Peter J. Cugasi Sr.

WWII Armed Guard tells about the convoys to Europe.

By Matthew Fleishman, BucksLocalNews.com


Drafted into the United States Navy at just 17 years old, Peter J. Cugasi Sr. wound up spending nearly three years in the secret Armed Guard during World War II.

“The Armed Guard is special services,” said Cugasi. “In World War II, the Navy put guns on merchant ships to get personnel and supplies to the war zone. The Armed Guard manned the guns on those ships. There was one Armed Guard officer, about 25 gunners, like myself, and also a few radiomen and signalmen on each ship.

“We were told, ‘Don’t talk about where you have been and don’t talk about the Armed Guard to anybody,’” continued Cugasi.

When the Navy came calling for Cugasi, he told them that he would be happy to serve, but he needed to take care of his mother at home, so the Navy helped him do both at the same time.

“I said, ‘You people don’t understand, I’m taking care of my mother,’” said Cugasi. “The officer made me a deal. My pay was going to be $49 per month, which was a lot back then, so he took $25 from my paycheck each month, and the Navy matched it and sent it home to my mother.”
After being drafted, Cugasi had one more concern, which was the possibility of having to shoot a gun.

“On April 3, 1943, I saw a big bulletin board with my name on it, so I asked the chief why it was there, and he said ‘You’re going to be in the Armed Guard, and we’re going to make a gunner out of you,’” said Cugasi. “I told him that I didn’t want anything to do with guns. I said I would be a radioman or signal man, but I didn’t want to have to explain to my family that I would be shooting a gun. He told me that I didn’t have a choice.”

As part of the Armed Guard, Cugasi would be part of a convoy of about 100 merchant ships, which would depart from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. The ships secretly carried reinforcements to Europe.

“The United States government didn’t want the enemy to know that there were Navy guns and personnel on the merchant ships,” said Cugasi. “Ships from all over the world were used in this because many of them couldn’t go back to their home countries because of the war.”

During his three years, Cugasi served aboard the S.S. Edward Paine, the Simon Willard, and the Thomas Sim Lee. On the Lee, Cugasi made the Murmansk Run, which delivered vital supplies to Russian troops on the Eastern Front as the war was turning in the favor of the Allies.

“Our convoy crossed the Arctic Circle to get the supplies to the Russian units,” said Cugasi. “The Russians told President Roosevelt that they needed everything we could produce. They didn’t have the money or the ability to make the supplies, but they had the soldiers ready to continue fighting.”

Fifty years after the war ended, members of the Armed Guard received medals and commendations from the Russian government for their heroic Murmansk Run, which saved the lives of thousands of Russian soldiers, and possibly the entire nation. The ceremony took place on the Liberty Ship John W. Brown.

“The Russian commander told us that if it wasn’t for the convoys, the war would have been lost,” said Cugasi. “The convoys were so secretive, that the Russian soldiers at the ceremony didn’t know much about them.”

After nearly three years in the Armed Guard, and having crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Cugasi was discharged from the Armed Guard.

“I had three years and three ships, so I said a lot of prayers in that time,” said Cugasi. “I had enough war by then, and on November 11, 1945, I got my discharge from the Armed Guard. I was one of the first guys to get out.”

Cugasi, who reached the rank of Seaman 1st Class, is the Chairman of the Delaware Valley Armed Guard, which holds a monthly meeting for veterans who served in the Armed Guard. During his time in the Navy, he received the World War II Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, State of New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal, Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, and also received recognition for his time in the China-Burma-India Theatre.

Currently, Cugasi, who spent 41 years working as an electrician in Trenton, lives in Levittown with his wife. Together, they have three children and nine grandchildren. In an “odd coincidence,” according to Cugasi, each of his three children are blessed with two boys and one girl.