Memoir Summary
Radioman First Class (RM1) Ralph M. Servadio served as a radio operator during World War II in a covert Coast Guard operation to intercept clandestine Nazi radio messages in South America. His memoir describes his path from boot camp to his amazing service at a remote radio monitoring station at Quientero, Chile. Servadio was born in Herkimer, New York in 1925, one of five sons of proud Italian immigrants. Ralph and his older brother Dominic enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1943. Both became radiomen. However, Dominic served aboard the cutter USS Taney; while Ralph served south of the equator to support the Coast Guard’s intelligence operations. Dominic earned four battle stars aboard Taney, while Ralph was awarded a Distinguished Service Medal for his duties in Chile.
