Leroy Albert Carbine was born on 25 January 1914, in Chicago, Illinois, to Alphonsis and Minnie (O’Brien) Carbine. His parents had married two years earlier, on 19 June 1912, also in Chicago. By 1920, the Carbine family had moved to LaSalle, Illinois, where they lived on Second Street. Leroy’s father worked at a local cement company, providing a stable livelihood for his family. Over the next decade, the family relocated to the Deer Park area of nearby Oglesby, Illinois. By 1930, Leroy’s father had advanced in his career, becoming an operator at the cement company. In about 1937, Leroy married…
Tag: Honor Roll
PFC ALFONSO BASSETTI, SERVICE NO. 36911431
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,…
1LT Roy May Jr, Service No. O-723996
Roy May Jr. was born on 13 August 1921, in LaSalle, Illinois, the eldest son of Roy and Charlotte “Lottie” (Baker) May. A year later his brother Robert was born. In 1924, when Roy was three years old, the family suffered the loss of a full-term stillborn child, William, who never came home. In 1930 when Roy was eight years old, the May family lived in a home they rented at 542 Eighth Street in LaSalle. Roy’s father worked as the proprietor of a jewelry shop. By 1940, Roy Sr. had left the jewelry business and taken a job at…
Assistant Cook Christ Norman Hennum, Service No. 915884
The volcanic beaches of Iwo Jima were still black with ash when Assistant Cook Christ Norman Hennum arrived there on the USS Lubbock on 19 February 1945. During his regiment’s initial assault of the island, the 34-year-old Marine from Chicago fell during one of World War II’s most ferocious battles, far from the Midwestern family he had left behind. This is the story of a Norwegian immigrant’s son whose journey from window display manager to Marine cook ended in sacrifice on foreign shores. Early Life and Family Christ Norman Hennum was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 5 May 1910, to…
PFC John Goletz, Service No. 16016241
John J. Goletz was born on 28 February 1918, to Frank and Catherine Goletz in Peru, Illinois. John’s father, Frank, immigrated to the U.S. in 1906 from Dulcza Wielka, Poland, while his mother, Catherine “Katie” (née Mikus), was born in Illinois. She was the daughter of Anton and Anna Mikus, who came to the United States from Poland during the late 19th century. In 1920, John and his family lived at 317 Helena Street in Peru, where Frank worked as a coal miner to support the growing household. By 1930, the family had moved to a home on 321 Ninth…
CPL Frederick J Breuning, Service No. 16030904
Frederick John Breuning was born on 31 May 1916, in Peru, Illinois, to John and Irene (Koehler) Breuning. Three years after his parents married on 18 June 1913, they welcomed Frederick, their only child. John and Irene provided for their family by operating a grocery store at 1612 Fifth Street. Frederick’s childhood was enriched by a close-knit family, including his maternal grandfather, Fred Koehler, a well-known local contractor who had built many of the city’s prominent buildings, including the Peru fire station and the Masonic Temple. Frederick attended Peru’s elementary schools and went on to LaSalle-Peru Township High School, where…
PFC Ladislaus Anthony Zawacki, Service No. 36696116
Ladislaus “Lad” Zawacki was born on 25 July 1912, in Peru, Illinois, to George and Anna (Kotecki) Zawacki. His parents were both life-long residents of Peru who had married the year before his birth. The couple had two sons following Lad’s birth: Edward who was born in 1918 and Raymond, born in 1923. Tragically, when Lad was 13, his brother Raymond passed away at the age of two due to broncho-pneumonia. Growing up in Peru, Lad attended the local grade school and lived a modest life. By 1930, his parents had purchased a home at 1803 Pulaski Street, where Lad,…
PFC Adolph Edward Yagodich, Service No. 0849923
Birth and Early Life Adolph Edward Yagodich was born on 8 January 1919, in Peru, Illinois, to George and Mary (Remsek) Yagodich. His father, George, was an immigrant from Yugoslavia, arriving in America in 1907. His mother, Mary, was from Austria and arrived in the U.S. in 1913. The couple married in January 1914, and by December of that year, Adolph’s older brother Theodore was born. Two years later, his older sister Sophia joined the family. Initially, the Yagodich family resided in LaSalle on Third Street while George worked as a miner. They later moved to a home they owned…
TEC5 Edward William Sell, Service No. 36312542
Edward William Sell was born on 13 September 1915, in Peru, Illinois, to Max and Anna (Fitzsimmons) Sell. Edward’s father Max was a German-born immigrant who traveled to the U.S. as a young boy with his parents and sister and brother. Edward’s mother was born in Illinois. Max and Anna married in Peru on 7 August 1907. As a young boy Edward lived in a home his parents rented at 1409 Pulaski street in Peru with his three sisters, two older and one younger, and two younger brothers. His father was an electrical engineer at the local Zinc Works for…
PVT Albin J. Pocivasek, Service No. 36693406
Albin John Pocivasek was born on 10 June 1919, in the city of Peru, Illinois, on the first of a 10-day stretch of 90 plus degree days. His parents, John and Mary (Setinc) Pocivasek, were immigrants from what was then Austria, hailing from the towns of Rann and Bukosek respectively—areas now part of eastern Slovenia. Albin was their second child with the first being a son named John. The Pocivasek family’s early days in America were filled with both opportunity and hardship. Albin’s father, John, operated a soft drink parlor and provided for his family until tragedy struck. He succumbed…