Ziracco, Italy

Following the German surrender, Jerome Epstein, Jr. and his unit were stationed in Ziracco, Italy. This small town was located in northeastern Italy, on the border of the contested region of Trieste, which was claimed by both Italy and Yugoslavia. Jerome and his fellow soldiers' presence in Ziracco represented the Allied commitment to a United Nations driven solution to the Trieste question, which resulted in the short lived Free State of Trieste (1947-1954).