Donato Martini Caramia was born February 4, 1919 in the small coal mining town of Century, West Virginia. His parents were Guilia (Julie) Semerara and Martino Caramia from Italy. I could not find a marriage records for his parents nor when they came to the United States. In his childhood his parents took him back to Italy where they lived on a farm near Bari, Italy. Donato preferred the United States and moved back to Utica, NY to live with his aunt and uncle. A September 29, 1937 list of U.S. citizens aboard the SS Conte di Savoia arriving in New York from Naples, Italy lists Donato as a single male U.S. citizen from Century, West Virginia arriving in New York and headed to 1101 Bleecker St. Utica, NY. (The number is likely an error as the Argento's lived at 1001 Bleecker St.) There he lived with his aunt and uncle Patsy and Teresa Argento and worked in their Grocery store. His draft registration card listed his home address as 1003 Bleecker St. According to his CCC application he had four brothers and four sisters although I could only find the name of one brother, Anthony (on a CCC application record). A newspaper article on him reported he had seven brothers and sisters. He attended the Mary St. School in Utica and reported having only 5 years of school.

In March 1939 he enrolled in a CCC camp in Masonville, NY . He was there when he registered for the draft on October 16, 1940. At that time he was 5'-6" tall, weighed 145 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. His home address was still 1003 Bleecker St. in Utica, NY. Donato was drafted into the Army on March 17, 1941 through Albany, NY with service number 32044577. He did his basic training at Pine Camp (now Fort Drum) and later was transferred to Camp Pickett, Virginia until he was sent overseas in 1943.

His name first appeared in Company Morning Reports on August 2,1943 as being assigned to a hospital 6 miles west of Cefalú Sicily. By early August 1943 the 179th was involved in the drive toward Messina on the island of Sicily. By August 11, 1943 they had essentially completed combat operations in Sicily and were given a rest and refitting period.

On September 10, 1943 the 179th landed near Paestum/Salerno, Italy and were headed to "the front at midnight by marching." The next day Pfc. Caramia is reported Missing in Action, "2 miles east of Battipaglio, Italy". Morning reports for Company C reported "Heavy fighting" on September 11, 12 and 13. Because the German forces fractured the lines and nearly reached the landing beaches, numerous American soldiers from the 1st Battalion (including Company C) were overrun, killed, or taken prisoner of war (POW) during this chaos.

According to government documents, Pfc. Caramia died on September 12, 1943 at the German Hospital St. Angelo De Lombardi while he was a prisoner of war. The source of the report was “considered official.” Initially he was reported Missing in Action and it wasn't until November 14, 1943, a month later, that enemy records were captured that documented his death. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously and initially buried in temporary cemetery 5205 in Avellino, Italy. Later, in July 1948 at the wishes of his mother, he was permanently buried in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 9, Gave 17. 

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

“14 Men Sent by Board 431 Leave on Train Hour Late”, Utica Observer-Dispatch, March 17, 1941, Section II, pg. 1.

179th Infantry Regiment (United States) Wikipedia entry at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/179th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States) on August 28, 2026.

"22 War Dead Honored At St. Anthony Rites", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, November [day illegible], 194[last digit of year illegible], pg. 15.

"28 Romans Among 129 New Citizens", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, February 10, 1944, pg. 12.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56307221/donato_m-caramia: accessed 30 Aug 2026), memorial page for PFC Donato M Caramia (4 Feb 1919–12 Sep 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56307221, citing Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Lazio, Italy; Maintained by MAJ Jimmy Cotton (contributor 48803557).

Fold3, US, World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/831/us-wwii-army-enlistment-records-1938-1946 : accessed Aug 23, 2026), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/831/us-wwii-army-enlistment-records-1938-1946

Fold3, US, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1914-1950 (https://www.fold3.com/publication/853/us-american-battle-monuments-commission-1914-1950 : accessed Aug 23, 2026), database and images, https://www.fold3.com/publication/853/us-american-battle-monuments-commission-1914-1950

National Archives and Records Administration. World War II Prisoners of War Data File [Archival Database]; Records of World War II Prisoners of War, 1942-1947; Records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General, Record Group 389; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.

National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63138; Record Group 146: Records of the U.S. civil Service Commission; Series: Individual Records (Enrollees); Enrollee Files: Caputo, Thomas THRU Caranfa, Leonard J.; NAID: 492914274.

National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63138; Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration; Series: Morning Reports; Morning Reports for September 1943: Roll 594 (2 of 3); NAID: 451727073.

National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63138; Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration; Series: Morning Reports; Morning Reports for September 1943: Roll 594 (3 of 3); NAID: 451728038. .

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

“Report 22 Missing in North Africa”, Utica Observer-Dispatch, date and page illegible so image of article provided in Supporting Documents section below.

“Soldier Dies in Homeland He Rejected”, Utica Observer-Dispatch, date and page illegible so image of article is provided in Supporting Documents section below.

West Virginia Vita Records website at https://wvculture.org/vital-records-interactive/ accessed on August 28, 2026, West Virginia Department of Tourism, Copyright 2026.

Supporting Documents