DeScisciolo, Guiseppe

Guiseppe DeScisciolo

Early Life

Guiseppe DeScisciolo was born on May 14, 1889, in Bardi, Italy. He immigrated to the United States in 1911 as a young man and settled in Rye, New York, where he resided at 16 Nursery Lane.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Rye and surrounding communities relied heavily on immigrant labor, particularly from Italy. Many men found employment in trades and mechanical work supporting local estates and expanding infrastructure. DeScisciolo’s later military assignment to motor transport units reflects mechanical aptitude consistent with this working-class background and experience.

World War I Service

DeScisciolo enlisted in the United States Army on December 7, 1917, at Fort Slocum, New York, during the nation’s rapid mobilization for World War I under the American Expeditionary Forces.

He was assigned to Motor Car Company 302 of the Quartermaster Corps at Camp Hill, Virginia. Within the Quartermaster Corps, motor transport companies were responsible for operating and maintaining the Army’s expanding fleet of vehicles, ensuring the movement of supplies, equipment, and personnel essential to sustaining modern warfare.

He was later transferred to the Motor Transport Corps, serving with Repair Section No. 1, Group A, of the 320th Motor Transport Company at Camp Upton, New York. In this capacity, he specialized in the maintenance and repair of military vehicles, a critical logistical function that ensured the continuous operation of supply lines and troop movements on the Western Front.

DeScisciolo served overseas in France from April 10, 1918, to July 7, 1919, supporting the operations of the American Expeditionary Forces during the final phase of the war and the post-Armistice occupation period. His work in vehicle repair under demanding field conditions contributed directly to the Army’s ability to maintain mobility and sustain offensive operations.

He was promoted to Corporal on June 1, 1919, reflecting recognition of his technical skill and reliability in a vital support role. His record indicates that he sustained no wounds in action.

Following completion of his overseas service, he returned to the United States aboard the transport ship SS Giuseppe Verdi, departing Marseille, France, on June 22, 1919, and arriving in New York on July 7, 1919. He was honorably discharged on July 16, 1919.

Life After Service

Following the war, DeScisciolo continued his life in the United States, maintaining ties to New York, including residence in Rye and later in the Bronx. He worked steadily in the city’s labor and service economy, including employment as an iceman and later as a maintenance worker, reflecting the transition of many immigrant veterans into stable urban occupations during the interwar and postwar years.

He was married to Anna DeScisciolo, and together they raised a family in the Bronx. Their children included Thomas, Lawrence, Mary, and Anthony, forming a household that reflected the experiences of many Italian-American families in New York City during the early and mid-twentieth century.

By 1950, the family maintained a multigenerational household, including their daughter Mary and her husband Louis Guadagno, reflecting common family structures and support systems in urban immigrant communities during the postwar period.

Guiseppe DeScisciolo died in February 1978 in the Bronx, New York, at the age of 88.

At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Anna; his sons Thomas, Lawrence, and Anthony; his daughter Mary; and extended family.