMS Queen Elizabeth] for deployment to Scotland. It was his first time on the sea. The ship was congested with 22,000 troops aboard. He had no duties while on the voyage. After some additional training in Scotland, he became a crewman on an English ship called the LCG-449 [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Gun; LCG(L)-449]. It was a 205 foot long, flat bottom boat with two 5-inch guns [Annotator's Note: five-inch, 38 caliber naval guns] and twin 20mm [Annotator's Note: Oerlikon 20mm antiaircraft automatic cannon] for aircraft. Romano and the crew took over the ship and trained for the invasion of Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. The ship went to Wales, Ireland and other areas to train prior to the invasion. He had no leave during the time overseas. He did not know what he was being trained for as a gunner and helmsman.

Joseph R. Romano [Annotator's Note: a gunner and helmsman aboard the Landing Craft, Guns (Large), LCG(L)-449] left England the night of 5 June [Annotator's Note: 5 June 1944] and arrived at Omaha Beach [Annotator's Note: in Normandy, France] the following morning [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. The ship remained there for 15 days. The first night was not a problem, but on the second night, German bombers struck the ship causing extensive damages including knocking out the 5-inch guns [Annotator's Note: five-inch, .38 caliber naval gun]. Romano was part of the crew that checked the LCG for hull leaks. When another bomb struck, it flung him against the galley stove causing his arms to be burned. The ship was nearly out of commission, but it remained there for maneuvers and patrol duty. While proceeding through a minefield [Annotator's Note: areas where mines, stationary explosive devices triggered by physical contact are buried or under the water], LCG-449 rescued 19 of 36 of British Rangers [Annotator's Note: The Rangers; volunteer unit of the British Army] after their vessel had a direct hit. The others did not survive. The rescued Rangers were taken back to their ship. Romano's ship was tasked with shore bombardment with its 5-inch guns before the landings commenced. The ship made multiple passes along the shoreline but after the guns were put out of commission, it was relegated to patrol and antiaircraft duty. Romano and the crew helped each other during the mission. He saw a lot of boys being shot and killed on the beaches. It was not a pretty sight. It was scary and unforgettable. After leaving the secured beaches, he returned to England for transit back to the United States aboard the Queen Mary [Annotator's Note: RMS Queen Mary]. Upon arrival, he had 30 days to report to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California]. After 20 days at home, he reported to San Diego and was assigned to LCM-1010 which was a Landing Craft, Mortar [Annotator's Note: USS LCM-1010]. The Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] did not know about the converted LCMs. They thought they were Landing Craft, Infantry boats. There were 4.2 mortars [Annotator's Note: M2 4.2-inch mortar], 40mm guns [Annotator's Note: Bofors 40mm antiaircraft automatic cannon], and 20mm guns [Annotator's Note: Oerlikon 20mm antiaircraft automatic cannon] installed on LCM-1010 for shore bombardment. After training, the LCM sailed to Hawaii, Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands], Eniwetok [Annotator's Note: Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands], and then to the invasion beaches at Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan].

