Arthur Cozza couldn't be more proud to be a member of the 1st Marine Division's K-3-5 unit in World War II.
"I'm glad they put me in that company, in that platoon. I really enjoyed those guys. They were a bunch of real good men," Cozza said.
Now, thanks to the HBO network, the story of Cozza, and his fellow Marines is spreading worldwide. On Sunday, HBO began airing a 10-part miniseries titled "The Pacific," focusing on the K-3-5 unit's time in Okinawa, Japan. Though no characters in the mini-series are based on Cozza, project advisers did interview him about his time fighting as a replacement Marine.
"Out of the original 235 men, 26 made it. Out of the 250 replacements, 24 made it," Cozza said. "So, I was one out of 24."
Last week Cozza traveled to Washington D.C on an Honor Flight where he and 250 veterans were guests at the Washington Monument along with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The 83-year-old has no regrets about joining the Marines right after high school at age 18.
"I'm glad I went in. I'm no hero," he said. "I just went to prove to myself that I could fight for my country, I guess. And that's what I did."
The Marine Corps' motto is "Semper Fi," Latin for "Always Faithful," and Cozza still lives by those words to this day.
"Once a Marine, always a Marine," he said. "That's what the saying is, and it's true."
