"With All Due Respect - Remembering Our Heroes"
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT - HONORING OUR HEROES
Paul J. Loatman, Jr.
City Historian
July 12, 2012
The names of the 53 men listed below are engraved on a special monument located at the Saratoga National Cemetery. They earned that honor by giving their lives while fighting for their country in World War II. All of these men were part of the greater Mechanicville community, living in the City and its surrounding area before going off to war. At a time when we as a society are losing large numbers of our WWII veterans each day, the City of Mechanicville will honor the families of these men by awarding them the Saratoga County World War II Service Medal. The special ceremony marking this event will take place on Saturday, August 11, at 2:00 p.m., in the Mechanicville School Auditorium.
With the assistance of County Veterans Director Andrew Davis, Mayor Anthony Sylvester, Supervisor Tom Richardson, Supervisor Ed Kinowski, and the City Historian have been collecting information regarding each of these men in order to contact their family members to invite them to this special ceremony. The addresses appended to the names of these men, if available, have been gleaned from military service records, lists of next-of-kin, class registers of the Mechanicville Public Schools, and federal census returns, in particular, the recently-released 1940 enumeration.
A good number of these men were teen-agers at the outbreak of World War II, boys really, while their “elders” who served with them were for the most part only in their twenties. At least five of them were members of the Mechanicville Fire Department. Almost all of them attended Mechanicville schools at one time or another [a plaque memorializing them hangs on the wall of the School Auditorium], and one of them earned honors as the Valedictorian of the Class of 1937. Most of them lived in the City, on “The Island,” over in Hemstreet Park, or up on Pruyn’s Hill. A few others were “farm boys” from outlying districts who attended M.H. S. because it was the only comprehensive high school within reasonable traveling distance from their homes.
More than half of these men served as privates or seamen. A dozen earned their Sergeant’s stripes, while only four held the rank of officer, none above the level of Lieutenant. Anyone having information regarding the families of these men who need to be made aware of the August 11th ceremony is encouraged to contact the Mayor, the Supervisors, or myself. We are working to create a fitting ceremony that that will serve as a reminder that our entire community is forever indebted to these men. In this spirit, we would like to recall the words of Lt. General Harold Moore who once wrote: “It is easy to forget the numbers, but how can we forget the faces, the voices, the cries of young men dying before their time.”
Raymond Bacon-Pvt.-47 Round Lake Ave. Mechanicville.
Fred H. Beck-Pvt.-130 North Fourth Ave, Mechanicville.
Anthony A. Beninati-PFC- 26 Walnut St. Mechanicville.
William Biette-PFC-Rt. 2 Mechanicville.
Ralph Boucher-Ship’s Cook,1st C- 16 Burke St. Mechanicville.
Joseph F. Carp- PFC-244 South St. Mechanicville.
William F.Farrell- SSgt.-148 North Main St. Mechanicville.
Charles H. Fort-Fireman 3C- 302 South Main St. Mechanicville.
Kenneth Freemire-Sgt.-Round Lake.
Ellis W. Garmley-14 Penrose Ave. [County list/monument]
Joeph Gilheaney, Jr.-301 So.Main St./ 221 Park Ave.
Edward Gickowski [Giczkowski]-Sgt.-Ushers?
Edmund F.Gould-Pvt.-Hemstreet Park
Frank Goverski-SSgt..-River Road, Mechanicville. [changed 7/30]
Joseph F. Green-Seaman-122 South Second St. Mechanicville.
William Griffin-PFC [on County list/monument].
Harry G. Hoffman-Sgt.-Pruyn Hill Road Mechanicville.
Frank Izzo-Tec 5-17 Leonard St. Mechanicville
Howard Johnson- Lt. [jg] [on School Plaque, county list/monument]
Matthew Just-Cpl. [included in 1947 Firemen’s publication/on School Plaque, County list/monument]
Charles Keniry-PFC-232 South St. Mechanicville.
Benjamin Kolobus-Tec5 RD2-Waterford Rd. Mechanicville.
William Lawyer-Seaman 2C-137 Round Lake Ave. Mechanicville.
Henry F.Lefco-PFC-26 Champlain Ave. Mechanicville.
Norman Little- RFD2 Mechanicville.
Bruce S. MacKinlay PFC-209 Broadway, Mechanicville.
James R. Maloney-Lt.[jg]-610 Grand St. Mechanicville.
Henry A. Marcelle-PFC-45 William St. Mechanicville.
James T. McEvoy-1st Lt.-Lincoln Ave. Hemstreet Park, Mechanicville.
Anthony Micklas [Mickalonis]-Seaman 2C-East St. Mechanicville.
Mario Mignano-PFC-199 Saratoga Ave. Mechanicville.
Pierce Moore-Mach.1C-12 Mabbett St. Mechanicville.
Alden R. Noble-PFC-40 Underwood Ave. Mechanicville.
William O’Dell-Pvt-108 South Main St. Mechanicville.
Albert E. Offenbecker-Sgt.405 N. Sixth St. Mechanicville.
Raymond L. Osborn-S Sgt. Round Lake Ave.
James M. Ostrander-S Sgt. 29 Green St. Mechanicville.
John J. Parker-S Sgt. North Second St. Mechanicville.
Donald Patenaude-[on County list/monument;]
Silvio Pipino-Pvt. RD2 Waterford Rd. Mechanicville.
Patrick Purcell-Seaman 2C 27 Burke St. Mechanicville.
John Reilly-Seaman 2C 289 South Main St. Mechanicville.
Francis W. Reilly-2nd Lt. 289 South Main St. Mechanicville.
Frank J. Robinson-Sgt. Hemstreet Park, Mechanicville.
George Satterlee-Sgt. 203 South Third St. Mechanicville.
William J. Scheel-[on County list/monument]
William J Scott-Sgt. 128 South Third St. Mechanicville.
Milton Sorell-Pvt. Champlain Ave. Mechanicville.
Stanley Strunesky-Pvt. West St. Mechanicville.
Russell Sweet-S Sgt. 28 Canal St/ Mechanicville
John T. Thompson-PFC 231 First St. Mechanicville.
Seraphin Urbanski-Tec5 Pruyn Hill Rd. Mechanicville.
John A. Yankowski-PFC 18 West St. Mechanicville.