This page is dedicated to all the veterans from the units that my family served with during World War II. These people are the true heroes of today. If you are a veteran or if have a loved one and you wish to tell his or her story contact me at: mr2nc@yahoo.com and visit our homepage if you came here from another link.
83rd Infantry Division
Veterans
NORMAN
KRUSE
A native of Barnes, Kansas, Norman attended Kansas State and then Infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA. He was originally assigned to the 22nd Regiment of the 42nd "Rainbow" Division. In April 1944 he was shipped overseas as a replacement officer. Upon arrival he was placed in a replacement depot until orders arrived for him to deploy to Normandy. He arrived with other replacement Officer on June 18th and was sent on July 13, to the 331st Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division, which had just lost a large percentage of its officers during a drive on Sainteny, France. Assigned to B Company as 3rd platoon Lieutenant. Norman was with the 83rd through the rest of the campaigns in Normandy, Brittany, Loire Valley, Luxembourg, Huertgen Forest, Ardennes and Germany. After the war he was with the occupation forces in Germany . He remained with the 83rd until Thanksgiving 1945 and was mustered out of the Army in February 1946 and returned to Barnes, Kansas
PIETRO COCCHIMIGLIO - Served with the 83rd division, 331st Regiment, L Company. He was with the 83rd from the beginning and made it all the way until the Battle of the Bulge. There he succumbed to exposure and frostbite that resulted in the amputation of his right foot. During the battle there was no morphine, but they had plenty of wine available, which the medics gave to the wounded generously. However, the alcohol only exacerbated the frostbite and made it worse. He spent the remainder of the war at a convalescent hospital in Camp Upton, New York. He never spoke much about the war to his children except at the time of his injuries. His only other comment was that " you always knew when you were fighting the SS." His son served with the 25th Seabees in the Marianas Islands and on Saipan. The 25th built the cemetery for the 4th. Marine Division
.
Robert
L. Parsons - was born in Birmingham, Alabama on January 28, 1919. His
father, a Pharmacist moved the family to Chattanooga TN at the start of the
depression. The eldest of three children, Bob attended schools there, graduating
from Central High in 1937. Prior to entering college in 1940, Bob worked with
the North Carolina and St Louis Railroad, to earn money for college. The bombing
of Pearl Harbor on December7, 1941 brought WWII to the doorstep of every home in
America. Bob joined the U.S. Army on January 28, 1942 on his 23rd Birthday.He
reporteed to the Army reception center at Fort McClellan, AL on April 12, 1942.
After basic training he was sent to the Branch Immaterial Replacement Training
Center at Fort McClellan. later that unit became the Infantry Replacement
Training Center. He then reported for Cadre School and then to Cadre Training
new recruits that were coming into the Army. In May of 1944 he arrived in
England and then in June he croossed the channel to Normandy. Upon Arrival in
Normandy he was assigned to F company, 331st infantry Regiment and remained with
the 83rd Infantry Division for the duration of the war he was wounded twice and
was awarded the EAME Medal with 5 Campaign Stars, along with 3
Combat Decorations, and 2 Purple Hearts. After the war he returned to the U.S.
and worked with the Fruehauf Trailer company for twelve years. He then formed
his own business from which he retired from in 1980. He married the former
Margaret Record of Huntsville AL, and had three children.
It is regrettable that I report that Robert L. Parsons ("Sarge") passed away on Wednesday, 13 March 2002. "Sarge" helped me immensely with my project in the early stages. He was the first 83rd Veteran I had contact with. He will be missed. Those who wish to express their condolences to the family may write to his wife Margarette Parsons, 2401 McIntyre Court, Franklin,TN 37069-6953, USA
94th Infantry Division Veterans
MARION JEREB
was drafted from Westmoreland County (Western Pennsylvania) and went thru the
Induction Center at Fort Meade. He took a 17 week Infantry basic at Camp Croft
near Spartanburg, SC. and qualified for the ASTP program. He attended the
University of Mississippi before being assigned to the 94th. He was shipped on
bus to Camp McCain and assigned to 301st infantry C Company along with Freddie
Dionne. He was a good friend to Uncle Freddie and he helped me immensely
with this website. Marion's greatest contribution for me was his help on the
battles of Orscholz
and Munzingen
Ridge.
