Waltham's Military History

[Home] [Military Donations]  Below are various articles on Waltham's Military History, taken from the Waltham Museum's Newsletter

18 More Waltham Silver Star Recipients of World War II

The Missing Civil War Picture

For many years a picture of eight Civil War veterans from Waltham hung up in the City Council chambers at City Hall. When Mayor Clark was elected in 1969 he had these chambers repainted. The picture was removed and never seen again. It may be in storage in a city building.          

 One of the veterans in that picture was Richard VanDermark. He was in the Battle of Bull Run and later became a prisoner of the Confederates. Records show that he died in 1912 while living at 197 Chestnut Street. Recently, his granddaughter, Marilyn McCabe Ruggerio (Class of 1941) was looking for this picture and couldn’t find it. The Waltham Museum is asking our members for information on the whereabouts of this picture.           

Edward McCabe, VanDermark’s grandson, graduated from Waltham High in 1936 and went to West Point. He now lives  in New Hampshire according to his sister Marilyn. Their father was James Francis McCabe.

Waltham Man on PT-109 with John F. Kennedy

We received an email from Samuel Zaffiri (SamuelZaffiri@aol.com) who is writing a book on John F. Kennedy and the sinking of PT-l09. He says that one of the crewmen was Charles Harris GM2 of Waltham. Harris died on May 6, 1982. The museum couldn’t help Zaffiri and so we ask our members to assist if they can.

An Email on A Waltham Hero

Tom Schultz of Wilton, New Hampshire writes, “Are you aware of 2^nd Lt. Francis John Joyce, Jr. who lived at 39 Greenwood Lane in Waltham and who was killed-in-action over Germany when his B-17 was shot down by German Fighters on May 8, 1944, while on a mission over Germany. His body was returned after the war, and I believe he is buried in Waltham, which I need to do research on.

Four Other Silver Star Winners from the Waltham National Guard

Cpl. Anthony Giardina now of Florida, Cpl. William Dwyer now of Texas, the late 1st Sgt. George Barron, and the late Staff Sgt. Edward Hartley were four other Waltham National Guardsmen that won the Silver Star during World War II. Giardina killed five Germans and held back attackers despite five enemy bullets that lodged in his lungs, shoulder and neck. Hartley rescued a wounded comrade on Guadalcanal under intense mortar and artillery fire. Barron took charge of his platoon on Guadalcanal after its leader was killed and led the men in knocking out two Japanese pillboxes and securing a hill. Dwyer put a Japanese machine gun out of action on Guadalcanal.

History of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 182nd Infantry

The 182nd Infantry is the oldest citizen-soldier regiment in America. It can be traced back to 1636 and the records show that it fought in most of the American wars and more.

            On January 21, 1941, Company F and its Headquarters Company which drilled regularly at the Waltham Armory on Sharon Street, were both federalized. They marched from the armory to the railroad station for the train to take them to Camp Edwards on the Cape. Their orders were to be on active duty in the U.S. Army for one year. However, due to the coming of World War II they would not come home again until 1945 when the war was over.

     They saw their first action at Guadalcanal as part of the 23rd Division known as the Americal Division. The fighting continued to other islands such as Bougainville and the Phillipines right up to the doors of Japan itself.

• Staff Sgt. Bresci J. Pintabona, holder of the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters and the Presidential Unit Citation has now been awarded the distinguish Flying Cross according to a 1944 News-Tribune article given to the museum by his sister, Anita.

• He was the son of Mr. & Mrs. Philip Pintabona of 55 Charles Street in Waltham. His act of heroism occurred in a B-17 bombing raid over Hamburg, Germany. Here, at great risk to him and without a parachute, released stuck bombs in the open bomb bay while five miles high.

