Joseph Vaccaro
Joseph Vaccaro was born on September 5, 1931. He grew up in the Bronx and graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1949. Joe served in the US Army after being drafted. He was deployed to Masan where he served as a cook. His job was to draw the rations for a company of close to 400 men and officers. The soldiers and officers supervised the unloading of all the ships that came into Masan, a major hub for supplying troops that were fighting in the northern part of Korea. Ammunition, fuel and food all passed through Masan on the way to the war’s frontlines.
After serving faithfully in the war, Joseph returned to the Bronx where he worked in Vaccaro’s Bakery on White Plains Road and 225th Street. He took over the business from his father in the early 1960s. In 1972, Joseph opened the Briarcliff Bakeshop which he owned and operated until 1992.
Joseph married Elizabeth, the love of his life, on February 27, 1957. Joe and Elizabeth raised two sons and one daughter in Hastings-on-Hudson, a community that they embraced. They were active members in all aspects of the Hastings community and all three of their children were an integral part of Hastings High School’s athletics programs. Joseph and Elizabeth spent much of their free time with friends and supporting their children in all their endeavors.
Joseph passed away in 2014, proud of his service to his country, his community and most of all proud of his children and grandchildren.
Reflections of the Korean War--The text below accompanies pictures that Joseph Vaccaro took when he was stationed in Korea
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ua5WBM0kO8v7Aaj2giJFaNQ8C68iMGm6sjpe1vmIrrw/edit
Korean War - Key Events
December 6, 1950
The U.S. Marines at the Chosin Reservoir begin their “attack in a different direction” as they engage in a fighting retreat to the port of Hŭngnam. Two entire Chinese armies have been tasked with the destruction of the 1st Marine Division. They succeed in driving the American force from North Korean territory but pay an enormous price: as many as 80,000 Chinese troops are killed or wounded, and the CPVF Ninth Army Group is rendered combat-ineffective for months. “Frozen Chosin” becomes one of the most-storied episodes in U.S. Marine Corps history.
These events are taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica
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