His engaging smile and simple humility draw everyone to him. There are always interpreters around should any wish to ask questions, but for the boys who speak Italian he is a special interrogator. He does the questioning. He wishes all a safe and speedy return to their families and loved ones. When the soldiers board their trucks and begin the winding trip down the mountain, their is much silence and deep thought.
Reactions vary greatly, but every one reports an undefinable change in their being.
One said he found Padre Pio looking at him as he entered the Sacristy and in that moment he felt that Padre Pio could see right into his mind, and the sins of his whole life seemed to flash into his consciousness. Another man told me that he felt that his soul was given a profound shaking and his mind put to work at right thinking. Back in Camp the soldiers think and talk about this wonderful Priest and what he must be. All want to return again, most every one has a buddy who wants to go, too. So the word spreads and more and more soldiers are turning to a new and better interest here.