He is 107, and they still call him "Bazooka Joe." Joseph Pietroforte is one of the last living witnesses of World War II. With his brother Nicholas, 96, he now tells a story rarely shared with such intimacy: that of an Italian immigrant family that gave everything to the United States, even a brother who fell for the country he served.
That story is at the heart of "The Pietroforte Family: War Memories," a documentary produced and directed by Mason Ewing and his production company, Ewing Power Production (EPP), a subsidiary of Mason Ewing Corporation (MEC), based in Los Angeles, in co-production with Madison Channel Documentary. The 84-minute feature is an American production. With Veterans Day, Nov. 11, only weeks away, the film is a reminder of something plain: memory is a race against time.
Joe, the Rifleman Who Became a Hero
Joseph Pietroforte was born on Feb. 20, 1919, in Bari, Italy. His parents brought him to the United States, where the family settled in Philadelphia. He grew up surrounded by six brothers and a sister, in a house where children learned early to count on one another.
When World War II set Europe ablaze from 1939 to 1945, the United States sent millions of men to the front. In 1944, Joe was drafted as a rifleman. He was not yet an American citizen. Assigned first to the 1st Infantry Division, he was later transferred to Gen. George Patton's 5th Infantry Division.
It was during the Battle of the Bulge, the last major German offensive on the Western Front, that his name entered the lore of his unit. Armed with his bazooka, Joe knocked out two enemy tanks. With that quick action, he saved members of his squad. He would receive the Silver Star for his bravery and sense of duty, along with a Bronze Star for his meritorious service.
Nicholas, Louis and the Cost of Sacrifice
His brother Nicholas, 97 today, was too young to fight in 1944. Drafted in 1954, he was sent to Korea, where the fighting had stopped. He was stationed at the Chaplain Retreat Centre, where he sang as a vocalist in the "Eighth Army Chorus."
The Pietroforte family also knew loss. Another brother, Louis, fell for the nation he served. That is what gives the film its gravity: an Italian immigrant family that gave everything to the United States, including one of its own.
A Film About Memory, Not Battles
The documentary does not try to replay the war. It is built from intimate testimony, restored family archives, rare photographs and footage shot at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. Its subject is memory, and the race against time to preserve it before the last of this generation is gone.
The camera lingers on Joe's face; he was 106 at the time of filming. His medals still shine, but it is his silences that speak loudest. Beside him, Nick lets long-held tears fall. The film also includes sequences shot at the Battleship USS Iowa Museum, along with fictional 3D figure Shelly Gold, a 1940s pin-up who embodies wartime hope.
Among the voices that accompany it are Dale Bell, producer of the Oscar-winning documentary "Woodstock," and the actor Eric Roberts.
The film also brings together H. Delano Roosevelt, whose contribution ties this story to a historical legacy, and Chaplain Dov Cohen, who offers a reflection on service to veterans and their families. Ewing adds his own testimony as a producer: why this film matters today.
The original music extends that emotion. The French-language song "Souvenir de Guerre" - written by Ewing, composed by Dany Brown and performed by Elouan Moroz - is produced by Holotech Records (HTR), a subsidiary of MEC. It pays tribute to two best friends, one Black and one White, separated by war: one never came home, the other carried his memory. One line captures its spirit: "My heart has never erased you."
Mason Ewing, a Filmmaker Who Sees Differently
Behind the camera, Ewing is a producer, director and screenwriter. He is also blind, and his work has earned him several awards. Through Mason Ewing Corporation, based in Los Angeles, and his production company Ewing Power Production, he carried this film forward with one conviction: that the Pietroforte family's service never be forgotten.
As a blind filmmaker, he approaches cinema with a heightened attention to voice, silence, rhythm and emotional truth. His film is guided by listening, because memory is not only visual: it is human.
He could count on the support of Roberts, the Hollywood actor, and Eliza Roberts, a producer and casting director. They are also Ewing's godfather and godmother, and their support mattered greatly in making the film.
In June 2026, the film was honored in Cannes, where Ewing received the UBUNTU Award for his vision. Joe and Nick received honorary medals there as ambassadors.
Nov. 11: A Duty of Memory
Veterans Day, Nov. 11, honors all who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The date, originally that of the 1918 armistice, became Veterans Day in 1954. It carries particular meaning for men like Joe, who embody a generation whose voices are fading.
"The Pietroforte Family: War Memories" is available on the Veterans Channel. The teaser is on YouTube.
The film is designed to be accessible: it has French subtitles, optional English closed captions and an audio description in development, to reach visually and hearing-impaired audiences passionate about history and testimony.
Acknowledgments. The film owes a great deal to Eric Roberts, Eliza Roberts and the Pietroforte family, whose support made this film possible.
