Joseph “Joe” Pietroforte is one of the last living witnesses of World War II. He was awarded the Silver Star for his bravery and duty, as well as a Bronze Star for his meritorious achievements in service.
Born in 1920 in Bari, Italy, Pietroforte came to the U.S. with his parents, where they moved to Philadelphia. He grew up with seven brothers and a sister. When he was drafted into the army as a rifleman in 1944, he was not yet an American citizen. Initially assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, Joe was later transferred to Gen. George Patton’s 5th Infantry Division.
Joe took out two enemy tanks with his bazooka during the Battle of the Bulge, the last majo German offensive campaign on the Western Front. Through his quick heroic actions, he was able to save members of his unit.
At the age of 107, they still call him “Bazooka Joe” as a reference to this military legacy.
Joe’s 96-year old brother Nicholas, too young to serve in WWII, was drafted in 1954 and sent to Korea. The fighting had stopped by this time. Nick was stationed at the Chaplain Retreat Centre where he was a vocalist in the “Eighth Army Chorus”.
In this documentary, Joe alongside Nicholas, shares a story rarely told with this level of intimacy: that of an Italian immigrant family who gave everything to the United States, including a brother, Louis Pietroforte, who fell for the nation he served.
This is not a film about battles. Built from intimate testimony, restored family archives, rare photographs, and footage from the Los Angeles National Cemetery, it is about memory, and the race against time to preserve it before the last of this generation is gone.
About the Filmmaker
The Pietroforte Family: War Memories was produced and directed by Mason Ewing, a producer, director, and screenwriter who is himself blind. Made through his Los Angeles–based Mason Ewing Corporation and its production company, Ewing Power Production, the film grew from Ewing’s determination that the Pietroforte family’s service never be forgotten. In June 2026, the film was honoured in Cannes, France, where Ewing received the UBUNTU Award for his vision and Joe and Nick were awarded honorary medals as ambassadors.
Original Music
The film’s French-language song, “Souvenir de Guerre,” written by Mason Ewing, composed by Dany Brown, and performed by Elouan Moroz, is a tribute to two wartime best friends: one who never came home, and one who carried his memory.
Special Thanks
With special thanks to Hollywood actor Eric Roberts and his wife, producer and casting director Eliza Roberts, and to the Pietroforte family, whose support made this film possible.
