Stanley Albert Noramczyk Jr. was born on 7 November 1923, in Peru, Illinois, the firstborn son of Stanley and Martha (Romanowski) Noramczyk. He grew up in a household that would eventually include three younger siblings: Mildred, born in 1925; Ruth, born in 1930; and Robert, born in 1937. As the eldest, Stanley came of age during a period marked by both family growth and the broader uncertainties of the Great Depression. Loss came early. In early 1926, when Stanley was just two years old, his paternal grandfather, Joseph Noramczyk, died of tuberculosis. Several years later in May 1934 when Stanley…
Category: Honor Roll – WWII
Seaman 2c Stanley Ernest Waskiewicz, Service No. 3010587
Stanley Ernest “Bandy” Waskiewicz was born in the fall of 1919 to Joseph and Victoria (Lipinski) Waskiewicz, both Polish immigrants who had come to the United States from northeastern Poland seeking opportunity and stability. Stanley grew up in the industrial community of Peru, Illinois, during a period when immigrant families often found work in factories, mills, and heavy industry along the Illinois River valley. In 1920, Stanley lived with his family at 1320 Center Street in Peru. His father worked as a laborer at the local zinc company, part of the industrial backbone that supported many working-class families in the…
PFC Walter J Reba, Service No. 36049929
PFC Walter J. Reba’s story was one shared by many families in Peru, Illinois during the Second World War—a family of immigrants and laborers whose sons answered the call to serve during one of the most difficult periods in modern history. Yet within that larger story are the deeply personal details that defined Walter’s life: the coal miner’s son from Seventh Street, the brewery worker who left home before the war, and the soldier who died on Leyte during the opening days of the liberation of the Philippines. Walter J. Ryba was born on 20 February 1916, in Peru, Illinois,…
ARM3C FRANCIS JAMES PLOGER, SERVICE NO. 3125009
Francis James Ploger, Jr., was born on 6 December 1923, in Aurora, Illinois, to Frank and Rose (Miller) Ploger. By 1930, the family had settled in Peru, Illinois, renting a home at 1125 Eighth Street. Living with them was Rose’s brother, Eugene Miller. Both Frank Sr. and Eugene were veterans of the First World War—Frank had served in the 129th Infantry in France, where he was wounded in action, while Eugene had also served. Frank Sr. was working as a sales manager at an auto company, and Eugene as a salesman at the same firm. A decade later, the Plogers…
SC 3c James Joseph Riedel, Service No. 7265831
James “Jimmy” Joseph Riedel entered the world on 9 April 1925, in the city of Peru, born to Joseph and Elizabeth (Wilson) Riedel. He was the younger of two sons, joining older brother Kenneth, who had been born eight years earlier in 1917. Before marriage and family life, Jimmy’s father had been known locally as a catcher for the Peru Maroons baseball team, part of the strong athletic culture that was common in Illinois Valley towns during the early twentieth century. Joseph married Elizabeth Wilson in June 1916 and soon began building a life centered around work, home, and family.…
SP (TR) IRENE MARY WAVELET, SERVICE NO 4016644
Irene Mary Wavelet was born in Illinois on 23 August 1924. Her early childhood unfolded during the challenging years of the Great Depression, which most likely shaped the circumstances of her early family life. In 1930, Irene’s mother Pearl worked as a housekeeper for a family residing at 3616 West 22nd Street (now Cermak Road) in Chicago. Seeking better opportunities, Irene and her mother eventually relocated to Peru, Illinois, where Irene attended St. Mary’s parochial school. During the 1930s, Pearl married Amedee Wavelet, a French immigrant who had settled in Peru. The couple welcomed a daughter around 1937, giving Irene…
2LT Dale Otto Meyer, Service No. O-743472
Dale Otto Meyer was born on 19 May 1923 in Peru, Illinois, the son of Harry and Olga (Seidlitz) Meyer. He grew up in a working-class family alongside his older brother Harry, born in 1921, and would later be joined by a younger brother, James, born in 1933. Like many children of his era, Dale’s early years were marked by the common illnesses of the time. He came down with mumps and pertussis in his youngest years and later suffered through the measles and chickenpox as well. Around the age of nine, he also fractured his little finger. By 1930,…
PFC Daniel John Mertes, Service No. 36475128
Daniel John Mertes was born on 4 March 1924, in Peru, Illinois, the youngest son of John Bernard and Katherine (Schiener) Mertes. He grew up on Sixth Street in Peru in a full household that included his older brother Bernard, his older sister Veronica, and two grandmothers — his maternal grandmother Anna Schiener and his step-grandmother Barbara Mertes. His father John worked as a store clerk at Westclox, a local clock factory that was a fixture of the Illinois Valley community. By 1940, Daniel’s brother Bernard had followed their father into the workforce, taking a job at Westclox as a…
PVT Robert Thomas Lathrop, Service No. 36029533
Robert Thomas Lathrop was born on 17 November 1917, in Peru, Illinois, the fourth child of Leroy and Clara (Janz) Lathrop. He grew up alongside his older siblings Leroy B., Marie, and Harold J., and was later joined by a younger sister, Agnes, born in 1920. The family also mourned the loss of twin brothers who died in infancy. In 1920, the Lathrop household was a crowded and lively one. The family lived with Robert’s paternal grandparents, Edward and Katheryn Lathrop, along with several aunts and uncles at 2425 Market Street in Peru—fourteen people sharing one home. Robert’s father worked…
2LT Arley John Kuehn, Service No. O-712172
Arley John Kuehn was born on 13 April 1922, in Peru, Illinois, the son of Otto and Emily Kuehn, both Peru natives. His father had served in the First World War as a Private in Company H of the 55th Infantry, and the year before Arley’s birth, Otto married Emily and began building a life in the town where they had both grown up. By 1930, the Kuehn family was settled at 2228 Second Street in Peru. Otto had traded his soldier’s uniform for a mail carrier’s route, delivering letters and parcels through the streets of their small Illinois city.…