My name is Albert Maniscalco I was born on December 19th, 1918 in Coney Island where I live to this day. I’m two blocks from the ocean. You can’t beat that kind of living. I swam til I was 80 years old (I’m 90 now). I joined the army in 1941 and fought against the Germans for four years. I’m a World War II vet. I think it’s good that we’re in there now fighting the Arab world. They’re not united now but if they ever do unite we are in big trouble. There’s no force like a united Arab world. Thousands of years ago they were the most powerful people in the world. If we don’t fight them now, when they’re weak, we’re going to have to fight them later, when they’re strong. Strong enough to beat us.
You know who hates us more than anybody in the world? Iran. And if they get atomic weapons. Forget about it. We’re done. They would use them. I feel in my heart, in my bones, they would use atomic weapons on us. If we let them get strong enough to hurt us they will hurt us. Believe me, I don’t like war.
I lost my brother Joey in the war, in Japan. He flew over there and nobody knows what happened to him. Either he crashed in the Pacific Ocean or they shot him down. His body was never found. It’s a terrible thing but you know how many people died in that war? Fifty million people. The Russians got it the worst. They lost 20 million people. You know why? Because we let Hitler get stronger and stronger until he was totally out of anyone’s control and I remember all this.
It started in 1932 when he complained about the land he lost in southern Germany back in WWI. Britain capitulated. “No problem,” they said. They thought that would shut him up. Ha! Then that wimp Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister and said Hitler was a friend. Okay, he’s a friend. Fine. “I want Austria” says Hitler. “No problem.” They should have seen the writing on the wall but they were naïve. Next thing you know Hitler’s invaded Poland and killed thousands of people trying to make it German. We could have stopped this guy seven years earlier but no, we had to be the nice guys. And look what happened. Fifty million people dead. Do you not think if we had stopped Hitler it would have saved fifty million lives? Yes or no.
Now we got this guy Sadaam Hussein and that’s great but we can’t leave until we have democracy there because as long as there are dictators and all these religious leaders running the show, we have potential Hitlers.
I don’t want you people to be my age, looking back on your life and realizing you should have stopped someone like Ahmadinejad while you still could. You don’t want to be looking at 50 million dead bodies saying, “We could have done something.” Trust me. I been there. It’s not something you want to repeat.
That’s me in Italy in front of German soldier’s graves. We spent most of our time trying to get past Rommel. It wasn’t easy.
In Africa we had pup tents. You needed two soldiers in each one and I was with this Jewish guy nobody wanted to be with. What a bunch of garbage. We’re all wearing the same uniform. That Jewish kid wasn’t a tough guy and didn’t want any trouble but I was a tough guy.
This was my Italian girlfriend when I was in Africa. She was just a tourist but she couldn’t get out after the war started. Have you ever seen a more beautiful woman in your life? She must be 85 years-old today.
On my motorbike in Africa.
I bought a Harley the day I came back from the war. Fresh from the factory it cost $600. You know how much the same bike is today? At least $20,000.
That’s me in the middle and my brother Joey in the full uniform. He died flying over to bomb Japan. I still miss him to this day.
War is hell but sometimes it’s the lesser of two evils.
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This man has got it right. Probably because he is a real man not a giant baby in a fleece jacket like his baby boomer kids.
02.22.08 at 10:58 am
is tom brokaw making the editorial decisions on this site?
02.22.08 at 11:51 am
Oh. I’m really scared now.
Somebody change his colostomy bag.
02.22.08 at 11:58 am
i fought the gook in Nam and i agree with he says 100%. we got to think premptively or else they can take over and my grandkids will be praying to a heathen god. they already tried to listen to the godless black rap music on cable tv but our family did the right thing and put a stop to it before it got out of hand. if we arent vigelent the same as the nazis can happen to us!
02.22.08 at 11:59 am
cant argue with old people.
02.22.08 at 12:20 pm
I know… why stop with pre-emptively invading Iran? Why not invade the whole world before anyone has a chance to hurt the US? Yah! Anyone could hate us at some vague future point! No more Religious dictators, unless those dictators believe in Jesus, that kind of dictator is a-O.K.! The only way to win a war against people who hate you for constantly bombing them is to bomb them some more, that way they get it through their thick skulls not to mess with the U.S.A! After we win the war on terrorism, when the last terrorist gives up and we invade thier capitol city of Terrorstan then we can start a new war on another undefinable abstract concept! Watch out Jelousy, you and your friend Nervousness better run!