Joseph R. Romano [Annotator's Note: gun captain aboard the USS LCM-1010] was part of a six-ship flotilla that bombarded the shores of Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 26 March 1945 at Iwo Jima, Japan]. The ships circled around the island over the course of four or five hours expending about 90 rounds or 25,000 pounds of 4.2 mortar ammunition [Annotator's Note: M2 4.2-inch mortar]. Each day involved six or eight hours of action. It was continuous for about ten days. After a month or so, LCM-1010 headed to Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands], Leyte [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines], and Luzon [Annotator's Note: Luzon, Philippines] crossing the International Dateline [Annotator's Note: internationally accepted boundary between one calendar day and the next]. After some maneuvers, the ship headed to Okinawa for that invasion [Annotator's Note: Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945 at Okinawa, Japan]. It was bad for the 30 days the ship was on station. Every day and night, there were bombardments. It was horrible. Romano's LCM helped shoot down a kamikaze [Annotator's Note: Japanese Special Attack Units, also called shimbu-tai, who flew suicide missions in aircraft] plane. The kamikaze landed on the fantail [Annotator's Note: overhang of the deck extending aft of the sternpost of a ship] of a battleship. LCM-1010 recovered the body of the pilot and inspected it before throwing the remains back into the water. Romano retained some of the personal effects of the suicide pilot. There were suicide swimmers and boats so the crew of LCM-1010 had to be alert with machine guns to prevent any attacks. After 35 days, the ship was ordered to Hawaii where it prepared for the invasion of Japan. When the war ended, the point system was used to return veterans to the United States [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. Although Romano had sufficient points, he was assigned to Admiral Halsey's [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey] flagship [Annotator's Note: the USS Hancock (CV-19)]. The Hancock took Romano back to Norfolk, Virginia. He was subsequently discharged in Baltimore, Maryland in December 1945. The return trip involved quite a bit of celebration. Romano even fell asleep in a lady's restroom at one point. Romano was affected by his experiences at Normandy [Annotator's Note: for D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944], but after the war, it really hit him. He developed claustrophobia and had to have shock treatments. It really frightened his family when he would run through the house shouting "air raid" at night. That lasted for five years. He had shell shock treatments. He still has claustrophobia. The worse invasion for Romano was Okinawa. He spent a long time there plus there were daily threats of Jap [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] air attacks and suicide swimmers. The ships had to be guarded 24 hours a day to prevent suicide attacks. Romano served as gun captain for the three mortars on the LCM. During Iwo Jima, Romano tried to warn his officer that one gun had not fired. The officer contradicted Romano and said it did. After another misfire, Romano attempted to warn the officer again, but he was refuted. After the loader attempted to put a third shell in, it would not go. The officer told Romano to go take care of it. That was a hazardous assignment because live rounds in the tube could explode at any time. Nevertheless, Romano tipped the tube and checked it. He found three rounds still in the barrel. He had the shells jettisoned overboard. The incident could have blown the ship to high heaven. Romano suffered two injuries during his wartime invasion experiences. He was severely burned at Normandy and had a hatch blown against his head at Iwo Jima. He never received a Purple Heart [Annotator's Note: the Purple Heart Medal is award bestowed upon a United States service member who has been wounded as a result of combat actions against an armed enemy] for the injuries. After the war, he thought about staying in the Navy, but he had a family waiting for him at home. He remained in the inactive reserves for ten years. He was never called up for active duty.

Joseph R. Romano used the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to obtain a loan to buy a home. He returned to his old job after discharge. He then tried odd jobs before starting his own catering business in about 1968 or 1970. He left an executive vice president job at a catering company to start his own business. In 1986, he retired. He had few transition problems from being a sailor to civilian. He just kept moving forward and had a successful business as a result. He was caregiver for his wife. It depleted his income, but he is very happy with his life. He can experience problems if he sees too many pictures about the war. Following the war, he developed claustrophobia and had nightmares. At times, he would run around the house yelling "air raid". Medications were provided to him to help but the VA [Annotator's Note: United States Department of Veterans Affairs] denied him assistance. They now take care of him. He has 50 percent disability for post traumatic stress. He remembers the help everyone gave each other during the war. They respected one another. He enjoyed meeting and working with people. He fought for his country during the war. It was what he had to do. It made a better man of him. He understands the world, its people and his duties as a result. He sees some negative things going on these days. A third world war is possible. That frightens him because the world will not survive that. World War 2 saved America. The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana] is a great thing. It teaches younger groups about the why the war was fought. Once, in England, he overran his liberty time [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. Returning to his ship late, the captain put him in the brig [Annotator's Note: military prison aboard a Naval vessel or base; slang for jail] for three days. It never went on his record. There were a lot of exciting things and people he met in Wales and Scotland. He sailed on the Queen Mary [Annotator's Note: RMS Queen Mary] and the Queen Elizabeth [Annotator's Note: RMS Queen Elizabeth]. He only had seasickness off Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan] while performing as helmsman. A sailor got sick next to him, and Romano got sick as a result. He preferred serving on a small vessel because it was easier to enjoy himself that on a large ship. He was more relaxed. The captain was all right. Crew and officers were closer. Romano served as a barber on the ship. When the galley stoves were put out of action at Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France], the crew had to eat C-rations [Annotator's Note: prepared and canned wet combat food] for 14 days. He is glad to come out alive and appreciates the time he put in and being able to help the country. The heroes are the boys who did not return from the war. At Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan], Romano observed trenches being dug on the beach. He could not figure what they were for. Then he saw a mound of bodies pushed into it by bulldozers. That was bad and hard to take. Romano also saw the flag raised at Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: United States flag raised on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan, 23 February 1943].