Tonight's Hero of the Match presented by World War II Sergeant Joseph Pietroforte of the U.S Army
Joseph Pietroforte, age 103 is a WWII hero. He was born in southern Italy and came here at the age of 18 months. He served during WWII in the Army, 1st infantry, and in Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium under General Patton in the 5th Infantry division.
He was a rocket launcher—which is called a bazooka, hence the name Bazooka Joe. He fought in the famous Battle of the Bulge.
Some of his awards include a Silver Star for disabling a German tank; a bronze star, for 6 months of combat duty; a Combat Infantry badge, 3 battle stars for Luxembourg, Germany, and Belgium; marksman medal and a Medal of Honor from the governor of Luxembourg. He served for almost 4 years, from 1941–1945.
After his service time he managed drive-in and movie theaters for over 50 years. He also restored many classic cars starting in the 70’s and won several awards for his English Alvis, a 1934 Bugatti, a 1945 Cadillac convertible, a 1956 Cadillac “woody” station wagon (only one of 12 made).
