Guide to the Salvatore Fruscella diaries
1942-1943
Collection number: HMC-1517.
Creator: Fruscella, Salvatore.
Title: Salvatore Fruscella diaries.
Dates: 1942-1943.
Volume of collection: 0.2 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Diary of an Army Lieutenant stationed in Alaska in WWII.
Biographical note:
Salvatore Fruscello was a first generation Italian American who was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He entered the Army Infantry in the 1930s. By 1942, he was a Lieutenant in rank, and part of the 201st Infantry. He later served in Korea and lived in upstate New York. He died in 2003.
Collection description:
The collection consists of diaries kept by Salvatore Fruscella from February 20, 1942 to March 30, 1943. During this period, Lt. Fruscella sailed to Alaska in February 1942 and was initially stationed at Ft. Greely on Kodiak Island as part of the 201st Infantry. In November 1942, they were moved to Adak Island. The diaries discuss his daily duties, events in the war, the letters he wrote and received, and information about the people with whom he was serving. He was required to send the diaries to the War Department in 1943 for security purposes. They were returned to him after the war; the letter returning the diaries is included with the second diary volume.
Arrangement: The diary entries are mostly in chronological order in two bound volumes. The first entry is from March 7, 1942 when he purchased the blank diary volume from the Post Exchange at Ft. Greely. He then inserted the entries starting in February 20. The first volume has a gap of approximately two months, from early October to early December 1942 which is represented in the small desk calendar pages included in the collection.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: Copyright has been transferred to the Archives.
Preferred citation: Salvatore Fruscella diaries, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Works used in preparation of inventory:
“Salvatore Fruscella obituary.” Legacy.com. May 1, 2003. Accessed August 7, 2026. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tallahassee/name/salvatore-fruscella-obituary?id=27811634
Related materials: Additional collections with materials regarding the World War Two period in Alaska can be found in our subject guide to WWII collections.
Acquisition note: The diaries were given to the Archives by James Fruscella, Salvatore’s son, in 2026.
Processing information: This collection was described by Arlene Schmuland in 2026.
Container list:
| Box/Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1/1 | Diary 1 | 1942 March 7-October 6, 1942 December 7-1943 January 19 |
| 1/2-3 | Desk calendar pages | 1942 October 6-December 6 |
| 1/4 | Diary 2 | 1942 January 20-March 30 |