Recovered History: Italian man connects Virginian woman to brother killed in WWII

TAZEWELL COUNTY, Va. (WVVA) - Veteran’s Day is November 11, and for one woman, that means the remembrance of two brothers killed in action during World War II. But now she has a broader story to tell: one of hope, liberation, and legacy.

November’s We The People segment features the friendship between a Tazewell County native and a young man from Italy, an unlikely bond forged by history.

“He was kind of a quiet, humble young man.”

That’s Alice Pyott describing the sibling she never had the chance to meet, Corporal Charles G. Casey, an American soldier killed in action during World War II at just 24 years old.

It would be 80 years before she could hear her older brother’s story.

“I found a post on Facebook that just said he had contacted Tazewell Historical Society, Jameson Jones, and asking for anyone who knew a Charles G. Casey who was from Raven Virginia and had been killed in World War II and I said, ‘well that’s my brother!’,” said Pyott.

“The liberation of Massa during World War II was always something to learn about and, you know, remember,” said Milo Giandomenici, a member of the Linea Gotica Tirrenica association in Massa, Italy.

“The first tank entering Massa was the one belonging to the 894th. The same battalion that Charles was in.”

Giandomenici, a Massa native, devotes his time to its history, and honoring its impact. His historic association holds ceremonies to celebrate and remember the troops that brought Massa its freedom.

“In the free time, we do all this kind of research and stuff and for me the most important thing is to, you know, get in touch with as many famil[ies] of U.S. soldiers that served in liberating Massa,” Giandomenici said.

“I’m not a professional researcher, I’m just a simple guy that [has] a great, great passion.”

Through desire to honor the history of his hometown, Giandomenici came to know Pyott, forming a bond nearly a lifetime in the making.

“I appreciate his friendship and I appreciate him so much reaching out and I know that he has done the same thing for the other members that were on that tank battalion that day, and it’s just heartwarming that they do want to know the families and the descendants of the people that were there,” explained Pyott.

“I was really lucky and really emotional. For me, it’s like a dream come true to be able to talk and thank God I am able to talk not to a grandson but to a direct sister…giving [her] the closing of a story, because she told me that she remembers when Charles and his older brother Harry who passed away in service in France, when they both returned home for the burial,” Giandomenici said.

“And she’s never been able to talk to [her] older brother and finally I could feel in her voice…the peace of knowing at least that what happened, when and where this last sacrifice was given and also that not only in the heart of their relatives but also in our heart, here in Italy, those real heroes are never forgotten. That’s for sure.”

“Even now eighty years later, that they were being remembered and that Milo showed such appreciation for what our American soldiers did for them, to liberate their little city,” Pyott continued.

Gianomenici’s research has brought him in contact with plenty of descendants and family members, offering the opportunity to learn more and build cultural and historical bridges.

But for Pyott, he’s willing to truly go the distance.

“I’m planning …to visit, actually, Tazewell County and meet Alice in person. I really want to do that,” Giandomenici assured.

“I think it would be wonderful for him to come and meet him in person,” Pyott added.

You can learn more about the 894th Battalion and what the Tirrenic Gothic Line Historic-Cultural Association is up to by going to their Facebook page.

You can also learn more about veterans in Southwest Virginia by checking out the Tazewell County Historical Society.

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