Senior Living Residents Spotlight: Geno & Anne D.

By

Geno & Anne D. Senior Living Residents Spotlight

Geno & Anne D. this month's senior living residents spotlight have quite the story. Keep reading to find out more.
 
Geno was born in Long Beach, California on July 31, 1923. He spent a lot of time in the water at the beach and enjoyed growing up there. His father owned a service station, and Geno’s mother enjoyed her time as a socialite. He remembers his grandmother stayed with them for many years, and did most of the cooking. He also had

two younger brothers, and altogether they were a happy family.

Geno had a paper route growing up. While working a man approached him with a job opportunity. He didn’t know it at the time, but he became a runner for a gambling syndicate. Geno would check in with local bars. He then deliver the packages they gave him to a ship located three miles off shore. Geno remembers they would feed and pay him really well, and it also got him a lot of favors when he went to high school.

When Geno went off to Long Beach City College, World War II was beginning. At the time he was working for WP Fuller & Company, and his employment made him eligible for the draft. The second draft caught him and they put him into the Air Force.

Gunnery Training in the Deep South

He found himself in Keesler Field, Mississippi, which was part of the deep south. He learned a lot about what was going on in America at the time of segregation. This was strange to him having grown up around and with ethnic people. Geno remembers there being black specific bathrooms and drinking fountains. They’d even have to step into the street if you were walking on the sidewalk. He also remembers that even in the Air Force there were no blacks or Latinos.

Continuing on in his training, Geno went to several trade schools in the service. At 19 he was a Buck Sergeant and wound up in gunnery school in Camden, Arizona. He became a member of a crew and they sent them to Wala Wala, Washington. He was on a B17 skeleton crew and they went into training in Sioux City, Iowa, Kearney, Nebraska and other areas.

Geno was the crew’s tail gunner, which he explains is like the third pilot and rear-view mirror. The crew got their own airplane and flew to Europe. The weather caused them to go over Labrador, Greenland and land in Iceland. They spent a week before flying into Scotland and then England. With the 100th bomb group, he flew 25 missions over Europe. On his 25th mission, the enemy shot him down and he became a prisoner of war of Germany.

A Prisoner of War

While a prisoner of war, there were many times when Geno thought he would be facing death. Geno experienced all the horrors of war. They sodomized, shot at, and bayoneted Geno. Dogs also attacked and bit him. In addition to traipsing all over Europe, the Dachua guards forced him and others to work the ovens at the concentration camp. Toward the end of Adolf Hitler's destruction, he issued an order to annihilate all prisoners of war. However, General Patton deciphered the orders and sent his 14th armored division and 25th and 99th infantries. The infantries intercepted ½ hour before the Germans got to them.

Returning to the United States

When Geno returned to the United States, he met a young lady named Jewel whom he later married. The two were unable to have children and opted to adopt a little boy and girl. They raised them in Long Beach. Geno was unable to fly when he returned and they placed him in charge of a motor pool as a Tech Sergeant. His wife later passed away from lung cancer. Geno believes it came from her time in the service, but was never able to prove it to the VA.

Growing Up in Brooklyn

Anne was born on a farm in Brooklyn, New York on December 21, 1929. She grew up in a family of Italian and Jewish people. She was one of four children, she had two brothers and a sister. Her parents were wonderful. Her mother grew up in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and her father came from Sicily when he was three. As a family they never knew poverty and were very fortunate.
 
Growing up she worked in an Italian Bakery that belonged to a friend of her parents. Anne started her education at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She was also married, and she and her husband were starting their family. Unfortunately, her first son died of asthma. Anne had her second son and he too had asthma. Her doctor recommended to get him out of New York to give him a fighting chance. She had friends in California so they packed everything up and made the move.

Making the Move to California

While living in California, Anne went to Pasadena College. She also attended another college in Glendora. She took a test for the county, which she passed and became a clerk. However, she scored very high and her supervisor asked if she wanted to be a social worker. All she needed was her Associate’s Degree, so she completed this and started her career in social work. The job was stressful, but it allowed her to learn a lot about politics and how they worked.
 
Geno moved to Victorville, California and this is where he met Anne. At the time, they were neighbors and she was already married. Her husband passed away a year later. After some time, Geno and Anne married in 1996.
 
Together they traveled quite a bit. Their first trip was to Alaska by RV. They spent three months there and saw Yukon and Canada. Since then they’ve made several trips to the Caribbean, Hawaii and other places. For Geno’s 90th birthday, he and Anne’s son went back to Dachua where he had been a prisoner of war.
 
Geno, we thank you for your sacrifice and service. We are so happy that you and Anne have chosen to call Renaissance Village Rancho Belago, home.

Geno & Anne's Resident Spotlight Interview:

Great Days Await at Renaissance Villages!

contact us today to schedule a tour

Murrieta:
(951) 319-8243