Alfonso Peter Bassetti was born on 3 February 1926, in Oglesby, Illinois, to Serafino and Dominica Valentina (Serri) Bassetti. His father, Serafino, hailed from Sesto Calende in Lombardy, Italy, and immigrated to the United States in 1914 at the age of 17. Serafino settled in Oglesby, where he worked at the Marquette Cement Company, laying the foundation for his family’s life in their adopted country. Alfonso’s mother, Dominica, was born in Illinois to Italian immigrants. She lived in Toluca for a while before moving with her family to Oglesby. Serafino and Valentina married in 1925 in Oglesby, Illinois.
In 1930, Alfonso and his sister Virginia lived with their parents at 251 North Spring Street in Oglesby, and by 1940, the Bassetti family was running a tavern at 251 East Walnut Street. Throughout their childhood, Alfonso and Virginia attended local schools. After grade school, Alfonso went on to attend St. Bede Academy in nearby Peru, Illinois. A standout athlete, Alfonso was a member of the school’s basketball team, playing as the center. In his junior year, he played in all 19 games of the season and scored 122 points, showcasing his talent and dedication on the court.
On 3 February 1944, Alfonso registered for the draft on his 18th birthday. Standing 6 feet 1 ½ inches tall and weighing 171 pounds, he was a strapping young man with brown eyes and hair. Soon after, on 25 August 1944, Alfonso answered the call of duty and entered the U.S. Army. He was eventually assigned to an anti-tank company in the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, part of the elite 101st Airborne Division.
In the spring of 1945, as World War II drew closer to its end in Europe, Alfonso’s unit was stationed near the Rhine River in Germany. His regiment took positions in an area along the Rhine, near the towns of Nieder-Cassel and Worringen, with his unit stationed near Büttgen. Although the troops initially found shelter in local homes, they remained under constant threat from German forces stationed across the river. Daily artillery attacks and nighttime patrol raids made it clear that the war was far from over.
On the morning of 05 April 1945, tragedy struck. A round from a large-caliber gun, believed to be fired from a German railroad piece, exploded across the street from the 3rd Battalion’s command post. The blast claimed the lives of two men from the regiment’s anti-tank company—PFC Alfonso Bassetti and PVT Paul D. Jones—and wounded four others. Alfonso was just 19 years old when he was killed in action near Neuss, Germany, making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
Initially, Alfonso was buried along with PVT Jones in the U.S. Military Cemetery in Margraten, Holland. In 1948, at the request of his grieving parents, Alfonso’s remains were repatriated to the United States. A requiem mass was held at St. Constantine’s Catholic Church in Oglesby, and PFC Alfonso Bassetti was laid to rest at St. Vincent’s Cemetery in LaSalle, Illinois. Among the pallbearers was August Gillio, a fellow Oglesby resident who had lost two family members in the war.
Alfonso’s legacy lives on in his hometown of Oglesby. His name is inscribed on the World War II Memorial in Memorial Park, dedicated by the citizens of Oglesby in 1996. In recognition of his contributions both on and off the basketball court, Alfonso was posthumously inducted into the Saint Bede Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
Sources:
- 1910 U.S. Census, Ricardo Serri, Ancestry.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Serafino Bassetti, Ancestry.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Serafino Bassetti, Ancestry.
- “New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957,” Bassetti Serafino, line 11, Ancestry.
- “Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940,” Serafino Bassetti and Dominica Valentina Serri, 1925, FamilySearch.
- “Illinois, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1998,” Serafino Bassetti, FamilySearch.
- “U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” Serafino Bassetti, Ancestry.
- “U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” Alfonso Peter Bassett, Ancestry.
- St. Bede Academy Yearbook, 1943, p. 59, Ancestry.
- IDPF, Alfonso Bassetti, National Archives, St. Louis.
- Leonard Rapport, “Rendezvous with destiny: a history of the 101st Airborne Division, Old Saybrook, CT : Konecky & Konecky, 2001. InternetArchive.
- Saint Bede Academy Athletic Hall of Fame Website
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61757764/alfonso-peter-bassetti
