Nicholas Ventura, Sr. was born in Trenton, New Jersey in June 1923 and spent some of his youth in Scranton, Pennsylvania 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 could not pay a bank loan, so one day, everything was taken from them except for the clothes on their backs. He grew up with two brothers and one sister. His two brothers served in the Air Force during World War 2. His father worked as a superintendent at a silk mill. Ventura’s neighbor gave him a job when he was seven years old. He helped deliver milk to houses. All the money he made was given to his family. Ventura explained how difficult life was when his father lost all their money. His mother would go to the farmers’ market early in the morning to pick up scraps of food to bring home and use. Because his father had a good job, they lived in a nice house, and they rented out a little apartment to schoolteachers. Ventura was at work when he first heard the news about the attack [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was devastated because he knew that his brothers and himself would have to go into war. His mother was devastated when all three of her sons were in the service. Ventura was 18 years old when he joined the service. He was working as a sheet medal mechanic prior to joining. The draft gave him a 90-day extension to train another person to do his job at the factory.

Nicholas Ventura Sr. joined the Army and was sent to Spartanburg, South Carolina for basic training for 10 weeks. He trained as a combat infantryman. Ventura saw that many of the men were homesick. There were many fights between the northerners and southerners. He became friends with two guys while at boot camp. One did not return home. His other friend was wounded on the front line but survived. He joined the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division at Fort Meade, Maryland as a rifleman. He boarded a Japanese ship captured the by the British which was being used as a troop ship. It carried 1,200 G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] and 200 pilots. The ship crossed the Atlantic in six days with two submarines scares. The accommodations were terrible. His room was five decks below, which he shared with 50 other people and slept in a hammock. Ventura contracted seasickness on his third day aboard. His shipped docked in Casablanca [Annotator’s Note: Casablanca, Morocco]. He was sent to Algeria for 90-days of mountain climbing training. When he completed that, he boarded a ship to Italy. The terrain was terrible, and there was very little farming. One night in Africa, they had a group of entertainers that performed for the troops. He crossed the Mediterranean on a British ship and docked at Naples [Annotator’s Note: Naples, Italy]. Then he and his unit were taken to a school to rest.

In February 1943, Nicholas Ventura Sr. [Annotator’s Note: with the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] landed in Naples, Italy. He had his first combat experience at Monte Cassino [Annotator’s Note: near Cassino, Italy]. He was selected to go on night patrol. He came across a dead German lying near an artillery gun. Ventura had to wear glasses which he thought were a danger to his life. He feared that the glare of the glasses could get him shot. His patrol hit a German outpost and they were fired upon by machine guns. Everyone retreated down the mountain and Ventura was the first one down. He came upon a group of G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] manning a machine gun. Ventura ran past them and into a minefield, but somehow survived. Throughout his time in combat, he was put on patrol several times. On another patrol, he came upon a German machine gun hidden by olive trees and got out quick. When his regiment had to take over towns, the German snipers were young boys. During his first battle, he had shells dropped near him, but was able to survive. On another occasion, he was attacked by SS troops [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization] who almost killed him. The weather and terrain affected the way his unit fought. It was very rainy and the mountains were steep. They often woke up in snow.

Nicholas Ventura Sr. [Annotator’s Note: with the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] took part in liberating Rome [Annotator’s Note: Rome, Italy]. The battle was intense, especially because of the German snipers. The enemy held them back for three days. His company was put on trucks and rode around the city. After the Americans liberated the city, Ventura was able to go into the city. He reunited with a friend in Rome. He did not mingle too much with the local people, but they were nice to the Americans. He saw one friend shot in the stomach during combat on their way into Rome. Ventura did not stay very long in Rome because his regiment was ordered to advance ahead. They were eventually taken off the front and sent to a rest area to shower. One of his tent mates accidentally set off a gun and punched holes in the tent and Ventura’s bedroll. The Germans often booby-trapped houses, and on one incident Ventura came across a German booby trap in a house. The house smelled of food to lure Americans into the house. One night, he went on patrol and came across a cemetery where the walls were blown out. He spent the night searching for the holes in the wall. He spent seven days at the cemetery living in a tomb. After three nights, he heard the cemetery gate open, and his patrol found a German officer surrendering. [Annotator’s Note: Video break 0:56:11.000.] After they left Rome, the terrain became difficult and the Germans had covered the paths which would leave the Americans lost or at dead ends. The Germans were good soldiers and fought well. On one patrol, they came across a German encampment, and he had to stay hidden the whole night and wait for them to move out in the morning.

Nicholas Ventura Sr. [Annotator’s Note: with the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] crossed the Arno River [Annotator’s Note: near Florence, Italy]. He was scared to death because he did not know how to swim. He was loaded with ammunition including four grenades, and he was exhausted. His unit was taken to an open field where they received a lot of shelling. The following day, his regiment was given 8-men boats to cross the river. He could see the Tower of Pisa [Annotator’s Note: is the bell tower of Pisa Cathedral in Pisa, Italy] as he crossed the Arno River. Some of his fellow G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also a slang term for an American soldier] had to help him onto the bank of the river. He was soaking wet after he made it across. They continued their advance towards the Gothic Line [Annotator’s Note: a German defensive line of the Italian Campaign]. Ventura had no appetite for C rations [Annotator's Note: prepared and canned wet combat food]. Before they went into battle at the Po Valley, his regiment was pulled off the line for showers, new clothing, and training. He rode on a tank into the Po Valley. He witnessed tank warfare. The difficult part about being in the Po Valley was staying together. There was so much smoke everywhere. There was a lot of chaos. His regiment advanced toward the Alps and into the town of Bologna [Annotator’s Note: Bologna, Italy]. While he was in the mountains, he found a cave where six nuns and children had been living for three years. The war came to an end when his unit reached the Brenner Pass [Annotator's Note: a mountain pass through the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria]. Four German officers came over with a white flag to surrender. His regiment then packed up and reported to Verona airfield [Annotator’s Note: Verona, Italy]. He then had to escort prisoners to Austria.

Nicholas Ventura Sr. [Annotator’s Note: with the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] served occupation duty in Italy for a short time and then was given orders to go home on the USS Wasp [CV-7] aircraft carrier. He landed in Newport News, Virginia. He was one of three original men left from his company. He was so happy to be back in America because there were times when he thought he would never make it home. He was surprised how fast he was sent home. Ventura was discharged in June 1945 at Fort Meade, Maryland as a corporal. He had difficulty readjusting to civilian life. He was very shaky and jumpy for two years. He did not want to go to work because he felt anxious about his responsibilities. He did eventually go back to the job he had before he went into service.

Nicholas Ventura Sr.’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was hearing men crying at night for their mothers. It was a terrible sight to see dead men all over. He enjoyed that the local civilians were happy to see Americans. He never thought of himself as a liberator. He just did his job. Ventura fought in World War 2 because he had a strong feeling for his country. He wanted to defend his country and help the Europeans. He does not think the war changed his life, but he felt sad about his experiences. He believes America is one of the best countries in the world and is proud to be American. He believes many Americans today are spoiled rotten. Ventura believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because it is a war to be remembered.