Local WWII Veterans Recall Military Service and Family Memories

When Joseph Pauciello was seventeen, he did what all the men in his family did. He joined the U.S. Armed Forces.

It was the same year that WWII ended, but Pauciello notes that he still saw active combat.

"Not too far from the end, but they made sure I was there," he said.

Pauciello comes from a large, military family. His father, three brothers and six uncles only made up a fraction of the 51 relatives who have collectively served in the military over the years.

"It was in my nature, I guess," Pauciello said.

Pauciello moved to the Cliffwood Beach section of Aberdeen Township in 1962 simply because, "The price was right," he said.

He had three children with his wife who passed away, but has since remarried. Between their children, Pauciello is happy to share that he has nineteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren with one more on the way.

"We're building our own army," Pauciello said with a laugh.

Pauciello is a member of the Cliffwood VFW Post. He opened the by singing "God Bless America," only days after having a minor throat surgery.

And although Pauciello has a history that would make many boast with pride, he was modest when it came to reflecting on his own military career.

"We got some guys in here that are heroes," Pauciello said, gesturing to the other veterans at the holiday dinner.

Sitting directly across from Pauciello was Howard Drake, of Cliffwood. Once Pauciello finished sharing his story, Drake pulled out his license to prove he was born in 1919 - making him six years older than his fellow comrad. Out of his aged wallet, he also removed his membership cards to the American Legion Post in Keyport and the Cliffwood Guadalcanal VFW Post.

"You probably don't want to see these," he said, laying the cards out one by one on the red plastic table cloth.

Drake, 92, still remembers serving in the Battle of the Bulge, which left him with scars across his left arm and the left side of his torso.

"There was an explosion," he said, absently tracing a scar that runs deep along his forearm.

Drake left the United States in 1942, and throughout his service was stationed in Scotland, England, France, Germany and Belgium. When he returned home, he served as a medical technician at Fort Monmouth, earning himself a full 40 years of government and military service.

However, the stories he was truly proud to share were the ones involving his growing family - his wife Pauline of 63 years, his children, his grandchildren and especially his great-grandchildren.