To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in 1945, USAWS is showcasing a WWII Veteran each month. Claude Perasso was born in San Francisco on May 31, 1926 attending St. Ignatius and leaving before graduation to serve in the Merchant Marine during WW2 in the South Pacific at age 17. After the war Claude returned to San Francisco, attended U.S.F both undergrad and law school eventually serving in the San Francisco Public Defenders Office for sixteen years before being appointed as a judge.