GREENWICH — Pearce Cucchissi, a former U.S. Army Ranger and Greenwich native, will be spending Memorial Day with some of his military buddies, working out and reflecting on the nature of sacrifice and how to lead an honorable life.
He’ll also be thinking back to June 5, 2019, a special day when he took part in re-creating one of the most famous special-forces exploits of World War II. He and more than 50 other Army soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment climbed up the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc as part of the 75th anniversary commemorations of D-Day.
That day, Cucchissi also carried two service medals that had been awarded to his grandfather, Al Cogan, and his great-uncle, Mo Cucchissi, to the top of the cliff in northern France. Both his family members, now deceased, took part in the great amphibious operation in June 1944 that brought about final victory in the war against Nazi Germany. They were later presented with Bronze Stars, recognizing them for “heroic or meritorious achievement or service,” as the commendations state.
“I was privileged to be able to carry their medals back to Omaha Beach and take them up the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc as men like them did on June 6,” said Cucchissi, a Greenwich High School graduate.
The Army Rangers used grappling hooks, ropes and ladders to get to the top of the cliffs on D-Day, to neutralize German artillery units that threatened the landing zone below, code-named Omaha Beach.
“It was pretty amazing; it was one of the most powerful, historical experiences I’ve ever been a part of. Standing on top of Omaha Beach, imagining what it would have looked like on that day, felt like, smelled like, a sea of red, it was pretty incredible,” said Cucchissi, who now lives in the Los Angeles area after leaving the military in 2020.
He marveled at how the Rangers fighting on that blustery June morning in 1944 managed the dual challenges of rickety equipment and tenacious defenders.
“It’s a tough climb even the way we did it, with these large nets and modern gear. I can’t imagine going up from the swells, grenades rolling down, with old equipment, and the fear of overwhelming opposition and death. Quite a heroic endeavor for those young men. They were going up with the expectation that casualties would be extremely high,” Cucchissi said. “And those caving ladders they used — they’re thin, they’re flimsy, they move around a lot, straight up a sheer cliff.”
The former Army Ranger met some of the surviving veterans of the operation at the top of the cliff, men who are now in their 90s, which was a memorable experience, he recalled. A special plaque from the Rangers was presented to then-President Donald Trump.
Cucchissi, a 2010 GHS grad who joined the highly trained Army Rangers unit in the Special Forces Command, has been deployed overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Looking back on his climb, he said felt a strong connection to his grandfather and great-uncle, and others who took big chances on D-Day, as he stood on top of the bluff at Pointe du Hoc.
“I imagined what it was like — the real sacrifice made on that day,” he said. “I was saying to myself, to the older generation, ‘we’ll take it from here.’”
His grandfather, a New Yorker who landed on the beachhead on June 6, was a dedicated family man, “very down to earth,” Cucchissi said. He also avoided discussion of his war years, so his grandson knew little about his wartime experiences.
He said he joined the military after college in 2015 as a way of achieving “self-exploration” and wanting to be part of “a greater cause with like-minded individuals.”
After the military, Cucchissi co-founded a wellness, health and training business. His company uses sports psychology and training regimens to help clients to improve their lives and mental fitness, and he works with seniors, elite athletes and combat veterans coping with post-traumatic stress disorder.
On Monday, Cucchissi is expecting to connect with other friends who served, for a special day of training, and inward exploration. He expects to do 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups squats and speed runs, and he is also planning to work through thoughts and emotions about fallen comrades he knew in the service.
“On Memorial Day, I get together with some of my fellow Special Operations military buddies for what we call a ‘hero workout.’” Cucchissi said. “It’s a work out, working together as a team, be together as a team, training hard. And working out some emotions. Thinking about those who have been killed, as the only way they live on is through us.
“It’s a good perspective change, taking time through suffering to understand what is really important, we go home better men after that event. And the same idea — we’ll take it from here.”
rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
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At D-Day re-creation, Greenwich native honors family and reflects on 'real sacrifice made on that day' - Greenwich Time
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