WWII vet has role in film narrated by Belichick

By Isabella Zainyeh
Posted 4/27/17

By ISABELLA ZAINYEH What does Warwick resident, and long time owner of Jennie's Ice Cream in Conimicut, Frank Amalfetano, have in common with five-time Super Bowl-winning, New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick? Both are featured in the upcoming

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WWII vet has role in film narrated by Belichick

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What does Warwick resident, and long time owner of Jennie’s Ice Cream in Conimicut, Frank Amalfetano, have in common with five-time Super Bowl-winning, New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick? Both are featured in the upcoming documentary, D-Day: Over Normandy.

Codenamed Operation Overlord, the Battle of Normandy began on D-Day, June 6, 1944, when some 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The battle, which lasted about 2 months, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control. It is often referred to as “the beginning of the end of the war in Europe.”

Bill Belichick’s father, Steve Belichick, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving time in both Europe and the Pacific.

“Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, where my father coached football at the U.S. Naval Academy, I understand the importance of preserving the memory of those who served our nation during World War II,” said Belichick, the film’s narrator on the wwIIfoundation.org web page.

Amalfetano, the 92-year old World War II Navy veteran whose photos will be featured in the film, was as sharp as ever as he recalled his experiences during the summer of 1944 in an interview last week.

‘Green as grass’

“I was 18 years old, and I was as green as the grass,” said Amalfetano.

“Prior to D-Day, I had some terrific training. I loved it in the beginning, but I didn’t know too much about what was happening, but I got into it, and I realized what I was doing.”

“I started at a boot camp in Sampson, New York. Luckily I had been a Boy Scout, so for me this was easy. I remember there was one guy, who would sit on his bunk at night and cry. They would throw him in the shower and turn the cold water on to make him stop,” said Amalfetano, “But every day was a better day.”

It was at Fort Pierce, Florida that Amalfetano began his Navy training.

“Quickly I learned about what they did, they were known as the demolition men from the Navy. I would take four of them in my boat, make a circle and come close to the beach, drop them off, then I would circle out and give them 15 minutes before coming back to pick them up out of the water. Their job was to swim ashore and blow the beach up to clear it for the boats and troops, I had no idea what that was about before the invasion.”

On D-Day, Amalfetano landed on Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches. All of which will be featured in the film.

“For 3 months I lived on the boat,” said Amalfetano, “Sometimes I would go to our mother ship, the Woodward, to get a bath or a breakfast. I would sleep on a stretcher with a blanket over me. In the morning I’d wake up all wet from the dew, the blanket was like water.”

“One morning we were going to the beach with a load of soldiers, there were bombs going off, guns going off, and planes flying over us. Yet all I could think of was the time I went to a girlfriend’s house to say goodbye to her before leaving. Her mother told me she would pray for me,” said Amalfetano, “Despite the scene around me, I started laughing at this thought.”

“I hope to hell she’s praying for us today” he explained to his buddies who couldn’t imagine why he would be laughing at such a time.

Though Amalfetano prefers to talk about his experiences in a more positive light, he did say that when he closes his eyes at night, he is still haunted by the dead bodies he saw floating in the water.

“If you found a sailor or an army man dead, you’d take his dog tags and jam them between his teeth, so that when they were picked up they would know who it was,” said Amalfetano.

However, Amalfetano does not regret anything.

“We were lucky to be there, and to talk about it today. I never thought it would come to this in my lifetime, I did what I was

supposed to do, and I think I did it good,” said Amalfetano, “We won the war and we paid a big price for it, but I think if I was to live a life again over, I would do the same thing that I did. I’m proud now.”

Upon returning to the states, Amalfetano married the now deceased, Victoria Sibella, whom he met at Jennie’s. They were married for over 55 years, and had four children: Sandra, Anthony, Robert and Theresa.

The film, directed and produced by Rhode Island local, Tim Gray, will have its world premiere on Saturday, May 27th at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence. Gray, who graduated from URI in 1989, has had a passion for World War II since he was six years old. He is now a national award-winning documentary film director, producer, and writer. D-Day: Over Normandy will be his 18th film on the personal stories of the World War II generation.

Keeping the message alive

“They all follow the same pattern,” said Gray in a telephone interview, “We’re trying to keep the message alive.”

The film includes some of the most iconic locations from D-Day. The story of these famous locations will be told through aerial drone footage, and archival footage from D-Day.

“It will include some of the most spectacular scenes from the landing beaches ever seen,” said Gray, “This film is definitely unique because of the fact that it was shot entirely by drone camera, which gives a pretty amazing view of what these locations actually look like today.”

The premiere will be followed by a Q&A session with Gray and 3 D-Day veterans. All veterans will receive free tickets with proof of military service. Tickets are $15 for the public; proceeds will go to benefit Gray’s non-profit, The World War II Foundation.

Tickets can be purchased at www.thevetsri.com, or at (401) 421-ARTS. This will be the only New England showing of the film prior to its airing on American Public Television.

“I know this film will be very impactful, because it continues our mission of preserving the stories of World War II veterans,” said Gray, “Between the drone cameras, and the narration by Bill Belichick, this will be a very unique experience."

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