A Foxhole Reunion of Two Brothers During WW II

Three McKenzie Brothers; Joe, John, and Charles, who were from 27 Alder Street in Waltham served in Europe with the US Army during World War II – each in a separate Division. Their younger sister, Dorothy, recently donated a News-Tribune article on a foxhole reunion of Joe and Charles McKenzie. It reads as follows: “In January 1945 PVT Charles McKenzie was finishing his coffee outside his foxhole in Germany when two other soldiers approached. The first soldier asked him if there was a McKenzie in the crowd. After Charles said that he was a McKenzie the second soldier said, “No, that’s not him. He must be somebody else.” As they both took a closer look at each other they finally recognized each other. Charles goes on to say, “It was Joe! I was so surprised to see him that

I just whispered a feeble ‘Joe’ and shook his hand before I actually knew what I was doing. He had a beard and I guess he didn’t recognize me either because I had a beard too. I haven’t had a chance to wash or shave since long before Joe came to see me. Joe had received my letter of January 17 and he promptly got a 3-day pass to see me. Actually he was almost right next door all the time.

                “He slept in my foxhole that night and we talked long into the night of our home in Waltham, and our friends in the service. He gave me the lowdown on John’s outfit and how the war was going on other parts of this front. Joe left about noon the next day. I was in much better spirits for having seen him.”

In November 1944 the 70^th Infantry Div. that included the 274^th, 275^th and 276^th regiments left Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts and landed in Marseilles, France on Dec. 10, 1944. On Dec. 20th the Division boarded 48 boxcars and traveled north toward the front line. They arrived at Brumath, France in the Voges Mountains on Christmas Eve. From here they marched to Bischweiler and to Phillipsburg near the German border. In the 275^th was platoon staff-sergeant Edward Cloonan of Waltham. He was in Company D of the 1^st Battalion. Cloonan graduated from St. Mary’s in 1936. His father was a lieutenant in the Waltham Police Department.

At this time, the Battle of the Buldge, about 80 miles north of Phillipsburg was going bad for the Germans. On January 2, 1945 Hitler started another offence called operation Nordwind to help his troops in the north. One of the first objectives was Phillipsburg, which was a key road and rail terminal. Here the 274th and the 275th were surrounded by Germans. After a tough battle they drove the Germans back. In the book “History of the 275th Regiment,” Sgt. Cloonan was mentioned for being directly involved in the fighting with his heavy-duty machine gun. For this and action at Spichern Heights and Saabrucken on February 21 and 22, Cloonan would receive the Bronze Star. He was extremely lucky not to get killed. One German bullet passed through a bible missal he had in his pocket.

The book also mentions that Cloonan helped capture some 50 prisoners-of-war during the February operations. An August 1945 article in the News-Tribune tells his story.

Pfc. Phillip J. Keefe of Waltham was not as lucky. He was in the 274th Regiment. In the book, “Snow Ridges and Pillboxes” by Lt. Col. Wallace R. Cheves, a true history of the 274th Infantry Regiment, Keefe is mentioned three times:

1.        Pfc. Lloyd (a man in Keefe’s squad) says, “Every time we raised our heads the Germans would cut us down. About this time, my boy, Keefe, came to the rescue and did one hell of a job with his BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), permitting us to go forward.”

2.        “The Germans were surrendering to Lloyd’s squad when a hidden German started to fire his machine gun on them. They were all stunned but Keefe, he blew the machine gunner away with his BAR.”

3.       “We all dug in and had just settled down when orders came to send five men back to protect the anti-tank platoon. Sgt. Creedon drew this unlucky assignment and took Pfc. Hanson, Kirk, Jenks and Keefe.”

Pfc. Phillips J. Keefe was killed-in-action on March 3, 1945. He was awarded the Bronze Star posthumously. He is now buried at Mt. Feake Cemetery in Waltham.

The Sands of Olasana Island

In 1971 James J. Fahey of Waltham, the author of Pacific War Diary married Adele Fuller. Fahey was an admirer of President John F. Kennedy whose boat crew was stranded on Olasana Island during World War II when the Japanese sank his PT Boat No. 109.

Fahey was also a collector of Kennedy memorabilia and he desperately wanted a sample of sand from Olasana Island. He was very friendly with the nuns at the Marist Missionary Sister at 62 Newton Street in Waltham and asked them if they could help.

