Stephen Acocella: Pearl Harbour War Veteran Passes Away

Stephen Acocella was the uncle of my brother-in-law Tony Acocella who is married to my sister Cecilia in the States.
His Obituary tells a fascinating story of a warm, brave and dedicated family man who always kept his faith. Here is a section:
Stephen H. Acocella, 93, while at home, went peacefully to be with the Lord on May 27, 2015. Stephen was born on December 23, 1921 in Montclair, NJ to his parents, Antonio and Margaret Sadie Acocella and was the 8th in his family of 12 brothers and sisters. He attended Montclair schools and enlisted in the USMC right out of high school in July 1940 so that he could send money back home to help his family. At that time, he received $21.00 a month and sent his Dad $15.00 of it every month. He received his boot camp training in Paris Island, S C, served nine months in Cuba then was sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where he served in the defense of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. His battery of 60 men was in a sugar cane field at Salt Lake Camp near the Harbor at Hickman Air Field when the attack occurred. They had no weapons or ammunition when the bombing and strafing took place and out of frustration threw rocks and potatoes at the enemy planes. He witnessed the sinking of the USS Arizona and participated in action against the enemy at Vella Lavella, 15Aug43-11May44. He did his first tour of duty overseas without a furlough home for 4 years. His two tours totaling 5 years, 5 months were in the Pacific. Stephen was in Okinawa when the war ended and was discharged in December 1945 with the rank of Sergeant. Stephen's story and interview has been recorded in the Library of Congress.
You can see the rest of the story at:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thedailyjournal/obituary.aspx?n=stephen-h-acocella&pid=174978992&fhid=15592
May he Rest In Peace.