Military uniform and records

[ddumont]

This is a photograph of my great-grandfather in his Italian military uniform. He was a prisioner of war in Austria (therefore WWI, I assume). He survived the war and later immigrated to the United States.

Would someone recognize his rank by his uniform? And is it possible to find a record of his military service? His name was Rocco Lozito, born September 13, 1884 in Altamura.

Thank you!

[mregina]

Hello ddumont, my name is Mike Regina. I think i can be of some help. Both my paternal and maternal grandfathers fought in WW1 in the battle of Caporetto, just like your great grandfather. I was able to obtain one ww1 record for both of my grandfathers. this is how i did it, I located where they were born (castel di lucio, Sicily) castel di lucio is withing the province of Messina, i then googled a state archive in messina and emailed them for help. I used google translate to help me with the translation. I recieved various emails regarding ww1 records, they needed the following information to search for any records, full name of ancestor, date of birth and his parents names. Just like that i recieved an email with the military record i was seeking for over a year. I had to submit payment via paypal, which in my opinion was well worth it, now there are also other military documents available but most have been destroyed or lost during WW2 and there was also a bad earthquake in the messina region which in turn i was unable to obtain any other documents, the one i have contains more information and dates of service. I hope I could provide you with some info, good luck to you and feel free to email me with any further questions... m.regina78@gmail.com

[ddumont]

Hello Mike,

Thanks very much for your reply, it is extremely helpful! My name is Denise Dumont. I just searched the internet for the Battle of Caporetto and read the details. Very sobering to say the least. I've been researching the battles of WWI on the western front too as my paternal grandfather was from Nancy, France in the Lorraine.

A little side note...we remember my great-grandfather Rocco's stomach was never the same after he returned. His meals required special attention, sauce diluted etc. I have been wondering about the length of time he remained a POW, therefore the search for his records.

I will follow your lead and be most happy to share the result with you when found! Thank you also for your info. my email, ddumont423@gmail.com

Denise