Salvatore DeStefano

When you were discharged what do you remember about coming back to the States?

I remember that it took too long.  We came through San Francisco. I remember the Golden Gate Bridge. It took us 14 days from Tokyo. I remember when we saw the bridge that we were all relieved that we had made it. 

How did you meet your wife?

Rose and I were going out before I went into the service.  We were thinking of getting married, but we said that we had better not. We had better wait and see what happens. At the time that was a good idea because there were a lot of guys that got married and then they got shot up and if they had children then there was no father.  When we were young, our families lived next door to each other. We both lived in tenement buildings.  I was sitting by the road with some friends when she came walking by with her sister and two friends. I told the guy next to me that I was going to ask that girl out. I did, and she said yes.  Rose was a very good woman.  I was home for about a year and a half after the War before we got married in 1947.  My oldest son, Anthony, died when he was 53. My wife and I moved to New Point Ritchie because at that point we wanted to get away from New York.

Rose passed away seven years ago. She died of lymphoma.  She was sick for about three years before that.  It was a shame that she was such a good woman and had to suffer like that. 

What do you do in your leisure time these days?

I come here to the Amelia Island Center on Aging and everyone here is a senior. They are all around my age, some a little older and some a little younger, but at least they are all older people, instead of me trying to spend time with a bunch of young kids. It is good. We pass the time together, play cards, and tell stories. My favorite card came is four kings in a corner. 

How would you like to be remembered?

I don’t think I want to be remembered as anything extraordinary. Just as a good father and grandfather.  Don’t go building any platinum plaques or anything. There are a lot of people out there who build themselves up while they are still alive and they never did anything good.