02.22.08 at 12:30 pm
I don’t think there has ever been a bigger DO than this guy. Especially on his bike in Africa.
02.22.08 at 12:49 pm
Uh-oh, I think your hipster fanny-boy reader base is about to cry! I’d kill to have dinner with this man; he makes Chuck Norris look like a squealing Rip Taylor in a Jersey Turnpike rest stop bathroom.
02.22.08 at 1:03 pm
Propaganda is my friend! ;-p
02.22.08 at 1:14 pm
Old people are wise… but they also smell weird and wear diapers.
02.22.08 at 2:13 pm
Are you kidding? Like this decaying fossil understands anything about world issues.
“Blah blah war stories, blah blah…”
02.22.08 at 3:30 pm
You kids probably don’t appreciate this as much as you should… there’s not going to be a lot of guys like Albert around much longer.
02.22.08 at 4:11 pm
I may not agree with this man but I, like he has, would be prepared to fight to my death his right to say it
the world and the situation is vastly different to Europe in the 30s – it’s not simply a matter or appeasment or war anymore
02.22.08 at 4:55 pm
chuck norris heard you say that.
02.22.08 at 5:25 pm
One day you’re riding a Harley and banging hot Italian women, the next you look like…
That’s us one day, if we’re lucky.
02.22.08 at 5:49 pm
War war war war war war war war war war war war war war- Everyone hates the Americans and America because they ARE TO BE feared, that’s why. They are the only nation on the Earth to needlessly drop, not one, but TWO atomic bombs on people. One way for dealing with this pervasive fear in the world, is, bomb the fucking shit out of everyone. Not too sure how China will put up with that, however. That is a huge country with a huge population, What? America will kill 2 billion people or more if needed, before they start nuking other countries?! It’s pretty fucking obvious to pretty much everyone what’s going to fucking happen not too far in the distant future if you ask me, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figger this one out. The old man says to go after Iran! That’s what the U.S. does, it goes after people with less capability for defending itself. Check the history books. When did the U.S. finally enter the second world war?! When it was over. The fucking Russians and the Allies did all the grunt work but here comes the Americans to save the day!and now you hear the refrain everywhere an ignorant American happens to be taking up space, “We saved your skinny ass back in WWII” Really? How did you do that? By sitting on your ass for the most part and getting yourself dirty when it was almost over, that’s how. Now look at you guys, you guys are primarily responsible for what happens next in the world, not fucking hitler. It’s yous guys who are the new Facists. Thank You. Just saying. Okay, Peace.
02.22.08 at 6:09 pm
Nice little piece.
Man, that is so classic, a foreign national gf you met during the war. Lol, cut to a boomer with highlights sharing clothes with his son.
02.22.08 at 6:17 pm
This was a sincere, interesting interview/profile, even if I disagree with his assessment. I wish the Internet was more like this, frankly. I mean, I appreciate seeing Zeus walk amongst the mortals in NYC like anyone, and I enjoy screeds about titties, but this was really, really cool.
Well done, Boner Guys.
02.22.08 at 6:38 pm
muthafutha are you fucking high? Please tell me you’re just some eurotrash faggot who works at a coffee shop and do not have any formal education.
02.22.08 at 9:28 pm
My grandfather fought in the great war. He had my father in his late 60’s. He got the Victoria Cross from saving his leftenant from no-man’s land. He also got drunk and tried to kill my father and grandmother with his service revolver on no less than 3 occasions. After the second world war he got chatting with a german tank commander who obsessisvly wore the iron cross and they formed a lifelong friendship. He was a bastard of the highest order, and everybody who ever knew him says so. Pillar of steel? hero of the old world? fuck that. Violent, unpredictable bigot is what he was. But he taught me several important lessons about war; It fucks you up for life, its completely random as to who lives and dies, the people in charge know nothing, if it was up to soldiers there would be no war. Diplomacy is always the better option. What is interesting is that the collective punishment of the german people after the first world war gave rise to Hitler and his ilk. What will the collective punishment of Iraq and Afghanistan bring?
