A Soldier's Story: Dominic's Legacy Lives On

A Soldier's Story: Dominic's Legacy Lives On

80 years ago on April 19, 1945, my uncle Dominic Louis Barone was killed in action on Cebu Island in the Philippines during World War II. I knew very little about my uncle when I was growing up — just that he died in the war.

Over 405-thousand American service men and women died in World War II. Most were ordinary men, like my uncle. By “ordinary” I mean most were decent, hardworking guys like mechanics, construction workers, machinists, or teachers and accountants and farmers.

You’ve never heard about most of those men. We don’t know their names, we’ve never heard their stories. We might feel vague debts of gratitude for their sacrifice, but we don’t really think about them. I was that way too for a long time.

But when my mother passed away in 1998, I took possession of several boxes of family documents, photos, and letters.

Those boxes included letters Dominic wrote in 1944 when he was stationed at various training camps. He shipped out to the Philippines in January of 1945. I found a final letter from Dominic when he was deployed in the Philippines, written on March 17, 1945. Also in the box were letters from my Aunt Marie to Dominic, writing on behalf of the family (my grandparents didn’t read or write in English). Marie’s last letter to her brother Dominic was written on April 17, 1945.

Two days before he died.

As I looked through these letters and photos I began to realize that I was one of those people who should be grateful to the soldiers who fought in World War II, but I knew very little about them … even though one of them was my uncle Dominic.

I read my Uncle Dominic’s letters, and I began reading more and more about World War II, my Uncle’s story began to take shape in my mind. I realized that I wanted to tell his story … and in telling his story show the sacrifices he and so many other brave Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines made. I felt the best way to tell my uncle’s story was through a very personal documentary film.

That’s what my GoFundMe proposal is all about.

I’ve been making films for a long time. I studied filmmaking at Penn State (back when we actually shot film). Since then I’ve shot countless TV commercials, promotional videos, documentaries, and even a feature film.

But my uncle’s story captured my attention in a way no other project ever had.

I grew up in the Bronx, New York. In 2016 I started work on a photographic history of my time there. Among the locations I visited were gravesites of family and friends, but I couldn’t find any information about my Uncle Dominic’s grave.

There was no hint in the documents I had inherited from my mother. My initial web search of U.S. military cemeteries did not turn up anything about Dominic.

After a long trek through the internet I found a website called Fold3 where you can search the records of the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) — the agency that manages America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials. Finally I found what I was looking for — Dominic is buried at the Manila American Cemetery in Manila, Luzon Island, Philippines.

Plot L, Row 11, Grave 101.

Equipped with information I learned from Dominic’s record in the ABMC I made the first of several trips to the National Archives. My research revealed that Dominic was part of the invasion to liberate Cebu Island. Dominic was an rifleman in the 132nd Infantry Regiment of the Americal Division.

The Americal Division landed on the beaches of Cebu Island on March 26, 1945. The Japanese had constructed strong fortifications on Cebu — using caves, making pillboxes, digging tunnels, and creating fire trenches in the hills. But the American infantry — including my uncle Dominic — was up to the task. On the evening of April 17th the Japanese were forced to evacuate their main body of troops into the mountains of Cebu Island.

But the resistance and counterattacks continued for several days.

And on the 19th of April, 1945, Dominic Barone was killed in action. He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

The Documentary

My goal is to produce a short documentary film that is a memorial to my Uncle Dominic. I want the film to also serve as a memorial and thank-you to all the little-known service members who gave everything to help the US win the war.

Featured in the film will be a detailed day-by-day tour of the battlefield, starting when Dominic landed on Cebu Island until he was killed in action. I then plan to be at Dominic’s grave at the Manila American Cemetery on September 23, 2025 — the 100th anniversary of his birth.

Interviews with surviving veterans who were on Cebu Island at the same time as Dominic, plus interviews with military historians will also be in the film, as well as archival footage and photographs obtained from the National Archives and other sources.

The Budget

The proposed funding ask of $11,000 will be used primarily for travel expenses — airfare, hotel, a rental car when needed, etc. Other costs to be covered by the funding are a local drone pilot to acquire aerial footage, a motion graphics designer to create animated maps, and voice talent.

Why am I doing this?

It is not uncommon for surviving veterans of any war to avoid talking about their experiences with their families and friends when they return home. For families of those veterans who don’t come home, like mine, there are often many unanswered questions.

No one is left to tell me about my uncle. I can honestly say that I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life, but if I had to make a list, at the top would be “I wish I was more curious.” I was 41 when my mom passed. I had plenty of opportunities to ask questions about my uncle.

Dominic deserves to be acknowledged. He deserves to be honored for his sacrifice. He is entitled to a visit from his family, from home. This is my mission.