Handwritten envelope addressed to Mrs. D. DiMarzo dated August 7, 1944

Donald Domenic DiMarzo

BiographyDonald Domenic DiMarzo lied about his age to join the U.S. Navy in 1917 at age fourteen. He left the Navy and became a firefighter in California. DiMarzo re-enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) during World War II as the ship's fire marshal, with the rank of lieutenant. He was part of the ship's commissioning crew in 1943.

DiMarzo was killed on November 25, 1944. A kamikaze airplane struck Intrepid, and he and his men rushed to fight fires in the hangar deck. Within minutes, a second kamikaze airplane hit the ship and exploded near the area where DiMarzo and his men were working. DiMarzo was initially listed as missing in action but was presumed killed in the attack. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart.

DiMarzo was survived by his wife, Jeane Laura DiMarzo, and their children, Donald David and Mary. His role on board in the ship, and his death as a result of the attacks, was featured in the Intrepid Museum's multimedia film originally titled "Kamikaze: Day of Darkness, Day of Light," which opened in 2004.

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