Abraham Wolfe
Submitted by: David Andrew Masiero, CDR USCG, Ret. {Abraham was my 1974 Restaurant Boss}
Abraham Wolfe was born around 1895. Abraham Wolfe served in World War 1 with the United States Army. The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.
Story of Service
Abraham Wolfe was my boss at his Lenox, MA steak house when I worked there at age 16. My understanding is he and his older brother Manny had a steak house in Manhattan and at some point Abe decided to have a steak house on his own in Lenox, Massachusetts in Berkshire County. I lived in the next town Lee, MA. I was inquisitive and asked questions when my waitress mother told me he was a WW1 vet.
Both my Italian grandfathers (born 1895 & 1899) came to USA from villages Pavone (LOM) & Trissino (VZ) in 1922 & 1923 as laborers (Frank at Lee, MA Lime/Marble quarry pits & Andrew at Brooklyn Navy Yard on drydock shoring team). They both were in the ITA combat infantry vs. AUS/HUN. Nono Frank "Chesko" Baccoli lost complete use of one eye so WW1 always interested me. They died in 63 & 65 (me born 1958) when I was too young so I was never able to discuss WW1 with them.
My deceased (2014) father Val Masiero was a 1951-1955 (E5) Navy Construction Electrician Seabee and he told me his father Andrew would NEVER talk about the Great War. It was something NOT discussed.
Back to Abe, .... I am Catholic and Abe Wolfe told me that as a Jew there was great discrimination at Army National Guard boot camp & on the way over on the troop ship. He was in the NY National Guard (part of AEF) and deployed to France.
Abe told me the discrimination went away upon arrival especially when they all heard artillery/cannonade . He told me he fought in combat during the MARNE campaign. He said being in combat in the trenches was "like being in hell". He understood German and could also hear German fighters screaming in pain & asking for their mothers in addition to seeing/hearing USA casualties . He went into tears and I apologized for asking such questions but he said, “NO ...I have not talked about this in 50 years & need to". After the war when returning home on the troop ship from France..... the discrimination returned, per Mr. Wolfe.
We talked often and even more so when he found out DEC 1974 that I was accepted to USCGA New London CT as a USCG cadet. [I graduated as an ENS in 1979.] He would invite me to his main floor steak house bar at 11pm on a 1974 FRI or SAT summer night after BSO Tanglewood classical music events after I finished my dishwashing duties in the basement kitchen for a (1) gratis ice-cold Michelob beer.
He [wife Sarah and only child Lenny] was a great & kind man to me & my mother who was a waitress at this very successful steak house. They had no daughter and treated my mother as one. They lived across the street from the restaurant and at 4pm I would cross and assist them in safely crossing the street for work.
GOD BLESS NY National Guard /AEF INFANTRYMAN -- ABE WOLFE
VR Dave Masiero, CDR , USCG , RET , CGA 79
A DEC 1976 BERKSHIRE EAGLE article & photo about ABE WOLFE is here: https://newspaperarchive.com/berkshire-eagle-dec-31-1976-p-7/