Sister Mary Teresa Cartier of the Marist Missionary was doing missionary work in that area of the Pacific at that time and she was asked to help Fahey get this sand from Olasana Island. Sister Teresa contacted Sister Mary Michael, a Dominican nun who she knew in Australia. Sister Michael knew Father Meese of the Dominicans who knew the island and could get the sand. Father Meese went to Olasana Island by boat and got the sand. The sand was delivered to Sister Teresa and she took it back to America after her assignment was complete. When she flew into California the sand was confiscated by authorities for laboratory examination. Sister Teresa continued on to Waltham without the sand. In 1973 the California authorities released the sand and it was mailed to Sister Teresa in Waltham. Finally, after all this time and effort, the sand was given to James J. Fahey. It is now in the process of being donated to the Waltham Museum for display in the James J. Fahey exhibit. Fahey died in 1991. Today, Sister Mary Teresa Cartier is on duty at the Marist Missionary Home.

The editorial in the current edition of "Military History," a national magazine, tells about the National Guard in this century. It reads in part, "From some of the recent talk in political circles, a few uninformed souls might think that serving in the National Guard is somehow akin to avoiding combat and danger. But try telling that to the guys who served in World War I and II." Then the editor goes on to cite the battles that they have been involved in from Meuse-Argonne in France during World War I to Omaha Beach in World War II.

In the case of Company F of the Waltham National Guard, their actions were summed up very nicely by an article in the News-Tribune on November 11, 1999. A picture of four veterans, Joe Rando, Paul Miele, Frank Rourke, and Joe Papa shows them playing golf with the following story.

"The golf foursome pictured above was together on a very different course in World War II. On October 13, 1942, the marines on Guadalcanal were supported by Company F who were part of the Americal Division. During the next three years, Company F and the Americal Division help push the Japanese back to Japan. These veterans of Co. F 182d Infantry, now grandfathers, are still together. Awards held among them are Bronze Stars, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantry badges, Presidential Unit Citations, Asiatic ribbons with four stars, Philippines Freedom medals and to their former schoolteachers' disbelief, the Good Conduct medal."

These men were part of the great generation.

N. P. Banks Funeral

Recently we came upon a book entitled Calkins Memorial Military Roster where First Lieutenant Nathan O. Calkins tells about his experience fighting in the 1864 Red River campaign in Louisianna under Major-General Banks of Waltham. From March 9 - May 30, 1864, the 16th Corps that he was part of was under General A. J. Smith who took his orders from the overall commander, Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks.

Lieutenant Calkins states:

Many interesting events occurred—long and hard marching almost daily fighting from the time we entered the Red River until we returned...

From March 9th to May 30th, 1864 we were under continual marching orders. At Pleasant Hill the 16th Corps took a conspicuous part in the battle, and the second day would have achieved a glorious victory had not Banks ordered a retreat at the very moment of success.

[Editor's note: Calkins didn't realize that the Confederates were trying to outflank Banks and cut him off from Admiral Porter whose fleet was stuck in the Red River. The Red River was having its biggest drought known at that time. In the remainder of Calkins statement he verifies these facts.]

Calkins statement goes on:

I made it to the Rob Roy, one of Porters ships, when she ran the blockade above Grand Encore, LA, and narrowly escaped destruction on April 13th.

Calkins continues:

The 16th of May was a day of noted events. At Marksville Prairie, sixteen miles from the mouth of the Red River, the 16th Army Corp was guarding the rear of the 13th and 19th Corps, when we were attacked by a large force. This was the grandest sight that I ever saw or will see. The Prairie was comparatively level, and our whole command could be seen maneuvering in battle. It was no sham battle: the cannon's loud-mouthed roar; the hissing balls; the bursting shells; the musket's sharp crack; the sabre flash; the sulphurous smoke; the yell of charging troops; and the horses with empty saddles and loosely-hanging reins, all contributed to make a grand but terrible sight. We drove back the foe and cared for our dead and wounded.

At Simsport, LA, we were again attacked by a force of fifteen or twenty thousand. Our regiment double-quicked here for two miles, and was actively engaged in one of the most stubbornly fought battles of that campaign; our loss was heavy; twice we fought the rebels hand to hand, and drove them back each time. The battle lasted from 9 a.m. until dark. During this time Banks was crossing the 19th Corps over the Atchafalaya River on a bridge made of transports. The 16th crossed the next day. Thus ended the ill-fated campaign.

[Editor's note: General Halleck of Washington, D.C. ordered General Banks to go on this campaign into the dense wooded area of upper Louisiana. Admiral Porters ships on the Red River were suppose to backup Bank's army, but due to the great drought of the Red River the ships got stuck and the mission had to be abandoned by Banks.]

