First Lieutenant Joan Aurora Falsani Tafe / US Army Air Corps

“As a child, my mother only spoke Italian,” said Pam Michael about her mother. “She was born in Milford, NH, a first-generation born in America to Italian parents. But she learned English, and graduated from high school as the Salutatorian of her class.”

Joan Aurora Falsani was born in Milford, NH on June 24, 1920. Her father was Cesare Roberto Falsani and her mother was Aida Rita Elena Angiola Rocca. She graduated from Milford High School in 1938.Once out of high school, Falsani wanted to work as a nurse and so attended nursing school through Nashua’s Memorial Hospital, now Southern NH Medical Center. She graduated from the Memorial School of Nursing in 1941. She became an RN, then worked in Long Island, New York for a time.

She joined the US Army Air Corps on January 31, 1944. The Army Air Corps, is the forerunner to the US Air Force. After basics, she moved on to an Army hospital in Sioux City, IA where she worked in the “contagious ward” for almost a year. Falsani went through basic training at Mitchel Field, later known as Mitchel Air Force Base, on Long Island, NY. This facility was established in 1918 as Hazelhurst Aviation Field #2. It was decommissioned in 1961 and now serves as a historic site. In her earliest days of basic training, Falsani wrote a letter home, addressing it to “The Cabinet”, (this was the Milford Cabinet) probably the local newspaper in Milford at the time. The letter is published here in its entirety to illustrate the excitement and enthusiasm shown by Falsani, as was likely shared by many young people just entering the country’s service. The letter read:

Here I am another G.I. issue, but a happy one. I arrived a little tired and bewildered from the trip and the excitement. I arrived at the field around 5 pm on January 31. Immediately I was comfortably situated with sixty other girls in a large barracks. The girls came from different parts of the country. I unpacked and met my future residence with a smile – a top bunk. Below me, a nurse from Rochester, NY, who is my best friend now. We have no curfew at night, but we start the day with the bugle’s reveille at 6:15.
We started basic training last Monday and oh boy, it’s quite a course. We drill, have calisthenics and average five hours of class per day on army rules and courtesy. Some classes are movies which prove interesting and educational.
We wear fatigues during the basic training, and they are cute! The uniform is an olice drab slack-like pattern, high-cut shoes, leggings, helmets and gas masks. We have drills in chemical warfare, and hike until we reach the 20-mile maximum at the end of the course.
To get away from the hard part, I’ll switch to the lighter side, which is entertainment. We have dances, officer’s clubs, movies, and a Red Cross building. The Red Cross workers do a great deal for the sick soldiers. They provide afternoon lunches, entertainment, and teach them occupational therapy. For us, they are very willing to help us in shortening uniforms, discuss problems, and make our barracks cozy with drapes and a home-like atmosphere.
I’m not sorry I joined up. The Air Corps thinks a lot of its nurses and men. The personnel here is very nice and teamwork is one of its prominent characteristics. I miss you all, the Milford Square, and especially, St Patrick’s church.
Joan Falsani
Mitchel Field, NY
February 21

 

On June 13, 1945 she was sent to Kirkland Field Army Air Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was there that she became a First Lieutenant and was the assistant head nurse. From there she moved on to Amarillo, Texas in December, 1945 where she suffered a “short illness.” She went on to Lowery Field in Colorado where she was discharged.While in New Mexico, she was apparently exposed to radiation from an atomic bomb test. Nobody told her, or any military personnel about the dangers of radiation. Apparently, she received a sizeable dose of radiation. Falsani began to feel sick and sought medical attention. She was told that she had asthma and was given a medical discharge on January 16, 1946.When the war ended, Falsani returned to NH and picked up her nursing job at Memorial Hospital again.  It was here that she met Frank Tafe of the US Navy who was visiting a sick relative. Falsani and Tafe began talking, and having both served during the war, found they had a lot in common. This eventually led to their marriage on July 17, 1948. The two remained in Nashua for the better part of their lives, moving to Virgina Beach in their later years.Over the years, Falsani developed several medical issues, no doubt due to her radiation exposure. Daughter Pam Michaels explains; “Italian women were tough women. It wasn’t uncommon for them to live into their 80’s and 90’s. My mother passed away in her 60’s. She was never told… nobody was told about the dangers they were in at New Mexico.” Joan Aurora Falsani Tafe left this world on April 1, 1989 at the age of 68. She was interred at Virgina Beach, VA.

Information for this profile is thanks to: Daughter, Pam Michael
Book, Milford in World War II, courtesy of the Milford Historical Society / Chris Thompson

US Service Personnel Profiles
By Gary Ledoux February 27, 2025