An American in Gaeta

This article by TV author Luca Di Ciaccio first appeared in Italian in "Gazzetta di Gaeta No. 2: Gente di Mare". It has been translated into English by Jason R. Forbus. The book by the same title "An American in Gaeta" is available at this link.

Hollis Forbus has a cheerful American face, a type that might be going extinct, and a cheerful Gaetan voice, a rarity in my experience, especially in recent times. But he quickly corrects me, recalling that the first thing that struck him about the Gaetans when he arrived in Italy in his sailor's uniform was their cheerfulness. "The Gaetans I met were cheerful, sociable, curious about others." What happened to these cheerful Gaetans? Do they still exist? "They're no longer around, but it's not the Gaetans' fault. It's the same all over the world. Technology over the last twenty years has changed everything. Now people look at their phones when they walk or wait in line at the doctor’s office. Back then you had to look at others, which made you curious. The Gaetans would ask you who your parents were or where you came from if they saw you were a foreigner."

Hollis Forbus comes from Key West, the southernmost island in Florida, where Ernest Hemingway fished for gleaming swordfish. When he arrived in Gaeta in 1979, he was 21 years old and had been in the US Navy for just a year. He's one of the many sailors whom the routes of war or peace brought to Gaeta, but he chose to stay. Last year [editor's note: 2020], shortly after retiring, he wrote his autobiography titled "An American in Gaeta," which starts with a very American phrase: "A man's got to do what a man's got to do." "I was working in construction as a laborer, but the pay was miserable, and I couldn't afford college. I was a long-haired kid who drew comics, smoked, and listened to Led Zeppelin, but I wanted to escape. Enlisting was the only way I could learn a trade and see the world." Why the Navy? "I wanted to join the Army and drive tanks, which paid well, but the recruiting sergeant wasn't there that day. I waited for hours, and then a Navy marshal came out and invited me for coffee. He convinced me to join the Navy."

Of all the sailors who have roamed the seas, alleys, bars, and nooks of Gaeta over the centuries, Americans have been—oddly enough—the most loved, envied, and even hated, but only on the surface. They were the only ones you felt like patting on the back. Maybe it was their perpetual vacation vibe? "Not really. Back then, many Americans enlisted to avoid jail. They came from tough neighborhoods. But the locals didn't know this, not even the guy who once tried to rob us in old Gaeta. He threatened us with a knife for our money, but he ended up with broken bones, relieved when the police arrived."

What advice was given to soldiers heading to Italy? "I attended a week-long course called 'overseas on-board training.' They told us Italians were all gentlemen who never left home without a jacket and tie. I bought a suit with all my money, only to wear it twice. They also said not to stare at women or their men would kill you. And if invited to an Italian home, bring flowers for the mother—nonsense, pastries were better. My dad, who was also military, had been in Naples in the '50s and warned me about the Mafia. I imagined spaghetti, mandolins, and women with mustaches. When I arrived, no one played the mandolin, and the women were far from ugly. Italians also had their share of stereotypes about us. In Gaeta, people asked if I had a horse or could get them a cowboy hat."

Today, with the world at our fingertips, prejudices are subtler but more ingrained. "In Gaeta, thanks to American sailors, the first black people arrived. My black friends were at my wedding and were puzzled by the stares, just like some Americans back in the day who'd never seen a black person before. Gaeta was like that; things have changed. I recently saw an Italian police officer of color in Rome—finally."

Cultural exchanges are endless. How does an American who grew up listening to Led Zeppelin become a die-hard Mario Merola fan? "To learn the language, I watched Italian movies at the Ariston Cinema. For an American, Mario Merola’s films were like Bollywood musicals for an Italian. Once, when Merola was in Gaeta, I told him, 'Mario, you're great,' and he laughed and patted my cheek." A few years earlier, Forbus could barely locate Italy on a map. "In Indianapolis, we filled out a 'dream sheet' with our preferred assignments. I chose Australia, Scotland, England, and Japan. Instead, I was sent to the USS Albany in Gaeta. I had no idea what it was, but a girl who’d been there told me I was lucky."