In the July 2000 edition of the magazine “America’s Civil War” a story appears about Winchester, Virginia, a key town for the control of the Shenandoah Valley. During the Civil War the town changed hands more than 70 times. In early 1862 Major General Nathaniel P. Banks led a Union army and captured Winchester, defeating Stonewall Jackson at Kernstown. But that victory was short lived as on May 24, 1862, the Confederates along with the civilian population pushed Banks back across the Potomac River. Colonel Gordon, one of General Bank’s officers reported with disdain: “My retreating column suffered serious loss in the streets of Winchester. Males and females vied with each other in increasing the number of their victims, by firing from the houses, throwing hand grenades, hot water, and missiles of every description….”

    Many times in the next two years other Union generals would try to capture Winchester and win in the Shenandoah Valley but could not. The hills and valleys along with the civilian population would always allow the Confederate army to prevail. Only towards the end of the war was General Sheridan able to win the Shenandoah Valley. At that time, the Confederates were weak from 4 years of fighting.

 Daniel C. Marqus of 18 Cedar Street attended St. Charles High School. During World War II he was a corporal with the 82nd Airborne Division and served in the Phillipines, where he was shot in the foot and received the Purple Heart. He also received the Bronze Star.

Sebastion Ferro was born in Waltham and grew up on Felton Street. During World War II, while serving with an army anti-aircraft and artillery division on the Rhine River, he was wounded twice when he was both shot and stabbed. He received two Purple Hearts. Ferro passed away on November 8, 1998. He was 84.

R. Richard Dow, a lifelong resident of Waltham, served in the Army Air Corps in World war II and was taken as a prisoner of war. On November 15, 1998, Dow passed away. He was 78 years old.

The Waltham Museum will try to list under Military History of Waltham all Waltham veterans who saw extensive action during any war, who received the Bronze Star or higher medals, who were wounded, or who were prisoners of war.

On June 6, 1944 the allies invaded Normandy and for the next 11 months fierce fighting occurred as the allies push the Nazis back to Berlin where they surrendered on May 7, 1945. Deeply involved in this fighting during World War II were the three McKenzie brothers of Waltham whose home was at 27 Alder Street. Sergeant Joseph McKenzie (32) entered the U. S. Army on February 1941, ten months before Pearl Harbor. Sergeant John McKenzie entered the army a month later at the age of 23, and Charles McKenzie in late 1942 at the age of 18 years.

The three brothers all served as staff sergeants in the First Army under General Courtney H. Hodges in this European Theater of Operations. Joseph, who was earlier in the invasion of North Africa and Sicily, won the Bronze Star with the 9th Division. His brother John won his Bronze Star for heroism during the historic Battle of the Bulge when he was part of the 28th Division. Charles McKenzie was with the 78th Division that participated in the Ruhr River Crossing and the capture of the strategic Schwemauel Dam. Earlier he was almost killed when a snipper's bullet hit his raised right forearm that was over his chest. The bullet passed through the arm and lodged in a container in his top left pocket. For this he received the Purple Heart.

All three brothers were members of fighting outfits that won the Presidential Unit Citations.

On July 31, 1945 the main headline on the front page of the Waltham News-Tribune read, "3 McKenzie Brothers Win Citations." The history of Waltham shows that we have had more than our share of heros fighting for America, none more so than the three McKenzie brothers who we are very proud of.

The World War II veterans are all in their 70's and 80's and the recent obituaries almost list one passing away each day. Listed below are three such veterans from Waltham with outstanding military records:

1.                  Anthony L. Violante was a U.S. Marine Corps corporal and fought at Roi Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, Saipan, Marianas Island, Tinian, Volcano Island and Iwo Jima. He earned two Purple Heart medals and many citations. As a result of his service, he was disabled.

2.                  Vincent Dugas graduated from St. Mary's High School. He served with the U.S. Army's Office of Strategic Services. Fluent in French, he was part of a force that parachuted into France before D-day. After the invasion of Normandy he worked with the French Resistance ahead of the invasion force in the Ardennes, Northern France and into the Rhineland. He was the recipient of four Bronze Stars.

