Youth
William Guarnere was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest of 10 children, to Joseph "Joe" and Augusta Guarnere, who were of Italian origin. He joined the Citizens Military Training Camp (CMTC) program during the Great Depression. Guarnere's mother told the Government her son was 17 while he was, in fact, only 15. He spent three summers in the CMTC, which took four years to complete. The plan was: upon completing his training, he would become an officer in the United States Army. Unfortunately, after his third year the program was canceled due to the pending war in Europe.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor and six months before graduation, Guarnere left South Philadelphia High School and went to work for Baldwin Locomotive Works, making Sherman tanks for the Army. This greatly upset his mother because none of the other children had graduated from high school. In response, Guarnere switched to the night shift and returned to school, earning his diploma in 1941. Because of his job he had an exemption from military service, but did not use it.
On August 31, 1942 in his hometown, Guarnere enlisted in the paratroops and started training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia.
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Famous quotes containing the word youth:
“Remember thee?
Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee?
Yea, from the table of my memory
I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past
That youth and observation copied there,
And thy commandment all alone shall live
Within the book and volume of my brain,”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“We have all heard of Young America. He is the most current youth of the age.
Some think him conceited, and arrogant; but has he not reason to entertain a rather extensive opinion of himself? Is he not the inventor and owner of the present, and sole hope of the future?”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“I’ve never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom and joy. It’s probably because they have forgotten their own.”
—Margaret Atwood (b. 1939)