Tag Archives: Diana Fecarotta

Choosing between the Peace Corps and the Marines during the Vietnam War, she made a decision that had a profound positive impact on the rest of her life. The oldest of four children, Diana Frances Fecarotta was born in Chicago and grew up in the heavily Italian neighborhood known as “The Patch” near Grand and Ogden avenues. Her parents, Joseph Gerris and Francesca Mary (Lombardino) Fecarotta, were born in Chicago and both sets of grandparents emigrated from Sicily. The family lived in a six-flat owned by Fecarotta’s maternal grandparents. Her mother had three sisters who lived either in the building …

With a great uncle, two uncles and a father serving in World War II, Diana Fecarotta had a tough act to follow. But because of her family’s example, Fecarotta went on to distinguish herself in service to her nation: serving in the Marines from 1966 to 1968 and the Air Force Reserve from 1972 to 1975. Yet her contributions are far from over. Fecarotta is now the first woman to serve as a commander of an Italian American War Veterans post, taking the lead at the IAWV Guido Belmonte Post #4 after a quarter of a century as a member. …