The Heroic Stories of American Military Heroes Will be Featured at World War II 60th Anniversary Ceremonies in Florence, Italy on May 5th
The battle to liberate Italy in World War II cost the lives of more than 19,000 American Service Men and Women. The stories of several of these heroes will be told on Thursday, May 5, at 11 a.m. local time at the Florence American Cemetery in Florence Italy during ceremonies honoring the 60th anniversary of the end of the conflict. The tribute has been organized by American Legion Post 50 of Pelham, New York.
Pelham, NY (PRWEB) April 27, 2005 -- The battle to liberate Italy in World
War II cost the lives of more than 19,000 American Service Men and Women. The
stories of some of these heroes will be told on Thursday, May 5, at 11 a.m.
local time at the Florence American Cemetery during ceremonies honoring the 60th
anniversary of the end of the conflict. The tribute has been initiated by
American Legion Post 50 of Pelham and will be led by the New York State
Commander, Paul Cortright. The Assistant Secretary of the United States Navy,
Richard Greco, Jr., a native of Pelham, will be the keynote speaker at the
Florence ceremonies.
The biographical readings of selected veterans will
be conducted to remember the heroism and sacrifice of all 19,475 Americans who
were lost during WWII in Italy. The Battle for Italy began on September 3, 1943
with an amphibious landing by Allied forces on the southernmost tip of the
country and continued until May 2, 1945, the final week of the war. At 602 days,
the Italian campaign was the longest of any conducted by the U.S. military
during WWII. Beyond those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Italy, thousands
more were injured, including future U.S. Senators Robert Dole and Daniel Inouye.
The Italian campaign was crucial to the defeat of Nazi Germany, providing an
assault that liberated the Nazis’ closest ally and diverted important military
resources away from their defense of France. In 1994, memorial ceremonies were
held at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno, Italy during the 50th
Anniversary of the liberation of Rome. On that occasion, the ceremony was led by
then-President Clinton and four U.S. Senators who had served in Italy during
WWII.
This year, the ceremonies will begin on May 2, the 60th anniversary
of the end of WWII in Italy, when Post 50 members will participate in a major
WWII 60th Anniversary ceremony at Nettuno. Members of Post 50 and its traveling
party will also conduct wreath-laying ceremonies on May 2 at the British Beach
Head Cemetery in Anzio and on May 3 at the Polish Cemetery in Montecassino.
Additional information and references can be found on the Internet at www.WWII60thItaly.com.
TV Alert: Armed Forces Television is expected to make video highlights
of the May 5 Florence ceremonies available to domestic broadcast outlets. For
information, contact Mr. Melvin Russell, the Pentagon Channel, at 703-428-0200.
Some of the stories to be presented at the Florence ceremonies on May 5
include:
Fireman First Class Herbert S. Retallack, U.S. Navy (North
Pelham, N.Y.) – On the night of Sept. 10, 1943, while escorting a supply convoy
from Italy to Oran in North Africa, the destroyer USS Rowan (DD405) was
torpedoed by a German E-boat. The Rowan sank in less than a minute, taking 202
of her 273 officers and men with her. Retallack, who left high school in the
eleventh grade to join the Navy, is memorialized on the Wall of the Missing at
the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Italy.
Capt. Alfonza W. Davis, U.S.
Army Air Corps. (Omaha, Nebraska) – A member of the famed “Tuskeegee Airmen”,
America’s first black military aviators, Davis served with the 302nd Fighter
Squadron in Italy. As Squadron Commander of the 99th Pursuit Squadron protecting
the bombers attacking Europe, Davis led a group of P-51 "Mustang" fighters that
destroyed 83 German aircraft during a single mission. On October 29, 1944 while
on a special reconnaissance mission to Munich, Germany, he flew into overcast
weather and was never heard from again. Davis is memorialized on the Tablets of
the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
Second Lt. Ellen G.
Ainsworth, U.S. Army (Gleenwood City, WI) – Nurses played a vital role at Anzio
where the Army hospital treated 33,000 casualties in 150 days of fighting. On
the night of February 10th, 1944 the 56th Evacuation Hospital tent area near the
Anzio beachhead came under fire from enemy shells. The area of the hospital
where she was working was severely damaged in the explosive attack, but
Ainsworth, age 25, maintained her composure and remained calm, directing the
movement of patients to safer areas. Two nights later, she was hit several times
by shrapnel from a bomb dropped by an enemy plane and died four days later, one
of over 200 nurses who died serving in the armed forces of the United States
during WWII. Ainsworth rests at the Sicily-Rome American cemetery at
Nettuno.
Staff Sgt. George D. Keathley, U.S. Army (Olney, Texas) – On
September 14, 1944, when fighting with the enemy killed all the officers of the
45th Infantry Division in his area, Keathley, graduate of Texas A& M, took
command of two platoons attacking enemy positions on Mount Altuzzo, above
Florence, Italy. German resistance attempted to hold off the American assault at
all costs. Keathley moved under fire from man to man spreading ammunition and
encouragement. When it looked like the Nazis would triumph, Keathley’s men
responded with all they had. Despite being hit by fragments of a grenade,
Keathley continued to fight and lead his men until friendly artillery fire
forced the enemy to withdraw. Keathley died a few moments later. He was awarded
the Medal of Honor for his actions and is interred at the Florence American
Cemetery in Italy.
Lt. Jules Sachs, U.S. Army Air Forces (New Jersey) –
Bombing flights were among the most dangerous assignments in WWII. Trained as
pilot and deployed to Italy in 1944, Sachs was required to fly several missions
as a co-pilot with an experienced crew before he could lead his own crew into
battle. On November 11, 1944 Sachs was a co-pilot in a B-24 bomber that
reportedly crashed into another B-24 during bad weather. Both aircraft were lost
over the Adriatic Sea. Sachs is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing at
the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Nettuno.
First Lt. John R. Fox, U.S.
Army (Cincinnati, Ohio) – On Christmas night 1944, Fox, a member of the 92nd
Infantry Division, was a forward observer in the town of Sommocolonia, Italy.
When German soldiers took over much of the town, Fox and members of his
observation party voluntarily remained on the second floor of a house to direct
defensive artillery fire. As the enemy forces closed in on his position, Fox
called for artillery fire to target close to his position. When warned that
aiming any closer would bring the deadly artillery right on top of his position.
Fox ordered, “Fire it! There’s more of them than there are of us.” When the town
was retaken, Fox’s body was found with those of 100 German soldiers. On January
13, 1997, Fox was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, 53 years after his
sacrifice.
First Lt. Ellsworth Totten, III, U.S. Army Air Forces (Pelham,
N.Y.) – Totten, a 1938 graduate of Pelham Memorial High School who held the
school record in the half-mile run, was a member of the 84th Bomber Squadron and
flew a light bomber, the Douglas A-20 Havoc, based in Italy for 59 missions. On
December 23rd 1944, Totten and his crew of three went off to search for the crew
of a B-25 that reportedly had crashed into the sea. Shortly after take off,
Totten’s own plane crashed into the surf several miles offshore and he and his
crew were never found. Totten was decorated with the Air Medal with two oak leaf
clusters and is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence
American Cemetery in Florence, Italy.
The American Legion, with 2.7
million members, is the world's largest veteran's association. The Department of
New York is one of The American Legion’s largest state organizations with 1,003
local “Posts” and membership of more than 170,000 Legionnaires. Post 50 in
Pelham, N.Y., commanded in 2004-2005 by Michael Barrett, organizes Pelham's
Memorial Day parade and a variety of other veteran's and community support
projects.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/4/prweb233338.htm