3.                  George P. Daddona graduated from Waltham High School in 1936. He served with the Marine Corp 5th Division, the first Marines at Iwo Jima and earned the Purple Heart. He also served in the first division to land and occupy Japan after the surrender.

During the winter preceding the battle of Lexington and Concord, cannons, ammunition and military supplies were stored in Waltham. Fearful of a raid by British troops from nearby Boston all arms were moved to Worcester and Concord. (History of Middlesex County - Page 712.)

The British commander, General Gage, was planning such a raid on Waltham in the spring. When he learned that the arms were moved, Gage changed his plans. He would not only confiscate the arms in Concord but he would also punish Waltham by burning the town.

On April 19, 1775, as we all know, the British force met resistance at Lexington and Concord. They then cancelled their plans to burn Waltham on the way back to Boston. Instead they returned to Boston the same way they came.

The Minutemen of Waltham gathered near Piety Corner (intersection of Lincoln and Lexington Streets) on April 19, 1775, where they held until it was ascertained whether the British were returning by the Great Road (Main Street) or by the way they had come in the morning. When the later route was reported some Waltham Minutemen marched off towards Lexington according to Edmund L. Sanderson in his book, "Waltham 1630–1884," page 56.

Abraham Peirce was Captain of this company of over 100 men.

An audio recording by Dr. Alfred Worcester of Waltham in 1951 tells the events of this historical day in Waltham as they were told to him by his great-grandmother.

In 1930 a monument commemorating this historical day in Waltham was erected by the Waltham Historical Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Waltham Museum salutes Paul Marqus...."Well Done"

Paul R. Marqus lived at 140 Charles Street before World War II and attended St. Charles High School. When the war started he tried to join the navy but didn't pass the physical. Marqus persisted and got into the army. After his training at Ft. Devens he was transferred to the 134th Infantry which consisted mostly of the Nebraska National Guard. In Europe his outfit was placed under the 35th Division and landed at Omaha Beach. Here they advanced to the French town of St. Lo where they encountered fierce resis-tance. For this action the 134th Infantry was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Marqus was wounded outside St. Lo when he was bayonneted in the upper-right chest. He later received the Purple Heart.

After recuperating in an English hospital for four weeks he rejoined his outfit as it advanced through France and Germany. After entering Germany they cam upon a burnt-out barn where the Nazis had burnt to death over 200 civilians. Marqus was able to take two photographs of this tragedy as evidence that these atrocities did happen. He still has these photographs.

Later, while fighting in Germany, Marqus was wounded again when a shell burst in the room of a building he was defending. Not wanting to be separated from his unit again, Marqus washed and bandaged his own wounds and continued on with the fighting. Later in life, the wound to his right temple caused him to lose the sight of his right eye.

On May 7, 1945 the Germans surrendered and the war was over in Europe. Marqus had won the Bronze Star and 5 Battle Stars.

When he got back to Waltham his mother told him that two of his friends, Raymond P. Shaughnessy and Elmer J. Barden, were killed during the war. While still in his uniform Marqus had an emotional visit with their parents.

Paul Marqus later married Alice M. Leblanc and worked for many years at the J. L. Thomson Company. They still reside in Waltham.

On February 19, 1999, Michael Cleary and other members of the museum staff visited the Springfield Armory Museum and the Worcester Armory Museum. This is one of the Waltham Museum's programs to see how and what other museums are doing.

At the Springfield Armory we saw the Johnson Semi-Automatic Rifle, M 1941, on exhibit, Catalog No. 4454. The Johnson rifle was named for its inventor, Captain Melvin M. Johnson, United States Marine Corp who was born and raised in Waltham.

The recoil-operated semi-automatic weapon was developed before World War II and is not as familiar as other weapons on exhibit at this museum. One reason is because the Garand rifle was already in full production when the Johnson rifle came out. The Johnson rifle did see limited service in World War II, principally by the Marines in the Pacific.

Note: Melvin Johnson's father was Melvin Johnson Senior, the famous defense lawyer in Waltham's Clarence Glover murder case of 1909 that was nationally followed. Also Melvin's grandfather was Byron Johnson, the first mayor of Waltham.

At the Worcester Armory museum they have a fine exhibit of the 182nd Infantry that became part of the Americal Division during World War II. They saw lots of action in the Pacific and Company F of Waltham was part of this group.