02.22.08 at 10:27 pm
The “Persopolis” movie that’s out now is about a young girl growing up in Iran, and it’s history of government and people over the last 50 years. It’s really good.
02.23.08 at 12:12 am
All of my grandparents were involved in WWII. The American ones fought and worked in the weapons factories, and their lives were torn apart. The Hungarian ones were forced to hide for years and watch their loved ones die and everything they’d worked for disappear. My 94 year old grandmother still wakes up at night screaming from the memories of seeing her sister and nieces blown up before her very eyes. As someone else above stated, there is no rhyme or reason to who dies in a war. Vets brag about their tactical skills, but it’s a crap shoot. War means that old men get rich and young men die. All of my grandparents are pacifists, and all of them agree that this country needs to tend to its own and quit trying to police the rest of the world.
02.23.08 at 12:06 pm
let me explain first where i’m coming from:first, i’m just as racist as the next guy, to be sure. we all have these tendencies, yes? you have to recognize these tendencies to realize, that, if ya don’t recognize these tendencies early on or unwilling to assimilate different points of view from outside your culture then a person is always right(you) when he or she is clearly wrong(you again). NOW, i know you’d like to envision eurotrash faggots at the bistro on your days off because, well, you’re kinda like one of them, right? i mean, you’d challenge my point of view when everyone already knows dropping atomic bombs on people is stupid, it kinda makes you a complete and utter faggot, just saying.
02.23.08 at 1:06 pm
Listen muthafutha, there’s a reason why 63 years and several wars later America hasn’t used any nuclear weapons again. It’s because none of us want to. You are clearly an idiot, as is almost anyone who tries to generalize a country that they are not from.
02.23.08 at 2:11 pm
yes, several years wars later…….ha,ha. clandestine, illegal, self-serving….well, not-serving the populace but more along the business owners, the politicians, haha! Good one, Guy Incognito!
02.23.08 at 3:12 pm
great article.
also to the commenters:
the rest of the world doesnt hate america. that is bullshit. if you look on this thing called ‘the internet’ you can go to weird foreign forums where they speak in strange languages etc, and theyre all downloading britney spears and t-pain. everybody in the world loves america whether they want to admit it or not.
dont believe that bullshit please.
02.24.08 at 6:54 am
to be completely honest, i don’t care if nuclear weapons are used again, just to be clear.
02.24.08 at 7:11 am
We did that in Vietnam. We tried to prevent something before it happened and it couldn’t be done and we killed thousands. I understand what this guy is saying but it also sucks looking back on that and thinking about all the people we killed for a war we regret.
02.24.08 at 9:33 am
soilders love war, let them have it.
why else did they sign up for the army
02.24.08 at 11:58 pm
really liked this. thanks Gavin or Derrick or whoever. liberals can suck me. vote McCain.
02.26.08 at 1:25 pm
and oh yeah, to those who don’t think the mullahs should be bombed into extinction, check this piece of fucking ridiculousness:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331528,00.html
02.26.08 at 1:42 pm
Moi: The rest of the World DOES hate AMerice. Just because they enjoy our pop music does not mean that they care for us. I know this because I have traveled to most parts of the world. You on the other hand, must get you information from American news.
Next point: What if this old guy is right?
02.27.08 at 1:07 pm
this guy seems ok but that doesn’t mean he understands what’s going on in foreign places today or the kind of threats that exist now as opposed to at the time of WWII.
everyone just implicitly accepts that having militaries (vs. international peacekeeping/counterterrorism/disarmament insurance forces) is necessary…. huge lie, huge costs, financial and otherwise.
PS – the Russians won WWII. Not only did they cause 80% of Nazi loses, but according to the records of Japanese leaders they were the real reason the Japanese wanted to surrender.
Just sayin’.
03.01.08 at 3:10 am
This guy is 100% on point and couldn’t have made a better case.
06.17.08 at 5:56 am
Badass! doesn’t. Would that i were half as sexy as this guy was! I wouldn’t mind living where he is either.
09.04.08 at 8:05 am
[...] in the day, you guys wrote “THE CASE FOR WAR: FROM A WWII VET“. That was bullshit right? I mean, you clearly made that dude up just to get a rise out of [...]
