Figure 1.--Here we see an Italian boy adopted by U.S. soldiers and smuggled back to America when they returned home. The men look happy, but at the time this photograph was taken, they expected to be redeployed to the Pacific for the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. Italian mascots were very common because the United States was involved in battle there for nearly 2 years, beginning with the invaion of Sicily (July 1943). In contrast fighting in France was for the most part limited to only a few months and reltively few children were separated from their parents. The press caption read, "Troops bring Italian boy mascot home with them: Natale Kesic, 13, blond and blue-eyed Italian boy mascot of troops who brought him aboard ship in a barracks bag is surrounded by his pals at Commonwealth Pier today before he was taken in by Immigration officers. Soldiers of Co. L 21st Infanty, nicknamed the orphan Lad Chris and said they found him in a German POW camp where he was sent for killing a NAZI officer who abused him." The photograph was taken July 11, 1945. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find any further information about Natale. An Italian reader tells us, "Natale is an Italian name. Kesic could be a Slovenian family name. In north-eastern Italy (provinces of Trieste, Gorizia and Udine) there is an Italian Slovenian-speaking minority. And the Italian Army occupied part of Slovenia during the War."

Here we see an Italian boy adopted by U.S. soldiers and smuggled back to America when they returned home. The men look happy, but at the time this photograph was taken, they expected to be redeployed to the Pacific for the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. Italian mascots were very common because the United States was involved in battle there for nearly 2 years, beginning with the invaion of Sicily (July 1943). In contrast fighting in France was for the most part limited to only a few months and reltively few children were separated from their parents. The press caption read, "Troops bring Italian boy mascot home with them: Natale Kesic, 13, blond and blue-eyed Italian boy mascot of troops who brought him aboard ship in a barracks bag is surrounded by his pals at Commonwealth Pier today before he was taken in by Immigration officers. Soldiers of Co. L 21st Infanty, nicknamed the orphan Lad Chris and said they found him in a German POW camp where he was sent for killing a NAZI officer who abused him." The photograph was taken July 11, 1945. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find any further information about Natale. An Italian reader tells us, "Natale is an Italian name. Kesic could be a Slovenian family name. In north-eastern Italy (provinces of Trieste, Gorizia and Udine) there is an Italian Slovenian-speaking minority. And the Italian Army occupied part of Slovenia during the War." We were a little skeptical Natale's story. Not many boys that age shot a German officer and lived to tell about. The normal German reaction woukd have been the summary execution od the culprit as well as his family and a number of civilian hostages. We thought the boy may have made the story up to impress the Americans. And there is no mention if the incident that we can find anywhere on the internet to coarborate Ntle's stiry. There is one fact that leads us to believe that the story may be true--Natake is in a POW camp. You have to wonder why he was there. The Italian Army did not have boy soldeiers that age. The Germans interned the Italian Army (September 1943). You have to winder what Ntale was doing in a POW camp. Of course it ws not uncommon for the Germans to abuse civilians, they did much wore. Tghey shot thousands of civilians. And OKW took no action against them. In fact OKW issued standing orders incouraging such actions. We wonder if by 'abuse' was meant a sexual assault. Given that Natale was blond and blue-eyd, German military authorities may have viewed the incident different than a normal attack on a Germnan officer. Sebding him to a POW camp may have been a way if saving lis life because of conditions in the concentration camps.

Created: 2:15 PM 6/26/2012
Last updated: 2:15 PM 6/26/2012