 Casualties of Company H. 16th Mass. of Waltham

Henry F. Burgess; died at Andersonville (prison). . . . . . . .July 21,1864
Rufus L. Babcock; died of disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . .March 20, 1863
Daniel J. Clasby; wounds received at Chancellorsville, VA . August 28, 1863
Henry C. Carr; killed at Chancellorsville, VA . . . . . . . . . May 3, 1863
Warren A. Emerson; arm amputated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .June 8, 1862
John Forsyth, Jr.; killed at Gettysburg . . . . . . . . . . . .July 3, 1863
James H. Fisher; wounded. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 27, 1864
Lyman Field, Jr.; killed at Fair Oaks, VA . . . . . . . . . . June 19, 1862
George M. Green; wounded in the hip at Chancellorsville, VA August 12, 1863
Edward Hickey; killed at Gettysburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . .July 3, 1863
Edward Hatch; killed at Chancellorsville, VA. . . . . . . . . . May 3, 1963
John Healy; wounded at Chancellorsville, VA . . . . . . . . August 12, 1863
Samuel Keyes; wounded at Bull Run . . . . . . . . . . . . December 19, 1862
Thomas Kirk; wounded in the head. . . . . . . . . . . . . .January 29, 1863
George Lawton; killed at Gettysburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . .July 3, 1863
John H. Russell; wounded. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 1861
Francis P.H. Rogers; killed at Fair Oaks, VA. . . . . . . . . June 19, 1862
George F. Robinson; wounded at Fair Oaks, VA. . . . . . . . . June 18, 1862
Samuel G. Savage; died from wounds at Chancellorsville, VA. . . May 6, 1863
William A. Smith; died from exposure. . . . . . . . . . . .November 4, 1861
Henry E. Wright; wounded in left hip. . . . . . . . . . . .December 4, 1862
Jason B. Wright; leg amputated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . July 22, 1863
Otis Hoyt; wounded at Bull Run
The Brown brothers: George and Charles; killed at Gettysburg

World War II Casualties from Waltham

The following list of men from the U.S. Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard were killed during WW II. It is fifty years later and the Waltham Museum would like to remember these men.

ANNUNCIATA, Louis Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Newburgh Street
ARSENAULT, Raymond A.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202 Charles Street
BARRON, Samuel John. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Music Hall Avenue
CALLAHAN, John Stafford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Barnes Street
CASTAGNETTI, Henry Seaman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230 River Street
CROSSLAND, John Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Clinton Street
CUSHING, Daniel Francis, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Bedford Street
DUFF, John M., Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221 Brown Street
FERRERA, Alfonso J.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Calvary Street
FRECHETTE, Paul Henry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Russell Street
GRAPES, Merrill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Howard Street
KELLY, Henry J., Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Pond Street
LARGE, George Hathaway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Robbins Street
LEBLANC, Lawrence Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Ash Street
LUKE, Walter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Chestnut Park
MADDEN, Joseph Matthew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Appleton Street
MAHONEY, John Joseph, Jr.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Fern Street
MANSUR, Robert Charles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Gorham Street
MURPHY, Joseph T.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Pond Street
NATOLI, Romeo Alfred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Shakespeare Road
PALUMBO, Sunda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Ford Street
PENDERGAST, Francis Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 Bedford Street
RECKA, Edward J. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254 Linden Street
ROGERS, Lawrence L.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Highland Street
ROSS, Walter Edwin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Central Street
SCOTT, David Edward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Lunda Street
SHAUGHNESSY, Arthur Francis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 Cushing Street
STANTON, Andrew Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Harvard Street
TRANUM, Paul Wesly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112 Crescent Street
ZACAME, Bernard Anthony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Charles Street

The following list of men from the U.S. Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard were wounded during WW II:

ALTIZER, Robert Basil, AULD, Joseph R., CARAMSALIDIS, James A., CARROLL, George V., FALZONE, James P., GIBSON, Robert A., GODDARD, George F., KEEFE, Richard E., KELLY, John Howard, LEBLANC, Richard C., LYNCH, James J., Jr., LYONS, Bernard Stephen, MACDONALD, Henry H., MADDEN, Charles William, MANION, William E., Jr., MCNAMARA, Walter Edward, MCSHANE, Gerard J., MULA, Carmelo C., MULLEN, Carl Leslie, MUNRO, George Arthur, OHNEMUS, Walter E., Jr., OLNEY, Robert G., PARKER, John Francis, POIRIER, Henry W., ROSS, Richard Wiear, SANDERSON, Donald P.

