Luca D’Auria was born around 1916 in New York and served as a corporal with the U.S. Army 52nd General Hospital during World War II. Located in Kidderminster, England, the 52 nd General Hospital was a mobile military hospital for surgical and medical treatment of casualties from combat. The hospital was affiliated with the Syracuse University College of Medicine. D’Auria met and married his wife Lilian while stationed there. They returned to the United States after the war and lived in Mt. Vernon, NY.