WWII vet ‘Bazooka Joe’ Pietroforte celebrates 107th birthday in Studio City

By JOSE HERRERA | City News Service

Surrounded by friends and staff at the Studio City assisted-living facility where he lives and serenaded by a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, World War II veteran Joseph Pietroforte on Friday enjoyed an early celebration for his 107th birthday.

At Ivy Park, they know him as “Bazooka Joe,” a reference to his military legacy and his heroic actions in the Battle of Bulge, the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front in World War II.