10.07.08 at 2:17 pm
[...] enjoy your dos and don’ts but I was not impressed with your interview with a WWII vet who justified the war. I am equally put off by your “Iraq Report which provides a forum for soldiers who enjoy [...]
10.29.08 at 3:47 pm
Agree with him or not, this guy is a total badass.
12.16.08 at 6:57 pm
This guy! This gentleman drove me from J&R to Park Slope with my new TV this summer. The dude was awesome, rather hard of hearing but full of stories. This dude was 10th Mtn. Division I believe, 2LEGIT2QUIT!
02.04.09 at 3:23 pm
Albert Maniscalco is my mother’s brother–he bravely fought for this country and saved many lives as he was a medic in the Army during WW2–he is still in great shape–As for the comment about Tom Brokaw, Brokaw would never tell it like it is like my uncle—to me he was a great uncle when I was a small kid in Brooklyn–and unlike the moaning crybabies of today—-a REAL man–I’m proud of his determination and bearing—a real man of respect.
07.06.09 at 1:03 pm
To muthafutha and all the rest of the disrespectful assholes. You probably would have screamed MAMA HELP first when one of those Nazi’s or some other evildoer would come for you, maybe to chop your head off. All you peace loving liberals are the first to cry foul when the going gets tough and no one comes to help you. You disgust me!
09.28.09 at 8:34 pm
“They are the only nation on the Earth to needlessly drop, not one, but TWO atomic bombs on people.”
Because the Shinto Japanese culture was heavy on suicide and the Japanese people were being armed with bamboo spears for a last dash into oblivion once the U.S. Marines and Army began landing on the Japanese mainland. The brass gestimated a million dead U.S. troops for the invasion of Honshu alone, if memory serves me correctly… Our casualty estimates in the Pacific were always lower than the number of mangled corpses we would bring home.
The Japanese weren’t treating our or allied P.O.W.s too humanely. 1 in 3 died in captivity and were enduring things like slave labor & starvation, transportation in “hell ships” and some endured “medical experiments” at the hands of Unit 731.
12.06.09 at 8:22 am
“The fucking Russians and the Allies did all the grunt work but here comes the Americans to save the day!and now you hear the refrain everywhere an ignorant American happens to be taking up space, “We saved your skinny ass back in WWII”
We supplied your European skinny asses in WWII after the Germans handed you your ass on a platter. Try waging a war without proper logistics, it’s a non-starter.
Yes, the Russians did win the war in Europe. 80% of the Germans slain were killed fighting in Russia. America won the lion’s share of the war in the Pacific. We provided most of the trucks, shipping and cargo aircraft that the Russians and other allies used to fight the Germans. BTW, British labor unions resisted mass production methods and produced a fleet of trucks that had 1/3 with mechanical defects rendering them inoperable. The U.S. picked up the slack and kept the Brits rolling by supplying 2 1/2 ton trucks we needed for our own forces.
The war kicked off in September of 1939 with the invasion of Poland. Our military was slightly larger than Romania’s and we were crippled by the depression, so intervention was impossible at that time. We officially entered the war on December 7th, 1941. Prior to our official entry, we conducted armed escorted shipping convoys to Great Britain, re-arming the British and Free Allied Forces, who had lost most of their heavy equipment when France was evacuated. Our Navy was at war with Germany before our whole Nation was.
Great Britain and France had treaty obligations with Poland. 80% of the German Wehrmacht was used to invade Poland. The Armies of Great Britan and France could have WALKED into Germany and ended the war while the heroic Poles were going toe to toe with the bulk of the Nazis and ended the war before it became the blood bath that exterminated millions.
America cannot claim we won the war by ourselves, I freely admit that, but I won’t listen to Eurotrash belittle my country when they have no grounds to lord over us, either. Your ancestors set the stage for WWII and FAILED to nip Hitler in the bud when you had the chance, those are the folks who should be berated about WWII, not us.
12.06.09 at 8:55 am
my father passed on firday in Las Vegas
he was 93 years old. He want not only a great father and grand father
but he was also my best friend
love you dad!
albert jr
05.08.11 at 10:51 am