WWII VET TURNS 100
It would be a challenge to find a harder working man at age 100.
WWII Veteran Angelo Pronsolino grew up in Anderson Valley and lives on the family ranch.
He was drafted into the Army Sept. 29, 1942 and is one of the few remaining WWII Veterans. He served in the South Pacific Theatre (a major theatre of the war following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941) Philippines, and also with the Occupation Forces in Japan.
Pronsolino was recently honored by 128 relatives to celebrate his turning 100 years old. He and his wife, Eileen, married in a Methodist Church in Eureka “in our suits. My Dad worked for Caltrans up there,” explained Eileen. They have three children, nine grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren.
Nicholas Pronsolino, Grandson to Angelo, said, “Angelo received a bronze star and an award for marksmanship during his service in WWII. He mostly fought and served in the push to remove the Japanese from various islands in the Pacific Theatre. He is still very active and a long-time member of the American Legion in Booneville. After the War he came home to take care of the family ranch, and to work in the woods.
“Before being drafted, his father, John Pronsolino had been interned as an Italian spy and spent nine months in Half Moon Bay. The period after the war was when he married my grandmother, Eileen Brown (July 9, 1949) and they will soon celebrate their 73rd wedding anniversary. The two took over the Pronsolino ranch as my great grandparents, John and Theresa Pronsolino, slowly aged away from the day-to-day management of the ranch.
“Angelo is one of the last Italians who grew up in the Anderson valley in that era. There's a rich history of the Italians of `Vinegar Hill' (name to Signal Ridge, off Greenwood Road, Hwy. 128 over ridge to Elk.. because all the Italians were there during prohibition making their wine, said it tasted like vinegar).
Military
Every day, memories of World War II — its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs — disappear.
Yielding to the inalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their 90s or older. They are dying quickly—according to US Department of Veterans Affairs, citing an average of 234 WWII US Veterans a day die.
Like most of “The Greatest Generation,” Pronsolino didn't talk about the war, and only rarely shared a particular memory.
Family members took turns sharing bits and pieces of his life for this story.
His daughter, Angela Pronsolino Owens from Sparks, Nev., said, “What sticks out about Dad to me is he's a very proud hardworking family man. For a long, long time he never talked about the war or his time in the military. Then my son went to Air Force Academy and could ask questions. On Dad's 90 or 95th birthday, there were a few of us on the deck and my son started asking Dad questions and Dad started telling stories about how they went across on ship, and he' say, “We always rushed to get the top bunk because you didn't want to be in a bottom bunk when someone threw up. He didn't talk about the war, but the experience.”
Pronsolino's wife, Eileen said, “Angelo never wanted to see a cruise ship again; they turned into troop carriers, and everyone got so seasick!
“One person — Jack June — was here a few years ago, a year younger than Angelo, talking about the sea. Both of them were stationed on one of the islands talking about a storm that hit the island. Angelo was showing him pictures. Jack June asked, “Where did you get that picture?” He had a photo of the same camp. It turns out Jack was an Engineer in a camp above where Angelo was
and during the storm his boots washed down — and that was the picture: Jack's boots at Angelo's tent!
“Angelo also talked about being in Australia on R&R waiting for a plane to come and pick them up to return to their service. Officers grabbed the plane seats. So, ships were sent to pick them up in Australia, only the ships got bombed, so the people of Australia invited the guys into their homes to stay. They made a lot of friends in Australia.
Growing up
Eileen continued, “When they started school, Angelo didn't speak English — he had to learn. The family only spoke Italian at home. He started First grade in Anderson Valley — the school was on Greenwood Rd. and Signal Hill Rd. and was close enough for the kids to walk to school.
“Theresta, John's wife, was the niece of Angelo and Rosa Frati who homesteaded the original property in 1891. When John and Theresa married, the Frati's said, “come up here and farm” They bought the land in 1922. John and Theresta up here in 1923 when Angelo was one year old,” explained Eileen.
They used to have milk cows. “My mother-in-law said that her birthday present to the kids upon turning 9 was they would start milking the cows.”
“It's not a working farm anymore,” said Angela. “They used to have cows, chickens, etc.; the vineyard was sold, and orchard torn out.”
According to Eileen, the homestead is still a working ranch; they raise timber (half redwood and half spur), are part of the Nonindustrial Timber Harvest Plan (NTNT), limited by how much can be logged in each 15-year period, and Angelo is out there daily, “making wood: The kids cut the trees in the woods and Angelo hauls it in.”
Remember, Angelo is 100 years old and still working hard.