By Brandon Fey
Northeast Times
The Second World War was the largest and most destructive conflict in human history. In the wake of its victory, the United States undertook an extensive diplomatic campaign to aid in the rebuilding of the ruined nations of Europe and the Pacific. This extraordinary task required the willingness of American soldiers and local populations to cooperate and overcome former animosities for the sake of a future of healing.
In 1944, William DiFrancesco was a senior in high school. By that time, the United States had been involved in the Second World War for about three years and was relying on a military draft of 18-year-old men to maintain its ranks. DiFrancesco, a native of Germantown, was the youngest of four brothers, each of whom had already been drafted by the time he was 18. One of his brothers was sent home early after having suffered from shellshock while landing on the beaches of Normandy during the infamous D-Day invasions. He knew that like his brothers, he, too, would inevitably be called to service.
“I was in high school,” he said. “I knew I was going to go, and I didn’t think too much about it. I just kept living.”
Because he was in his final year of high school, DiFrancesco’s conscription was deferred for three months so he could graduate in January 1945. In light of his impending call to service, he received a greeting from President Franklin D. Roosevelt encouraging him on the journey ahead. Upon graduation, DiFrancesco was drafted and sent to Fort Meade in Maryland where he was assigned to the Army.
From Maryland, DiFrancesco was then sent to Fort Blanding, Florida for training. While there, he was taught how to use a variety of weapons and exposed to conditions designed to simulate combat. Among other things, he was made to crawl beneath barbed wire as live machine gun rounds were fired above him. He recalls one incident during this formidable exercise in which he lost an acquaintance.
“My friend got killed. He didn’t think it was live ammunition and he lifted up his head,” he remembered.
After completing his training, DiFrancesco was sent to the recently liberated city of Manila (in the Philippines), in preparation for the then-impending invasion of Japan. He was aboard a ship en route to the Japanese mainland when Japan formally surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945, effectively ending the war. He landed in Sendai on Sept. 5, days after peace was declared.
DiFrancesco had trained as a mechanic and landed on the island as a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was tasked with aiding in the rebuilding of the area, which had faced considerable destruction as a result of wartime bombing campaigns. He remembers that the Japanese locals had already restored much of their water and electricity network, but were suffering from a severe lack of food.
Because DiFrancesco was the youngest member of his unit, he was not allowed to unload the heavy machinery from the ships. Without a given task, he found himself as the first one on shore in a mysterious country, unsure of what to expect. The area where he landed appeared at first to be devoid of any sign of people, however, once the machinery was being unloaded he was soon approached by a group of local children.
“The first ones to come out were the kids,” he recalled. “They saw all of the equipment being unloaded, and they wanted to see all of our stuff. Before I knew it the kids came up to me. I gave them some candy I had and they started treating me like a friend.”
The parents later saw how friendly their children were with the engineers and they came out as well.
The 19-year-old DiFrancesco was in a complex dynamic with the locals, as a soldier in the devastated country of a former enemy.
“We landed on a country that was overcome and essentially conquered,” he reflected.
He realized, however, that as an engineer, he could be received not just as an occupying soldier, but as a builder with good intentions.
The engineers eventually developed relationships with the locals by offering them items that would otherwise be unavailable. The local women would often wash the clothes of the soldiers in exchange for bars of Lifebuoy soap, and the men were given cigarettes. DiFrancesco remembers some days when the entire town would come out to interact with his unit. He would often take extra sandwiches from his mess tent to give to the children.
To this day, the U.S. military must work alongside foreign populations in countries around all parts of the globe. This can be a difficult and begrudging task for those on both sides, who have to be cautious when working with the other. During his time in Japan, DiFrancesco understood that the key to working with foreign communities was to appeal to their hearts and minds.
“You don’t go in with guns and flags,” he explained. “You go in with food, cigarettes and candy instead. That way, you start to get the people to like you, and before we knew it, the whole town had come out to be friendly with us.”
While many of the locals eventually accepted the Americans, some still bore resentments from the recent memory of the war.
“We were told to be careful,” DiFrancesco said. “I was attacked a couple of times.”
On one occasion, DiFrancesco was suddenly approached by a Japanese soldier. Speaking no English, the man bowed and presented him with what appeared to be a white cloth with a knife wrapped in it. DiFrancesco later opened it to reveal a Japanese flag that was covered in signatures.
“I think he surrendered,” DiFrancesco reflected. “I’m not sure, but at first I had taken it for granted.”
DiFrancesco and his family continue to treasure the flag to this day.
After a year of clearing rubble and repairing roads, DiFrancesco completed his service and returned to Philadelphia. He soon faced difficulties finding jobs as a mechanic, for the labor force had become inflated with returning soldiers. Most of the large firms prioritized hiring middle- to approaching retirement-age men, who had families for which they had to provide. As a 20-year-old with no job prospects, DiFrancesco decided he would get licensed to work on airplanes.
After having attained his certification, DiFrancesco was hired by Boeing as an airplane mechanic. When the Korean War began in 1950, he was kept particularly busy building military planes that would be used in the war. During this time he also built one of the first military helicopters, the Piasecki H-21 Shawnee/Workhorse, which were commonly called “flying bananas.” Outside of work, DiFrancesco frequented dance halls, which were becoming a fixture of 1950s America.
After having worked with Boeing for 10 years, he was suddenly laid off and found a new job as a barber and hairdresser. At the same time, he was married to a recent college graduate named Claire, with whom he would raise two children. DiFrancesco worked as a hairstylist for the remainder of his career. One of his customers was a woman named Florence, whom he would later marry. After his retirement, DiFrancesco moved into the Delaware Valley Veterans Home with Florence, where he currently resides.
Throughout his life, William DiFrancesco underwent a variety of complex challenges and unexpected changes. In the face of difficulty, he repeatedly managed to make the best of each situation and discovered innovative solutions that supported the common good. In the Army, he was sent to a war-devastated Japan and overcame vast cultural differences by building relationships with the locals by giving gifts and clearing rubble. As a young bachelor in need of work, he learned to build and repair airplanes, further serving his country by preparing planes and helicopters for the military. When he again found himself out of a job, he learned to be a hairstylist, which led him to meet his future wife. DiFrancesco’s story is an inspiring reminder that determination, creativity and good intentions can conquer some of life’s most daunting obstacles. ••
