“All’s Fair in Love and War” Event

The inspiration for The Italian Prisoner is the little-known love story of the Italian POWs held at Jackson Barracks near New Orleans during World War II, and the local girls they met and married. I was lucky enough to join with Curator Sal Serio from the Italian-American Archive for a special event April 20, 2019 at the Jefferson Parish Library. We brought many of the descendants of these families together–some were meeting for the first time–and welcomed our extra-special guest Giovanni DiStefano, 95 years young. Mr. DiStefano is the last surviving Jackson Barracks POW, and had many wonderful stories to share.