Alex Pisciotta

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Children’s Librarians Assisting History Teachers Website Review

Authored by Chris Lund

http://wwiresources.yolasite.com

Website created by Joseph Pascullo, Tanya Burgess, Roseann Podias and Bernadette Regina

Cpl. Alex Pisciotta in full uniform, France, circa 1917

Cpl. Alex Pisciotta in full uniform, France, circa 1917

This website tells the story of Corporal Alex Pisciotta, an Italian Immigrant who served the United States Army during World War I.  The narratives on the site are presented in the first person, as if written by Pisciotta himself, and are complemented by a series of photographs, all taken by Pisciotta.  The overall presentation gives the feel of a real-time blog written by a World War I soldier.  The underlying purpose of this style of presentation is its potential to attract and engage a younger audience, which in turn can assist school teachers in their efforts to teach students about World War I. Continue reading →

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Alex Pisciotta Papers: Letter to Mother

Authored by Liza Young

Letter written by Alex Pisciotta to his mother while deployed in France and working on a farm during World War I.

Letter written by Alex Pisciotta to his mother while deployed in France and working on a farm during World War I.

Alex Pisciotta was a US attorney, Judge Advocate, Assistant Chief Attorney, and Mayor of Lake Grove, Long Island, just mention a few of his career highlights. His vocation of serving country and government began at the age of twenty when he enlisted in the US Army during World War I. Pisciotta was one of more than two million men trained by General John J. Pershing and deployed overseas for President Wilson’s American Expeditionary Force (AEF). In 1918 the AEF joined France and England in the battle to expel the Germans from French territory. Three-quarters of these men faced the horrors of battle, resulting in 320,710 total casualties, yet Pisciotta’s documentation of his deployment is without reference to adversity. Pisciotta’s regiment was one of the lucky few that was never sent into battle. His letters home, such as this one written to his mother on August 26th, 1918, are filled with accounts that must have soothed the nerves of his family. On stationary provided by the supportive YMCA, Pisciotta describes a rather peaceful experience serving in the farm detail, sightseeing, and playing ball with the boys from a nearby artillery.  Continue reading →

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Alex Pisciotta Photo Album Page

Authored by Giovanna Fiorino-Iannace

Alexander Pisciotta Photo Album Page

Alexander Pisciotta Photo Album Page

The American Expeditionary Forces in France were deployed to help the French during World War I in 1918. The severity of the situation during this period is difficult to imagine when viewing some of the personal photographs taken by Alex Pisciotta during his time with the American Expeditionary Forces from 1917 to 1919. In an article published in January 1919, Gregory Mason, the Staff Correspondent of the Outlook with the American Expeditionary Force, wrote about “How America Finished” and commented on the experience of the military men during World War I.  Continue reading →

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Alexander Pisciotta and World War I

Authored by Ellen Elsen

Center for Migration Studies

Page 1 of a letter from Alexander Pisciotta to his father, dated August 12, 1918.

 

Center for Migration Studies

Black and white photograph of fort, by Alexander Pisciotta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This letter is part of the Alex Pisciotta Papers, 1918-1981 at the Center for Migration Studies in New York. Alex Pisciotta served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, and worked as a lawyer and local politician, incorporating the town of Lake Grove, Long Island and serving as its first mayor. Continue reading →