JOHN
W. RYAN, JR. Or "Jack" as he was known was from South
Carolina, he was with the 2nd battalion, Anti Tank Platoon, 301st Infantry
regiment. He joined the regiment in June 1944 at Camp McCain. He fought through
the entire war earning a battle field commission in March 1945, later served as
a Reconnaissance Officer. He served for a total of 17 months,
earning two overseas bars. Jack Ryan was a very private person and
rarely spoke of the war to his children. He passed away over 15 years ago. His
son Mark was gracious enough to let me use some photos of Jack in the telling
the 94th Infantry's story.
Click here for: Jack's Ryan's Photo Album
JOHN
H. WILZ - Also known as "Jack", was from Wisconsin Jack was
the platoon leader with the anti-tank platoon of 1st Battalion, 376th Infantry .
He was wounded crossing the Saar in Febraury, 1945. He recently passed away on
December 18, 2001. His family was gracious enough to let me use some of his
photos for this website. Click on the link below to view his photo album.
Click Here for: John H. Wilz's Photo Album
Fleet Air Wing 4/CASU-7 Veterans
TONY SUAREZ - Enlisted in the Navy on October 23, 1943, prior to his eighteenth birthday.
He was sent to San Diego, Cal. where he attended basic training. Upon completion
of his training, He was selected to attend aviation ordnance school at Norman,
OK. After completing his Aviation Ordnance M class, he was transferred to Naval
Air Station Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, NY. He remained there for about one
year, when he was transferred to NAS Jacksonville, FL. There he attended an
advanced AOM school. After completion of advanced training, he was transferred
back to San Diego, CA, where he was assigned to PATSU 10-44. Later on he was
transferred to Fleet Air Wing -14, and then to FAW 4. While with FAW-4 he worked
with the PB4Y2s "Privateers "on Shemya Island, which flew bombing
missions against the Northern Kurile Islands off Northern Japan. He remained
until the end of the war. In Addition he was also stationed on Attu and Kodiak
Islands. for more click on Tony's home page: http://www.hlswilliwaw.com/aleutians/Shemya/html/shemya-scrapbook-suarez-pg_1.htm
Here is Tony's Scrapbook Attu Page:
http://www.hlswilliwaw.com/aleutians/Attu/html/attu-scrapbook-suarez.htm
JAMES DECKER -born in Niagara Falls, NY on November 27,1923. He had a yearning to join the navy at an early age. He was not a very good student and quit High School at age 16. On December 30, 1940 he joined the US Navy upon reaching age of 17. He attended Basic Training at the Newport, R.I, Training station and was sent to a 16-Week Aviation Radio school at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fl. After graduating from the school he was assigned as an instructor at the Cadet Ground School for future pilots, teaching all communications. Shortly before the Japanese Attack at Pearl Harbor there was a need to form a U-boat Patrol Squadron to search and destroy the subs that were sinking the merchant ships up and down the Atlantic coast. After Pearl Harbor, he along with the
other members of the squadron were absorbed into the regular VN15D7 Training squadron and combined U-boat searches with the training of PBY flight crews. After several months of flying as an instructor he was assigned to the maintenance crew. In the spring of 1943 he was transferred to Adak, Aleutian Islands, and a few weeks later to Amchitka to Fleet Air Wing 4 Patrol Service Unit (PATSU) 4-6. This unit maintained the Consolidated PBY-5a Catalina Flying boats. Later he was "loaned" to VP-62 flight crew for a due to a crewman's emergency leave. He was sent back to the PATSU unit and then to Dutch Harbor as a base radio operator. After 2 years in the Aleutians he was sent to Cuddihy Field, TX to an SNJ advanced training squadron, for maintenance and flying. At war's end he was discharged from the Navy at Sampson, NY on Nov 7, 1945. Having served 5 years. After the war he wanted to become a telephone man and was hired by The New York Tel co. in Niagara Falls as a Splicer's Helper. He later advanced into Installation and Repair work for a period of 7 -1/2 years. He then moved to Long Beach, CA, and hired on with Pacific Tel. Co. remaining there for 33 years and then retired from the company. He went back as a contractor instructor teaching new personnel, then moved to the Palm Springs, CA area and worked as a fix-It guy, for a condominium complex. He moved back to long beach and worked for a building contractor and the Long Beach Unified School District. Finally he retired and moved to Lewiston, NY in August, 1998 with his wife of 56 years.
716th, 732nd, & 744th Railway Operating Battalions
Wilford "Bill" Hollarn(3rd from left)http://members.tripod.com/USMRR/744throb.htm
USS Roche (DE 197)
U.S. Army Coast Artillery
9th Army Air Corps
Veterans
USLH Service/U.S. Coast Guard 
They
Served with Honor : Home Page
