This Day in History: Joseph Cicchetti
- tara
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
On this day in 1923, a son is born to an Italian-American family in Waynesburg, Ohio. Joseph J. Cicchetti would go on to earn a Medal of Honor for his service during World War II.
Cicchetti didn’t have to serve. He had a breathing problem that prevented him from meeting the Army’s physical standards. Some might have seized upon the excuse, but not Cicchetti. Instead, he underwent surgery to correct the nasal problem.
Perhaps he was just that sort of a selfless young man. “[M]y father thought the world of his brother,” Cicchetti’s niece concluded.
The young soldier’s heroism came on February 9, 1945, as our boys fought to recapture the Philippines from Japanese forces. The 37th “Buckeye” Infantry Division was making a drive against the enemy near the Manila gas works, and Pfc. Cicchetti was right in the middle of it.
“The Japanese had converted the partially destroyed Manila Gas Works and adjacent building,” his Medal citation explains, “into a formidable system of mutually supporting strongpoints from which they were concentrating machine-gun, mortar, and heavy artillery fire on the American forces.”
We were taking too many casualties, and medics were struggling to get everyone out. They called for help. Naturally, Cicchetti volunteered, quickly organizing a team to carry a litter in and out of the chaotic scene.
It was a 400-yard stretch through “the most intense enemy fire,” his citation recounts, but Cicchetti and his team went back and forth anyway. Over the course of four hours, they saved 14 men.
On one of these trips, the rescuers became blocked by intense machine-gun fire. Cicchetti leapt into action, deliberately exposing himself and drawing the enemy’s fire while the others escaped to safety. He survived the stunt, neutralizing the threat with his own rifle.
He would not be so fortunate on his last rescue, made as he ran through enemy fire alone. A shell fragment struck him in the head, leaving him with a gaping wound. Nevertheless, he slung one of the wounded soldiers across his shoulders and carried him 50 yards to safety before succumbing to his injury.
“Our men knew the tortures they would receive if captured,” Major General Robert S. Beightler explained as he later presented a Medal of Honor to Cicchetti’s father. “Not one man of the 37th ever was taken prisoner. It was in protecting his wounded comrades that Pfc. Cicchetti was killed.”
Just last year, his hometown put up a sign commemorating and honoring his service. Locals wanted to ensure that no one would ever forget Cicchetti’s brave sacrifice.
Scott Denniss, curator at the local MAPS Air Museum, was among those dedicating the sign. His son served in Ohio’s 148th Infantry, just like Cicchetti, and is proud to say that all new recruits are told Cicchetti’s story.
“Through his skilled leadership, indomitable will, and countless acts of courage, Cicchetti saved many soldiers at the cost of his life,” Denniss concluded. “There are many kids and families that might not exist today without his actions.”
Primary Sources:
Ceremony Honors Italian-American Winners of Medal of Honor (Journal News; Nov. 11, 1999) (p. 3B)
Charita M. Goshay, Bravery in Action (Canton Repository; June 13, 2025) (p. A1)
Congressional Medals Given (Oregonian; Dec. 18, 1945) (p. 6)
Joanne Malene, Ohio has 200 Medal of Honor winners; eight are from Stark (Akron Beacon Journal; Nov. 7, 1993) (p. AA2)
Joseph J. Cicchetti, United States Army Veteran (Ohio Department of Veterans Services)
Medal of Honor Awarded to Dead Litter Bearer (Evening Star; Dec. 17, 1945) (p. A14)
Medal of Honor citation (Joseph J Cicchetti; WWII)
Sid Elsner, 22 Ohioans Got Medal of Honor; Here is How 21 Died Winning It (Cleveland Plain Dealer; Mar. 4, 1946) (p. 1)
Thomas Clapper, Waynesburg immortalizes native war hero with sign (Your Ohio News; June 17, 2025)