A little history from my Grandpap...
This picture was taken at the end of World War I. Following the war, the US sent horses to Italy to replace horses lost in the war. My great grandfather Germano Mordente was one of the cowboys selected to break the horses and determine which were good for riding, pulling cannons or wagons and so on. He used to say they were the meanest horses he ever had to break! An American major who had been involved with bringing the horses over wanted my grandfather to go back to America with him, but he did not want to leave his parents at that time. So, the major gave him an address should he ever change his mind...which was West Point.
Two years later, Germano decided to go to America. He acted as an escort for who was to become my great Grandmother (she was about 10 years younger). They went to Newburgh, NY, where she had some family. Germano had no idea where West Point was, but an uncle of my great grandmother happened to work there and took him there the very next day. Germano met up with the major, who was now a LtCol, and was given a job in the mess hall. From there he moved on to other jobs.
I never met Da-Da, as he was called (named by my toddler father). But all my family that knew him have always spoken so highly of him.
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