4- Time Purple Heart Recipient From EHT Honored For His Service

An Italian immigrant and Marine Corps vet from Egg Harbor Township was honored for his service to America at a Veterans Day ceremony Saturday at the Saracini-Oneill 9/11 Memorial in Atlantic City.

Marco Polo Smigliani Honored For Veterans Day

Marco Polo Smigliani, 76, came to America from Italy at age 10, joined the U.S. Marine Corps at 17, and served in Vietnam.

He was honored at a ceremony Saturday at the Atlantic City 9/11 Memorial, at Jackson Avenue and the Boardwalk.

Smigliani is a truly courageous man. He was wounded five times during his service in Vietnam and is a four-time Purple Heart recipient and a member of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor.

Smigliani, who resides in EHT, had his story read aloud by a fellow veteran. Then, he was presented with a flag and a statue featuring the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem.

Smigliani's War Story

Here is Maro Polo Smigliani's war story, courtesy of the VA Newsletter.

"At 17, Smigliani joined the Merchant Marines. He traveled extensively around the world and brought artillery to Da Nang to help the war effort.

There, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He deployed to Vietnam in January 1969 as a machine gunner but only served 40 days of combat in Vietnam after being wounded five times in 11 days.

Smigliani joined Operation Dewey Canyon with the Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Regiment, known as “The Walking Dead.” While patrolling, his company discovered the abandoned North Vietnamese Army’s 88th Field Hospital. He called it “the biggest catch of the war” in an interview for the Veterans History Project: “We found literally thousands of rifles, machine guns, about 60 [to] 70 tons of rice, all kinds of mail.”

The next evening, Smigliani dove into a foxhole as a bomb exploded. Shrapnel embedded itself in the back of his head and neck, catching his shirt on fire. He was patched up but not airlifted out because of the need for men.

On March 4, Smigliani was shot in the arm. During the firefight, he attempted to patch himself up and resumed firing. He went to help a friend just as a rocket-propelled grenade exploded, nearly severing his arm.

Another group of Marines came to their aid and dispelled the enemy. Due to heavy fog and rain, Smigliani could not be transported to a hospital.

On March 6, while attempting to board a helicopter, he was kicked in the chest to avoid the chopper’s blades; the helicopter took off sideways due to sudden enemy RPG fire.

During this incident, shrapnel embedded itself in Smigliani’s head, and he received a concussion. Finally, after making it aboard safely, he was taken to a Da Nang hospital.

Smigliani went to an Army hospital in Japan for two weeks and was operated on multiple times."

Mr. Smigliani says he would like to write a book about his story and his fellow patriots who never made it home.

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