Private First Class Joseph J Stefani
Joseph John Stefani was born on December 22nd, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan to Caroline Trogi and Angelo Stefani, both Italian immigrants. He was the first of three kids from Caroline, who later changed her name to Arlene, and lived with six other step siblings from his fathers first marriage until the majority of them moved out. Joseph attended local schools while also helping support his mother when Angelo sadly passed away in 1938. After starting his freshman year of high school, tensions brewing abroad due to World War Two suddenly consumed the United States when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Joseph was not old enough to serve when his country first began mobilizing for war, but instead waited patiently for his 18th birthday to do his part.
Enlistment
Finally, on April 10th, 1944, Joseph enlisted in the Marine Corps and endured three months of boot camp, during which he qualified as a sharpshooter, before joining the 6th Training Battalion at Camp Pendleton for additional instruction. The month of August for members of his unit was apparently prime time to go AWOL in the neighboring city of Los Angeles, which Private Stefani had no problem participating in. From 6:00 AM on the 19th to 8:00 PM the following day, he was absent from his station and promptly apprehended and thrown in jail to await his sentence. His endeavors awarded him five days in solitary confinement and a $30 fine, which he served in September. The timing could not have been better. On October 16th, Pvt Stefani transferred to the 14th Replacement Draft bound for the Pacific, and he would not see home for the next two years.
His unit got underway on the USS General C G Morton on November 10th, and after a brief stop at Pearl Harbor, arrived at Guadalcanal to distribute replacements to the units training there. Private Stefani was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Marines of the newly formed 6th Marine Division on the 29th, which was made up of combat units that had just fought at Guam earlier in the year. These experienced veterans would teach replacements like Stefani valuable lessons and tactics they had learned while battling the fanatic Japanese. What they had gone though could not compare to the hell that awaited them on Okinawa.
Okinawa
On March 15th, Private Stefani and the 22nd Marines left Guadalcanal aboard the USS Monrovia to rehearse amphibious assaults before continuing with the invasion force to Okinawa. During the early morning of April 1st, the fire support force began bombarding the island with over 44,000 shells before the Marines boarded landing crafts and made their way to the beaches. Every second they expected enemy fire, but none was encountered by the time Private Stefani landed on Green Beach before 9:30 PM. This was extremely puzzling to those who had grown accustomed to heavy resistance on the first day, but the allied forces capitalized on the abnormality and began cautiously moving inland. During the next few days, the 6th Marine Division captured Nagahama before finally running into the enemy, who put up a ferocious fight from ridgetops and caves. The 22nd Marines had succeeded in reaching the L plus 15 line in just four days, and it seemed like the operation could be over in no time. What they didn’t know was that the Japanese had a new tactic meant to maximize American casualties through a series of heavily fortified strongpoints across the island, and they were about to run into them.
From the 4th to 7th, the 22nd Marines spearheaded the advance up Ishikawa Isthmus where they intercepted enemy stragglers, but stronger resistance was mounting. The 6th Marine Division then turned their attention to Motobu Peninsula, especially Mount Yae-Take’s heights, which was captured on the 18th by other elements of the division. After this point however, enemy positions began whittling away at Marine and Army forces on the island as they began to encounter their intricate defenses. Private Stefani’s unit was relatively fortunate for the month of April in avoiding many casualties due to being in reserve and not spearheading assaults, but this would all change when they relieved the 7th Marines on the bluffs north of the Asa River on May 8th. They now overlooked the entrenched city of Naha in the 1st Marine Division zone of action.
Naha
Two days later, Private Stefani and the 22nd Marines crossed the Asa estuary via a small footbridge during the morning and advanced into the town. Resistance immediately multiplied, but the marines were able to establish a foothold 350 yards beyond the river banks by nightfall and continued on near the Shuri Heights. Enemy infantry brilliantly interlocked their fire in this area and completely decimated an entire company from Private Stefani’s battalion advancing on a neighboring hill. Company C managed to charge the position and secured it with only eighty men remaining. Progress for the 12th to 13th was understandably slow for the 1st Battalion as they advanced near Amike-ground which the Japanese made into a key point in Shuri. Their 3rd and 2nd Battalions were simultaneously locked in the horrendous Sugar Loaf Hill meat grinder until the 19th, and the ten day period in this sector had cost the division over 2,500 killed in action.
