A soldier in Company A, 148th Infantry, 37th “Buckeye” Infantry Division, Cicchetti took part in the assault on the first important line of Japanese defense at South Manila, Luzon, Philippines, on February 9, 1945. He died of wounds received while leading a volunteer litter bearer team that rescued fourteen wounded men and deliberately drew machine gun fire to himself in the process. President Truman posthumously awarded Cicchetti the Congressional Medal of Honor on December 8, 1945.