By Anthony Rifilato
As a child who lived in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, Taormina, the son of Italian immigrants, recalled the good times - such as displays of patriotism in his neighborhood - and the bad, like the gold stars in apartment windows that signified a loved one had been killed in the war.
"A woman who lived across the street lost her son," said Taormina, who has lived in Baldwin for 45 years. "The screams, you can hear them up and down the street. In this lady's window, they put up a gold star because she lost her son. Those are the memories that come to me."
Taormina is one of several south shore residents whose recollections of the war are featured in the WLIW21 documentary New York War Stories, which is a companion piece to several documentaries about World War II.
The show aired on Sept. 22, part of a collaboration between public television stations WLIW21 and Thirteen/WNET to honor and capture the memories of local men and women who contributed during that historic period, however tenuous, and to ensure that they will not be forgotten. The documentary aired a day before Thirteen's epic mini-series The War: A Ken Burns Film, while WLIW premiered New York Goes to War on Sept. 20.
"We are proud to expand the imprint of cultural memory preservation we established with WLIW's popular ethnic heritage and New York the Way It Was series, and bring our viewers these very personal accounts of world history that point to the true meaning of community in our lives," said WLIW21 President Terrel Cass in a statement.
New York War Stories in particular captures the era poignantly through interviews and letters. The film is a one-hour documentary with viewer-contributed videos and letters as its centerpiece, and includes veterans and civilians from around the tri-state area, including East Meadow and Valley Stream.
"I heard about it on television," said Taormina, explaining that he heard WLIW was looking for local contributors. Taormina said he sent in a letter highlighting his recollections of the U.S. victory over Germany, and the massive celebrations that took place around New York. In it, he writes: "There was so much happiness. There were block parties, huge American flags were hung across the streets. People ate and danced from morning until late at night. We all went to church to thank God for giving us that victory and praying for an end to the war in the Pacific."
Others shared their memories of the war's end, and the local, ebullient reaction it elicited. Huntington resident Joan Nadjari recalled the impromptu parades in Long Beach when Japan surrendered, while Joan M. Sallows of Valley Stream remembered how local communities supported the war effort.
"Mothers rendered cooking fat, which was stored in cans, and deposited locally to help the war effort," she wrote. "In fact, I remember the quote from Mayor LaGuardia: 'Ladies, bring your fat cans to city hall.'"
Sister Jane Lyons of Rockville Centre wrote: "In school we wrote letters to the servicemen. One boy wrote, 'Dear Joe, I hope you haven't died yet.'"
For Taormina, however, it was the air raid drills and victory gardens his father planted that he said vividly come to his mind, saying that it was a time that should not be forgotten.
"I think it's important for people growing up today to know about our history and the things we've done in the past," Taormina said. "I thought at the time that when we were in the war, we were fighting for a good cause."