Nevertheless, Private Stefani’s 22nd Marines quickly captured the city of Naha by the 27th after patrols revealed a lack of enemy presence, and continued to the Kokuba Hills where the Japanese fought a deadly battle against the Marines. Private Stefani and his unit managed to capture Hills 27, 4.6 and 98 by June 1st, although they had been repulsed multiple times. Immediately the 22nd Marines were placed in corps reserve due to how many casualties they had suffered, but their rest would only last until the 6th, when they moved to Oroku Peninsula to support the 1st Marine Division. They were ordered to attack along the northwest with the 4th Marines to their left, and with the Japanese boxed in, there were no soft spots in the line. Every inch of ground was contested by machine guns, 20mm, and 40mm fire that took a deadly toll on their remaining men. The Japanese had been confined to an area no larger than 1,000 by 2,000 yards by June 10th, and launched a series of desperate counter attacks during the night that were met with failure. The Marines pushed onwards until Oroku was declared secure on the 15th, and the entire island finally fell on June 21st. The bloody battle of Okinawa was over.
Occupation
The weary survivors of the 22nd Marines boarded the USS Golden City on July 8th and disembarked on Guam for a well deserved rest and to resume training for the invasion of Japan. This never materialized, as Japan unconditionally surrendered on September 2nd, ending World War Two to everyone's relief. Private First Class Stefani’s unit was quickly ordered to China to accept the surrender of Japanese forces there, and to repatriate them back to Japan. They arrived at Tsingtao on 12th and immediately began the new task of an occupational force for the following eight months, during which Stefani gained the roles of company runner and clerk. He ended his overseas service with Company K, 4th Marine Regiment, due to the 22nd Marines disbanding in March of 1946, and returned to the states in July for processing and discharge. Private First Class Stefani was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on August 13thm 1946 and returned home to Detroit, Michigan to the relief of his family. Joseph later met and married Berniece Glenn in 1949 and had two children. It is unknown what he did in his civilian life, other than living in Michigan until his death on July 11th, 1996.
Enlistment
Finally, on April 10th, 1944, Joseph enlisted in the Marine Corps and endured three months of boot camp, during which he qualified as a sharpshooter, before joining the 6th Training Battalion at Camp Pendleton for additional instruction. The month of August for members of his unit was apparently prime time to go AWOL in the neighboring city of Los Angeles, which Private Stefani had no problem participating in. From 6:00 AM on the 19th to 8:00 PM the following day, he was absent from his station and promptly apprehended and thrown in jail to await his sentence. His endeavors awarded him five days in solitary confinement and a $30 fine, which he served in September. The timing could not have been better. On October 16th, Pvt Stefani transferred to the 14th Replacement Draft bound for the Pacific, and he would not see home for the next two years.
His unit got underway on the USS General C G Morton on November 10th, and after a brief stop at Pearl Harbor, arrived at Guadalcanal to distribute replacements to the units training there. Private Stefani was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Marines of the newly formed 6th Marine Division on the 29th, which was made up of combat units that had just fought at Guam earlier in the year. These experienced veterans would teach replacements like Stefani valuable lessons and tactics they had learned while battling the fanatic Japanese. What they had gone though could not compare to the hell that awaited them on Okinawa.
Okinawa
On March 15th, Private Stefani and the 22nd Marines left Guadalcanal aboard the USS Monrovia to rehearse amphibious assaults before continuing with the invasion force to Okinawa. During the early morning of April 1st, the fire support force began bombarding the island with over 44,000 shells before the Marines boarded landing crafts and made their way to the beaches. Every second they expected enemy fire, but none was encountered by the time Private Stefani landed on Green Beach before 9:30 PM. This was extremely puzzling to those who had grown accustomed to heavy resistance on the first day, but the allied forces capitalized on the abnormality and began cautiously moving inland. During the next few days, the 6th Marine Division captured Nagahama before finally running into the enemy, who put up a ferocious fight from ridgetops and caves. The 22nd Marines had succeeded in reaching the L plus 15 line in just four days, and it seemed like the operation could be over in no time. What they didn’t know was that the Japanese had a new tactic meant to maximize American casualties through a series of heavily fortified strongpoints across the island, and they were about to run into them.
