Over the years, Luciano “Louis” Charles Graziano would write notes on scraps of paper and throw them into a box containing old photographs.
They were for his book, said Graziano, 98, who finally got around to publishing his story in 2019.
His daughter, Kim Evans, said all she and her siblings knew for many years was that both of her parents served in France during World War II, but little else. Now she and the rest of the world know of a remarkable time in his life — landing on Omaha Beach with the third wave on D-Day and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge. He may be the last living witness to the Germans’ signing of the instrument of surrender at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Reims, France in May 1945.
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When Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941, Graziano was living in New York, cutting and styling hair. The son of Italian immigrants who came through Ellis Island, Graziano answered Uncle Sam’s call in 1943. He headed to Fort Niagara, N.Y., where he was told to shave his mustache — “or else.”
“I didn’t know what ‘or else’ was, so I shaved it,” said Graziano.
Before he left, he made a recording for his father.
“I told him everything we were going to do to Mussolini, and everything happened just like I said. He played that record every day I was gone,” he said.
After training in the United States, he was sent to England via the “Queen Mary,” which was an ocean liner not a military transport ship. Quarters were cramped, he said. To roll over in his bunk he had to get out and get back in. He only did that one night and after that moved to the ship’s deck where he spent his nights.
He spent 18 months at England’s Camp Weston.
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Graziano has always been good with his hands. While in England, he oversaw 35 soldiers who built roads, Nissen huts and a theater among other things. He even cut hair while in England. When the regular barber fell ill, he was tapped for a temporary position. He asked why and was told they’d looked into his resume. His first customer was the headquarters’ commander. That task earned him a commendation as utilities foreman.
His time in England was gearing up for D-Day — June 6, 1944.
His assignment was to drive a tanker off a tank landing ship on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.
Once he drove the truck onto the beach, he jumped out of the vehicle.
“The Germans were up shooting down on us. I took a flame thrower and got rid of the machine guns,” he said.
With the machine guns out of the way, he sent up a flair for the Navy.
Some of the men had lost their weapons after jumping in the water trying to get from the LST to the beach.
“I told them to take the guns from the ones who’d died,” he said.
He also was part of the Battle of the Bulge the following winter. The campaign lasted from December 1944 to January 1945 in brutal conditions.
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He and a group of soldiers were called on to locate some of Gen. Patton’s soldiers who’d gotten lost. Being exposed to the elements cause many soldiers to encounter frostbite and trench foot.
Graziano had trench foot with fluid oozing from blisters on his feet. He ended up in the hospital for three weeks. Many soldiers with trench foot had to have their feet amputated.
Also during his time in Reims, he was back to building and caring for them. He built a theater using the labor of German prisoners of war. It was used by USO performers including Jane Froman.
Graziano took care of other buildings including one referred to as the “Little Red Schoolhouse.”
He was in charge of setting up the room for a very important date — May 7, 1945 — the day the German high command signed the instrument of surrender in Reims.
He remembers the somber faces of the Germans that day. Although Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower was in the Little Red Schoolhouse, he wasn’t in the same room with the Germans during the signing.
“He didn’t want to be in the room in case the Germans wanted to back out,” Graziano said.
Graziano would stay in France another 19 months until Christmas 1946.
It was during that time that he met his wife, Bobbie, who was a staff sergeant in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps.
She stood him up for their first date, but that didn’t deter him. He asked her out a second time, and she was there for the date. They married on Oct. 2, 1945 at the courthouse in Reims and honeymooned in Paris.
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She was an Alabama native and didn’t want to live where there was snow. His home state of New York was out of the question. He answered an ad for a hairdresser, and the couple settled in Thomson where they raised five children. He put his building skills to use in Thomson and constructed his own shop, Louis Hair Styling Salon. He still has a few customers who insist on having him do their hair.
“There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do,” said Evans. “He’s still the same way. If anyone needs anything, we just call on him.”
Bobbie Graziano died on her husband’s 84th birthday — Feb. 6, 2007.
While he still does the occasional hair appointment, Graziano is often called on to speak.
He’ll be speaking to a group of students at Columbia Middle School Nov. 12.
In September, the Vincent Hommeril, the French consul general, was in Thomson to present Graziano with the Order National de la Legion d’honneur. Graziano has been invited to France in May 2022 to take part in the 77th anniversary ceremonies of the German surrender.
He hasn’t returned to France since the war, and Evans said they’ve applied for his passport so he can make the trip.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
