Actor Cesar Romero appeared in more than 40 films before enlisting in, where he operated the winch that lowered landing craft over the side during the invasions of Saipan and Tinian, among others. Throughout, the mustached Romero took pains to come across as just another guy in uniform. “He was a grand fellow. He wasn’t above everyone else,” remembered fellow coastguardsman Ed Allesandro. After the war Romero returned to acting, best remembered for his role as the Joker in TV’s series. It was a role he “thoroughly enjoyed playing”—but for which he refused to shave off his trademark mustache.