From the 4th to 7th, the 22nd Marines spearheaded the advance up Ishikawa Isthmus where they intercepted enemy stragglers, but stronger resistance was mounting. The 6th Marine Division then turned their attention to Motobu Peninsula, especially Mount Yae-Take’s heights, which was captured on the 18th by other elements of the division. After this point however, enemy positions began whittling away at Marine and Army forces on the island as they began to encounter their intricate defenses. Private Stefani’s unit was relatively fortunate for the month of April in avoiding many casualties due to being in reserve and not spearheading assaults, but this would all change when they relieved the 7th Marines on the bluffs north of the Asa River on May 8th. They now overlooked the entrenched city of Naha in the 1st Marine Division zone of action.
Naha
Two days later, Private Stefani and the 22nd Marines crossed the Asa estuary via a small footbridge during the morning and advanced into the town. Resistance immediately multiplied, but the marines were able to establish a foothold 350 yards beyond the river banks by nightfall and continued on near the Shuri Heights. Enemy infantry brilliantly interlocked their fire in this area and completely decimated an entire company from Private Stefani’s battalion advancing on a neighboring hill. Company C managed to charge the position and secured it with only eighty men remaining. Progress for the 12th to 13th was understandably slow for the 1st Battalion as they advanced near Amike-ground which the Japanese made into a key point in Shuri. Their 3rd and 2nd Battalions were simultaneously locked in the horrendous Sugar Loaf Hill meat grinder until the 19th, and the ten day period in this sector had cost the division over 2,500 killed in action.
Nevertheless, Private Stefani’s 22nd Marines quickly captured the city of Naha by the 27th after patrols revealed a lack of enemy presence, and continued to the Kokuba Hills where the Japanese fought a deadly battle against the Marines. Private Stefani and his unit managed to capture Hills 27, 4.6 and 98 by June 1st, although they had been repulsed multiple times. Immediately the 22nd Marines were placed in corps reserve due to how many casualties they had suffered, but their rest would only last until the 6th, when they moved to Oroku Peninsula to support the 1st Marine Division. They were ordered to attack along the northwest with the 4th Marines to their left, and with the Japanese boxed in, there were no soft spots in the line. Every inch of ground was contested by machine guns, 20mm, and 40mm fire that took a deadly toll on their remaining men. The Japanese had been confined to an area no larger than 1,000 by 2,000 yards by June 10th, and launched a series of desperate counter attacks during the night that were met with failure. The Marines pushed onwards until Oroku was declared secure on the 15th, and the entire island finally fell on June 21st. The bloody battle of Okinawa was over.
Occupation
The weary survivors of the 22nd Marines boarded the USS Golden City on July 8th and disembarked on Guam for a well deserved rest and to resume training for the invasion of Japan. This never materialized, as Japan unconditionally surrendered on September 2nd, ending World War Two to everyone's relief. Private First Class Stefani’s unit was quickly ordered to China to accept the surrender of Japanese forces there, and to repatriate them back to Japan. They arrived at Tsingtao on 12th and immediately began the new task of an occupational force for the following eight months, during which Stefani gained the roles of company runner and clerk. He ended his overseas service with Company K, 4th Marine Regiment, due to the 22nd Marines disbanding in March of 1946, and returned to the states in July for processing and discharge. Private First Class Stefani was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on August 13thm 1946 and returned home to Detroit, Michigan to the relief of his family. Joseph later met and married Berniece Glenn in 1949 and had two children. It is unknown what he did in his civilian life, other than living in Michigan until his death on July 11th, 1996.