Lou Cinfici & 5 Brothers Served in WW2, Korea, & Vietnam

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Lou Cinfici (1928 - ) was born and raised in Reading, PA, and -- at age 91 -- still lives there with his wife Nancy. "He will be the first one to say he's had a wonderful life.  Some might even say surviving combat in the South Pacific late in World War II and injuries in the Korean and Vietnam wars might qualify as a charmed life. Cinfici got medical training in the Navy and served as a dental assistant in World War II and Korea. He got further training as a medic and was attached to the Marine Corps in Da Nang, Vietnam."

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Lou volunteered at age 16 to join the Navy, but was not accepted because of his age; instead, he joined the Merchant Marines. In 1946 he joined the U.S. Navy, and a  girlfriend gave him a 10kt gold Benrus watch. It was nicely engraved, “Louis Cinfici ~ U.S. Navy ~  248-44-82” (Lou’s Navy service number).  He wore this watch through his service in Korea and Vietnam.  Lou was at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital in 1968 when his suitcase was stolen; it contained all his identification papers, medical records, and his Benrus watch. His medical records were found under a bridge in Reading several months later; the remaining items were never found --  including his Benrus watch.

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And just when he thought he had seen it all, Cinfici, 90, of Reading PA got a call from me saying that a watch with his name and Navy identification number inscribed on it had been found....

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