Courtesy Photo George Ciampa started a nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the memory of veterans' sacrifices.
George Ciampa was attached to the 607th Graves Registration Company in Belgium during World War II when he was approached by a man. The man had moved to the United States years before the war began and had planned a visit to his home country not knowing that Adolph Hitler's regime would make it impossible to return to his adopted country.
The two began a discussion, and Ciampa quickly learned about the day the man was told he could not return to the United States. The Nazi occupation had forbidden it.
"He explained to me what freedom meant to him," said the Torrance man, 82. "He wrote down his definition in five languages and gave it to me. I have never forgotten that."
When the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion grew near in 2004, Ciampa came up with an idea to remind others of the sacrifices made to preserve the freedoms so many have come to take for granted.
With the help of his daughter and some friends he had made during visits back to the former battle sites, Ciampa started an organization he called Let Freedom Ring, a nonprofit organization to educate teachers about the events of World War II to incorporate into their curriculum.
Ciampa's first thought about the military was when news broke about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Ciampa was admittedly unenthusiastic about being drafted.
"I tried to get in the Air Corps when I turned 18," he says. "I knew that it would soon be my turn to get drafted, and I wanted to try my shot at choosing where I'd end up."
His eyesight kept him from becoming a pilot.
He was drafted into the Army in November 1943. Ciampa completed his basic training in Cheyenne, Wyo., and was immediately sent to Boston, where he was to prepare to be shipped overseas.
In April 1944, Ciampa and other members of the 607th Graves Registration Company landed in England. They were told that they were to prepare for an invasion against the German forces but not given any details.
He did know, however, that his duties as a member of his Graves Registration Company were unique. He was to assist in gathering those who were killed in battle and initiate temporary cemeteries until the area was safe enough to collect the bodies and take them to their final resting places. It was a dangerous job that made those who were involved vulnerable to enemy fire.
On June 6, Ciampa and the other 124 members of the 607th Graves Registration Company split up and prepared for an invasion on the northern coast of France. Half of the company landed on Utah Beach in Normandy, while the other half was assigned to Omaha Beach. Ciampa's first battle proved to be a difficult one.
Tragic reality
"Everyone who was there saw the tragic reality of war," he said. "There was something different though about seeing it the way I did."
Ciampa survived the invasion that took the lives of 16 members of his first platoon, who were killed by a German torpedo en route to the beaches. Those who survived continued on through France and took part in the Battle of the Bulge, and later the battles in Rhineland and throughout central Europe.
By the end of May 1945, the German forces had surrendered, and Ciampa was ordered to prepare for duty in the Pacific. But by mid-August, the war in the Pacific was also over. Ciampa returned to the United States in early January 1946 and was discharged in San Pedro on Jan. 17.
Ciampa returned to civilian life with no intention to relive the experiences he had in the war. He enrolled in El Camino College before transferring to the University of Southern California, where he graduated with a degree in business. In 1994, Ciampa returned to where the war began for him.
Inspiring ceremony
He attended the 50th anniversary ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, where his daughter, Sandi, documented the historic event on her camcorder. Her amateur documentary sparked a new chapter in her father's life and was the beginning of Let Freedom Ring.
In 2006, the nonprofit organization hosted its first educational tour to Belgium. The group, which included American veterans as well as several teachers, met with Belgian veterans and conducted interviews that focused on first-hand accounts of the Battle of the Bulge. The interviews were videotaped and turned into a documentary that was distributed to schools nationwide. The trip and the documentary proved to be successful, and Ciampa immediately began plans for a second trip.
That second trip is currently under way with a focus on France and several key battle sites, including Normandy.
"I want to be able to teach others about the sacrifices that were made during the war," he said. "I want to be sure that the war is covered and that there is a true understanding instead of just having it be a topic that is quickly skimmed mid-semester."
— Jannette Jauregui is currently traveling in France with Ciampa and the second tour. A second installment focusing on the trip will be published on Saturday, July 21. For more information or to become a sponsor of Let Freedom Ring, visit http://www.letfreedomringforall.org.
— Of War and Life is a twice- monthly column by Jannette Jauregui that tells the stories of Ventura County's veterans. Jauregui is the media relations coordinator for California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Veterans who want to share their stories can contact her by e-mail at jmjaureg@callutheran.edu or by mail at Jannette Jauregui, c/o Ventura County Star editorial department, P.O. Box 6006, Camarillo, CA 93011.
