"I had a difficult time saying something and not saying something." (Audio Interview, 42:30)

Spiro Cappony

Spiro Cappony in Greece [March 1944] War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Navy Unit: Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Service Location: Great Lakes, Illinois; Virginia; Oran, Algeria; Turkey; Greece Highest Rank: Petty Officer First Class Place of Birth: Gary, IN

It's not every recruit who gets interviewed for special service in the military by a Hollywood actor, but Spiro Cappony can claim that Sterling Hayden not only chatted him up for a position in the OSS but actually bunked with him during training exercises. The two men parted ways once they got abroad, Hayden to Italy and Yugoslavia, and Cappony to Turkey and Greece. The Turks were aiding Germany with ore shipments, and it was the job of OSS operatives like Cappony, who spoke fluent Greek, to enlist guerrilla fighters to prevent those shipments. Cappony had to watch his back; some of his supposed Greek allies might be collaborators.