The following man from the U.S. Navy was a prisoner of war during WW II: LAFORET, Marshall John

World War II Casualties from Waltham

In our last newsletter we listed World War II casualties from the U.S. Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. Below is a list of the U.S. Army casualties which were provided by Bill Smith, a member of the museum.

ABRUZZI, Guido J. , ALLEN, F. , BALTER, Robert D. , BARDEN, Elmer J. , BARNICLE Jr., Francis A. , BELLIVEAU, Anselm L. , BILLS, Richard K. , BIRON, Leo P. , BLACK, Edward H. , BONINI, John J. , BOUCHER, LEO A. , BOULTON, William B. , BOURET, Gorden E. , BREEN, Gerald C. , BRODRICK, Hollis E. , CARNEY, Charles J. , CASALE, Armand J. , COLEMAN, Robert , COLLINS, Robert E. , CONNORS, Thomas F. , CONSTANT, George E. , CORMIER, Frederick , COUGHLAN, Joseph P. , CRONIN, James P. , D'ORAZIO, Americo , DE MATTEO, John , DORRINGTON, Ronald B. , DOUCETTE, J. Clarence , DOWCETT, Frederick , DUANE, William R. , DURKIN, Harold , ELDER, Robert W. , ELDRIDGE, S. Barton , FELT, Richard L. , FORD, Michael , FORTE, William J. , FREEDMAN, Harry , FURDON, John F. , GALLAGHER, Charles R. , GORDON, John B. , GRANT, Vaughn P. , HADLEY, Raymond E. , HALLERAN, Thomas R. , HALLORAN, Roy D. , HARRON, J. Thomas , HART, James , HEALION, Raymond F. , HENRY, Richard K. , HEPLER, Glen C. , HIGGINS, George E. , INGERSOLL, Herbert V. , JACOBS, Bernard , JAKUBIKE, Benjamin F. , JOHNSON, Edwin E. , JOYCE Jr., Francis J. , KAITZ, Samuel , KEEFE, Philip F. , KENNESON, Donald K. , KLUG, Robert A. , KNEELAND, Francis , LA ROSEE, Edward F. , LAZAZZERO, Arthur , LE CLAIR, William , LEONARD, William H. , LYONS, Robert A. , MAC REA, Warren I. , MAGUIRE, Joseph P. , MANDILE, Vincenzo , MARONEY Jr., John F. , MC CARTHY, J. Theodore , MC CULLOUGH, Charles F. , MC DONALD, George E. , MC FARLAND, Elmer J. , MELANSON, Leonard M. , MINIHANE, John J. , MURPHY, Lawrence J. , MURPHY, John W. , MURPHY, Thomas E. , NOONE, Thomas P. , O'CONNER, James , PATTERSON, Lester F. , PETERSON, Edgar H. , PICONE, Sahatore , POWERS, Francis J. , PRATT, Warren B. , PURDY, George S. , QUALTERS, Robert A. , READE, Lawrence K. , RIZZO, Jerome , RIZZO, Rosario , ROBINSON, Normand D. , RYAN, John , SAVINO, Frank , SEWALL Jr., Homer , SHAUGHNESSY, Raymond , SHUBLEY Jr., Harry E. , SLOPER, Robert A. , SMITH, Chadborn , STANTON, William M. , STEARNS, Edward C. , STONE, Maxwell D. , STRAGGAS, Christopher P. , SULLIVAN Jr., James J. , SWEETLAND, Fred B. , TAMBASCIA, Dominic G. , THIBAULT, Sdmund J. , WADE, Loyd W. , WALLEY, Harold C. , WALSH, Leslie D. , WATSON, John H. , WELLINGTON, Roger R. , YEO, Charles E. , YOUNGQUIST, Kermit W.