Only those who've been part of institutions like the military or the church can call superior orders destiny. But sometimes there’s no other name for it. Forbus believes destiny saved him on December 27, 1985, at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, where he worked sorting Defense Department mail. "We were always on time, but that morning we were five minutes late and heard the gunfire. A Palestinian terrorist commando had attacked, killing 13 and injuring 76. If not for those five minutes, I wouldn’t be here."

Destiny becomes clear only in hindsight, and first impressions are rarely accurate. "My first day in Italy, arriving at Capodichino, I saw trash and decay and thought it was a war zone. But then I saw the sea and greenery around Formia and felt relieved." At night, Gaeta's neon signs illuminated the dark streets of the old fortress, a place with hidden dangers. "Old Gaeta was dirty and dangerous at night, with British and French women winking at you, local boys selling drugs, and bartenders overcharging Americans. But one sailor advised me to explore the right side of the base, where I discovered Serapo, Via Indipendenza, the Piaja, and Elena."

Elena wasn’t just a place but a person, the woman Forbus would marry and raise three children with. "At first, her family was worried. Her brother interrogated me, and her parents sent her with her little sister on dates. But once they saw I was serious, they welcomed me like a son." Many romances blossomed between American sailors and local girls. "Italian girls saw John Wayne on TV and thought Americans were strong like him. We found them elegant and shy compared to American girls. Fights often broke out over them. Local boys told us to leave their girls alone." Some marriages lasted, others didn’t, especially when wives followed their husbands to America. "My wife struggled in Maryland while I was in Iraq. She was stressed and homesick, once running up a thousand-dollar phone bill. I realized I couldn’t live there either, so I left the Navy and returned to Gaeta with my family."

Hollis E. Forbus and Luca Di Ciaccio

Movies and TV shows often depict military bases as closed microcosms replicating American life, satisfying the need to feel at home abroad. At its peak, Gaeta’s base housed thousands of Americans. There was the main base, a school, a gym, a bowling alley, a snack bar, and a grocery store. Despite this, the American community wasn’t isolated. "My children experienced both American and Italian cultures, attended both schools, and learned Italian, English, and the local dialect. We ate Italian food but celebrated Thanksgiving with a turkey."

One cultural shock for young American sailors was the prominent presence of communists in Italy, even in conservative Gaeta. "We’d tear down posters with the hammer and sickle, not knowing it was illegal. We often ended up in fights. For us, communists were evil." Some Italians had already encountered Americans during World War II. "I knew a man named Cosimo who was captured in Sicily and taken to Africa. He ended up working in American kitchens, earning more as a prisoner than as a free man."

America was the dream. In the '80s, there was still a thriving black market for American goods. "An American sergeant of Filipino origin ran a market stall with a catalog of American items. People ordered shoes, clothes, and more. The higher-ups knew but tolerated it until complaints arose." The most sought-after items were original Marlboros, whiskey, jeans, Walkmans, and sandwich bread. Local politicians also sought favors to gain popularity. "American soldiers built the park in Serapo, the parking lot in Monte Orlando, and prepared the municipal stadium for the Pope's visit."

After leaving the Navy, Forbus worked for the Military Police, a force comprised of Americans and Italians to monitor illegal activities involving Americans. "Italian authorities had jurisdiction, but we were instructed to avoid handing Americans over to them." There were clashes with local law enforcement. "Once, an American sailor attempted to assault a girl. We caught him eating a sandwich at Vic’s Bar, but the Italian police wanted to arrest him. There was a standoff, and I eventually handed him over to avoid violence. He got off lightly."

There were also lighter incidents. "Once, an American woman, married to a marine, reported an intruder. My Italian colleague and I found nothing. She opened the door in a baby doll, insisting someone stay. My colleague volunteered."

Today, the American warship still dominates Gaeta’s harbor, but the soldiers are few and rarely seen. Rumors of their return circulate, but history doesn’t rewind. Forbus, now retired, likens Gaeta to the Key West he left behind. "Key West used to be a normal island, but tourism and money changed it. It’s beautiful but feels fake, like an adult Disneyworld." Does he ever want to go back? "When I'm asked if I ever wanted to return home, I say no. I am already home."