Nicholas John Cancilla
PFC Nicholas J. Cancilla served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at the battle of Tarawa on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 478868
Current Status
Accounted For
as of 8 September 2016
Recovery Organization
History Flight 2011 Expedition
(JPAC assistance)
Read DPAA Press Release
History
Nicholas Cancilla entered the world on December 6, 1924. He was the second son of Frank and Maria (Arcordia) Cancilla, born two years after his brother, Frank Junior.
Though their parents were Italian immigrants, the Cancilla boys grew up all-American in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Nick was particularly outgoing, and was well known to the residents of his Polk Avenue neighborhood. Frank recalled his younger brother as “a jolly fellow [who] didn’t have a care.” He led the busy life of a typical teenager: football practice with the Keith Junior High Rams, out-of-town wrestling meets, and bugle performances with the local American Legion Junior Drum Corps. Sunday mornings were reserved for services at Mount Carmel Catholic Church – but the rest of the weekend was spent at the center of a social circle which, increasingly, included girls attracted to Nick’s charming personality and athletic stature.
Nick was still a student when the news of Pearl Harbor reached Altoona. Young men scrambled to enlist; Frank Junior thought about the Navy, and Frank Senior might have dusted off the cavalryman’s uniform he wore in 1917. Neither of these paths appealed to young Nick. “He was going to be a glorified Marine,” remembered Frank. So “gung ho” was Nick that he dropped out of school – over his parents’ protests – and walked into the Pittsburgh recruiting station on October 7, 1942. Two days later, he was at Parris Island. His youth, strength, and enthusiasm would serve him well in the months to come.
After a mere six weeks of boot training, Private Cancilla was presented with the coveted Eagle, Globe and Anchor insignia of a US Marine. Evidently mechanically minded, he learned the job of a motor vehicle operator at New River, North Carolina, earning his operator’s license and the single stripe of a private first class into the bargain. He was shipped overseas to join the veteran Second Marine Division, where his specialized training landed him in motor transport. Driving a heavy truck around New Zealand was hardly the place for a “gung ho” eighteen year old Cancilla, and after only a month of this duty he managed the unusual feat of securing a transfer to a rifle outfit: Baker Company, First Battalion, Second Marines.
For the next two months, Cancilla learned the ways of amphibious combat alongside new replacements and veterans of Tulagi and Guadalcanal. How to climb down a net into a bobbing landing craft, how to get off the beach and find one’s objective, and how to fight the Japanese and win. Nick must have heard the veterans’ stories with a mix of wonder, apprehension, and excitement as he trained and waited for his chance to follow in their footsteps.
On 12 November 1942, Frank and Maria received a letter from Nick. His unit was on the move, he said, but they weren’t to worry about him – he was well, in good spirits, and had even heard from Frank Junior, now in the Navy. Ten days later, the Altoona Tribune blared “YANKS INVADE JAP ISLANDS” and credited the Second Marine Division. It was the first time the Cancilla family heard the word “Tarawa.” In the weeks that followed, the full extent of Marine casualties gradually became known – and there was no further word from Nick.
The telegram arrived at 1525 Polk Avenue in January 1944. A mimeographed message informed Frank and Maria that their son, Private First Class Nicholas John Cancilla, had been killed in action. Much later, they would learn he had died at Tarawa on November 20, 1943. The family and community mourned their loss: a solemn mass was said, a commemorative plaque was inscribed, and a memorial headstone laid down at Calvary Cemetery. In 1949, the family learned that Nick’s remains were considered non-recoverable. This announcement brought Maria a measure of peace – she had decided that the right place for Nick to lie for eternity was alongside his Marine Corps buddies, wherever that might be.
Frank Junior survived the war, married, and started a family in Altoona. In December 1946, he and Mary welcomed their first son, named Nicholas, in honor of the fallen Marine. Like his namesake, young Nicholas attended Altoona High School – and like his father, he joined the Navy. Tragically, his name would prove to be prophetic. On 27 March 1969, Gunner’s Mate 3c Cancilla was killed in action on a river patrol near Can Tho, Vietnam.
Many years later, in June 2011, archaeologists with non-governmental organization History Flight conducted an exploratory dig on the island of Betio. In the area of an old burial ground known as “Cemetery 25,” they uncovered three distinct sets of human remains which appeared to be American. Among the rusted and corroded personal effects, they found a small pin commemorating a perfect bowling score from a long-ago game in Altoona, Pennsylvania. History Flight duly notified the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) of their find, and in 2012 a government team arrived and took charge of the remains.
Two years later, Frank Cancilla’s phone rang. A genealogist working on behalf of the United States Marine Corps informed him that one set of remains located on Betio might belong to Nicholas. Although initially hesitant – still mindful of his mother’s wishes long ago – Mr. Cancilla submitted a DNA sample, hoping it would help to bring his little brother home.
Tragically, Frank Cancilla passed away in 2015 – just months before “mitochondrial DNA analysis… as well as circumstantial evidence and laboratory analysis, to include dental comparisons and anthropological analysis” confirmed the identity of Nicholas Cancilla. Frank’s sample was the final clue needed to confirm his brother’s identity.
On 7 November 2016, Nick Cancilla was laid to rest in Altoona’s Calvary Cemetery alongside his parents, older brother Frank, and his nephew Nicholas.
The other two Marines found with him – PFC Manley F. Winkley and PFC James S. Smith – were returned to their families in 2013 and 2016, respectively.
An earlier version of this biography, written at the request of History Flight, appeared on this site under the title "Brothers & Namesakes" on 1 November 2016.
The author wishes to Jennifer Morrison and the Cancilla family for their invaluable assistance.
Decorations
Purple Heart
For wounds resulting in his death, 20 November 1943.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Frank & Maria Cancilla.
Location Of Loss
PFC Cancilla was killed in action at an unspecified location on Betio.
