Oral History Interview with Tony Defusco, August 18, 2006

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Tony Defusco. Defusco joined the Marine Corps in June 1942 and received basic training at Parris Island. He received further training as a rifleman in California. Upon completion, he was assigned to the 25th Marines where he joined BN2, Battalion Intelligence. In January 1944 he invaded the Marshall Islands, focusing on Namur. Afterward his unit went from island to island in search of information on Amelia Earhart. He describes his base in Maui as desolate. His next invasion was in Saipan, in June, where he went ashore at the old sugar refinery. He recalls a dogfight between Zeros and Wildcats, appreciating the protection from the Navy pilots. His unit lost men when Japanese infiltrated their camp in the middle of the night. And one morning, he tried to save a good friend who was fatally wounded by shelling and gunfire. He next went to Tinian and on to Iwo Jima, where he was wounded. He was immediately taken by Higgins boat to a carrier with medical personnel aboard and was later treated at hospitals in Saipan, San Francisco, and North Carolina. Defusco returned home and was discharged in November 1945