Illio Capocci

 
Illio Capocci was trained in fascist Italy and he served with other noted frogmen in UDT missions, and mini submarines against the allies. Commander Claudio Caamaño in 2003, referred to him as having served in the Gestapo SS, but this might not be historically accurate, even though the Italians and Germans technically where allies against the British, and the US. As most surviving WW II veterans, after the war, and possible incarceration from the victorious allied forces (USA, UK, and the Russians), these professional soldiers that had experienced high adrenaline live combat, where without jobs, in the occupation that they knew the best. The German and Italian armies where disbanded. Some of these adrenaline junkies enlisted in the French Foreign Legion, and became "Legionnaires" and served in the battle of Algiers and French Indochine (Vietnam). After the French rout in Diem Bin Phu, the surviving mercs where jobless again.

André Riviere and Illio Capocci where some of those that ended up in Hispaniola. Riviere went to Haiti to advise Papa Doc Duvalier, and was accidentally vacationing in Santo Domingo, when the war broke out, and illio Capocci ended up migrating to the DR, and being one of the trainer's of Trujillo's elite seal team corps, the famous "hombres Rana".

Illio Capocci joined the DR civil war in the constitutionalist side, covering the back of Coronel Caamaño in the battle of the "Duarte bridge". Through ice cold blood in his veins, being totally fearless, because of his previous urban fighting experience, he coached the unexperienced Dominican military, including both Caamaño's, Montes Arache, Lora Fernandez, and other military and civilians, into the art of war, and how to tactically engage armored vehicles and tanks, in a defensive position. Without him, and some of the few instructors who remained in the zona colonial, resistance would have been futile, against such an overwhelming opponent, with tanks, airplanes, cannons, armored vehicles, helicopters, and all the resources and might, of the best USA forces, that where supposed to be impartial referees, but where actually on the side of the CEFA gorilla's and the dark forces of the corrupt San Isidro military.

According to confidential US sources, both Illio Capocci, and André Riviere where specially targeted by professional snipers from either the 1 St Marine division or the 82 ND Airbone, that along with the famous 101 St (All the Way) and screaming eagles, had landed in DR, and where helping the San Isidro junta forces.
As you noticed, the majority of the weapons used by the DR "hombres rana" where captured M-16 rifles, that had been recently issued just to the elite paratrooper corps, as the marines still where using the outdated M-14 rifle. Here is a photo of then coronel Ramón Montes Arache with his M-16.

Illio Capocci fought with the constitutionalist forces, because of his destiny, maybe old memories desiring payback, but most of all because of his love of war, and the adrenaline surging in his veins, from fighting in a just cause, because it was the right thing to do.