Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
A tough kid from the Taylor Street neighborhood, Louis Grippo ended up sparring under the tutelage of a world champion while training at Ft. Riley during World War II.
This is a story about Pfc. Louis Grippo and his travels during World War II. But a little background first.
I grew up in my father’s family building on West Taylor Street in one of the Italian enclaves of Chicago. My mom’s family lived on South May Street, two blocks away.
In my early years, we went over there almost every day. When I was in grammar school, I was there every Sunday after church.
I went for Grandma’s homemade apple pie. Sitting at the dining room table, eating the apple pie, I couldn’t help but notice the photo on the wall.
The photo was of Uncle Louie, taken during WWII, in a boxing ring. He was sparring with another soldier with a sergeant standing over them, instructing them.
Uncle Louie’s daughter Janet discovered another boxing-related photo, both of which were taken at Ft. Riley, Kansas. It showed Louie at the C.R.T.C. at Ft. Riley. (I had to look it up; it means Cavalry Replacement Training Center.) It was clipped from an article in the June 1943 issue of The Ring magazine.
I thought it was time to find out more about Uncle Louie and his time in the service.
Louie Grippo was born in Chicago on Jan. 18, 1924. He was the baby of the family. He had two older brothers and three older sisters. His mom and dad only spoke Italian, so he and his siblings knew enough Italian to converse with them.
Louie entered the service on Nov. 23, 1942. His two older brothers entered before him. Louie probably hadn’t journeyed too far from Chicago prior to his induction. That day, he traveled about 660 miles from Chicago to Ft. Riley, where he was assigned to the C.R.T.C. They used to train the cavalry soldiers at Ft. Riley, but by 1942 they were getting away from that.
Louie was there for basic and advanced training, and he ended up at Ft. Riley for more than a year.
In the photo from The Ring, Louie was seated next to Ralph Tenerelli, who was from the same neighborhood as my uncle. He entered the service two days before Louie and his Army serial number is 163 numbers apart.
While at Ft. Riley, Louie joined the boxing program, where he met a few of the many interesting characters he served with during his time in the Army.
First, there was Lt. Louis Austin O’Jibway. A half Chippewa Native American from Michigan, Lt. O’Jibway was a Golden Gloves boxer who earned athletic scholarships to go to college. He attended Officer Candidate School and was sent to Ft. Riley afterward to start a boxing program to help the men become fit for combat. He later became a member of the Office of Special Services and fought in Asia.
Then, there was Sgt. Sidney J. Marks, a boxer by profession. Born in London, England, in 1900, he emigrated to Canada after serving in the British Army in World War I. He eventually walked across the border at Niagara Falls and made his way in California. He became a U.S. citizen, entered the U.S. Army in 1942, and was sent to Ft. Riley.
Finally, there was Sgt. Joseph L. Barrow. He was also a professional boxer. You probably know him by his nom de guerre, Joe Louis, aka The Brown Bomber, Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World. He entered the Army, also in 1942, and was sent to Ft. Riley.
Louie’s understanding of Italian came in handy while he was at Ft. Riley. One day he was approached by one of his NCOs. The conversation went something like this: “Hey Grippo, you speak Italian. Go over and check on those Italian POWs.”
Louie went as “requested.” It turns out he had a really good time. He didn’t do a lot of cooking at home; his mom and three older sisters took care of that. The POWs were also away from home, and they knew how to cook. As a result, Louie was able to enjoy a lot of homecooked Italian meals. It doesn’t get any better than that.
But all good things most come to an end. Training was completed and it was time to move further west, this time 4,200 miles from Chicago. Louie left for service outside the continental United States on Feb. 14, 1944. His destination? Hawaii, technically a part of the Unites States, though it was only a U.S. territory at the time.
Louie got to know Hawaii while serving in his first unit, the Detached Enlisted Men’s List, or DEML, which included all the soldiers who hadn’t been assigned to any special branch. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was foreman of a warehouse.
The Tenth United States Army was formed in Hawaii in June 1944. It was headed by Lt. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., the son of a Confederate army general during the American Civil War.
The last army-level command established during the Pacific War, the 10th included units from both the Army and Marines. Louie was assigned to the Headquarters Company AGF (Army Garrison Force) of the 10th. He was one of 38,000-plus non-divisional troops attached to the more than 100,000 troops assembled under the command.
The 10th stayed in Hawaii until they were assignment to the Ryukyus Campaign, 7,200-plus miles from Chicago. You probably know it better as the Battle of Okinawa.
The invasion started on April 1, 1945, the U.S. took control of Okinawa on June 22, 1945, and the Japanese formally surrendered on Sept. 7, 1945. The battle took a terrible toll, with more than 65,000 casualties, including Lt. Gen. Buckner, who was killed in action on June 18, 1945. He was the highest ranking American killed in World War II.
Louie learned that a neighborhood friend of his was among the casualties. Sgt. Vincent A Izzo, Co. C, 32nd Inf. Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division was KIA on May 28, 1945. Louie was able to pay his respects to Vincent on Okinawa. Vincent was finally brought home by the military at the request of his mother after the war.
Louie was sent home in December 1945 and released from the service on Jan. 27, 1946. He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, American Theater Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with 1 Battle Star, 3 overseas service bars, the Good Conduct Medal and Honorable Discharge Pin, aka the Ruptured Duck.
Louie traveled far from Chicago, meeting people he never would have met, seeing places he never would have seen, some nice, some not so nice, then he came home and raised a family.
This all started with homemade apple pie and that photo on the wall. The family will never have Grandma’s apple pie again, but we do have Louie Grippo’s war stories to warm us.
The article above appears in the July 2025 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture. To subscribe, click here.
