Robert E. Passanisi |
| World War II, 1939-1946
Army
Headquarters Company, White Combat Team, 1st Battalion, 5307th Provisional Unit
China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater; United States
Staff Sergeant
Brooklyn, NY
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As a high school 17-year-old, Robert Passanisi saw the movie Bataan and was so
inflamed by the portrayal of the Japanese that he tried to enlist in the Marines. They
turned him down because he hadn't graduated from high school, so he tried the Army.
Already skilled in repairing radios, Passanisi was allowed to continue that work in
uniform, but he craved more and decided to volunteer for an overseas mission. He was
told there would be three months of training for a three-month mission; the training didn't
last that long, and the missionin the China-Burma-India Theater as part of Merrill's
Marauderslasted a bit longer. The free spirits who made up the Marauders adapted well
to life as jungle warriors who used cunning and deception to defeat an enemy with
superior manpower.
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