 Private Everett H. M. Dunbrack of 17 Underwood Park in Waltham was in the Philippines when World War II started. He was last heard from by his widowed mother on May 7, 1942. The headlines in the April 17, 1943 Waltham News-Tribune states that "WIDOW LEARNS SON JAP PRISONER." The Red Cross had informed her that her 24-year-old son was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor and is now their prisoner.

Born in Waltham January 9, 1919, he graduated from Waltham High School in 1937. For two years he was a member of the championship Waltham High School hockey team, playing as goalie. In October 1940 he enlisted in the ground crew of the Army Air Corp. training at Fort Slocum, New York and in January of 1941 was assigned to Nichols Field in the Philippines. When the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941, the island of Corregidor was the last to fall.

As of now the museum does not know what happened to Dunbrack after the war. We welcome any information on this matter.

Most historians of the past rated confederate generals like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson very highly. While the northern generals like Nathaniel Banks and Pope were rated low. As the Civil War is studied by modern historians in more detail, opinions are beginning to change. In the June 1998 edition of American Heritage it wrote that General Robert E. Lee was the most overrated general. Lee won most of his battles in Northern Virginia, an area he and his men knew very well. At the same time the lifelong residents would help their fellow confederates by showing them short cuts and revealing where the Yankee forces were.

This was the situation that General Banks and his men found themselves in when they fought Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandore Valley in 1862. Jackson won most of the battles because he and his men knew the territory, the winding hills and hidden vallies. In several cases Jackson, with the help of residents, would use little known paths to get his forces behind General Bank's army.

Even with all this, General Banks managed to inflict numerous causalities on the confederates. In two encounters, one on March 23, 1862 and another on August 9, 1862, Banks defeats Jackson. Another way to put it is, if these battles were in Eastern Massachusetts the outcome may have been different. Perhaps as future historians study the Civil War in more detail, they may give General Nathaniel Banks of Waltham the credit he deserves.

Recently it was noted in an old book entitled "New England Captives Carried to Canada 1677–1760," by Emma Lewis Coleman that one Waltham man was listed. This was during the French and Indian War.

Eliphalet Hastings of Waltham, who was the son of Joseph Hastings, was captured by the Indians on April 23, 1757. He was taken to Caughnawaga where he was sold to the French. Then he was taken to France where he was imprisoned and left sick in Rochel in February 1759. On January 2, 1760 he was returned to Quebec, Canada and released. Colonel Schuyer supplied him with 29 Livres (French money) as settlement money after the French lost.

Hastings also fought at Bunker Hill. A section of Waltham, Past and Present reads that "on June 11, 1776, the Selectman of Waltham ordered the Treasurer to pay Josiah Wyer for a bayonet lost by Eliphalet Hastings at the battle of Bunker Hill."

Hastings was mentioned again when "on September 10, 1781, the town of Waltham refused to take any steps to defend Lieutenant Eliphalet Hastings and others against an indictment found against them for a riot, in their endeavors to arrest Felix Cuff, a Negro slave who was enlisted by the committee in 1780, Cuff, and other Negro slaves concealed themselves in the summer of 1780 in a cave on Stony brook, called the "Devil's Den."

Opposite the Stony Brook depot is a hill, called Snake Rock, from the rattlesnakes which used to abound at the foot of its precipitous western side. In the face of this high rock is this cave, some 20 feet in depth. Lieutenant Hastings, having discovered the whereabouts of the fugitives, went up with a party of young men to capture them; but hey met with a warm reception and came back empty handed. The Negroes afterwards prosecuted Hastings for riot: hence the indictment referred to."

[Editor's Note: Extensive research would probably uncover a very exciting life for Eliphalet Hastings.)

 The Waltham Museum bought the April 16, 1863 edition of the N.Y. Daily Tribune in which two of the leading stories were about General Banks victories as he moves to capture Port Hudson in Louisiana. A Civil War book entitled Marching To Victory with a number of references to General Banks was also acquired.

Editors Note: Some history book authors fault General Banks for letting Stonewall Jackson and General Lee get the best of him while fighting in the Shennandoh Valley of Virginia. What these authors fail to realize is that this land was strange to a union general, but it was home territory to Jackson and Lee. Look what happened to General Lee when he went to a strange territory in Pennsylvania, he suffered a terrible defeat at Gettysburg.