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Sylvester Petrik

Submitted by: Thomas Schuurmans {Grandson}

Sylvester Petrik born around . Sylvester Petrik served in World War 1 with the United States Marine Corps . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

Sylvester Petrik served in the US Marine Corps during World War 1 and landed at Brest on February 15, 1918. Sylvester went to Chatillon and after two more months of training, was appointed instructor for new troops, a month later he was assigned to the 84th Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment of the 4th Marine Brigade attached to the 2nd US Army Division and went over the top at Belleau Woods,

immortalized in prose and poem. He was one of 8,000 U.S. Marines who stopped the furious onslaught of 60,000 picked Prussian Guards at Chateau Thierry June 1 and remained on that front until July 16. From Chateau Thierry they marched to the Soisson Front, arriving July 19, and went through terrible fighting. He was one of 21 men left of 220 of his company after three hours of battle with no artillery support. He distinguished himself by capturing eight Huns single-handedly. He then participated in the great drive on St Mihiel September 11, after five days it was taken, and then he fought in the battle at Mont Blanc which lasted ten days.

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Claire Magnenat

Submitted by: David Magnenat {Nephew}

Claire Magnenat born around . Claire Magnenat served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1917.

Story of Service

My uncle served in Franch with the 21st engineer battalion U.S. Army. This unit was also known as "the road builders".

During his time there he had to contend with several gas attacks, from which he suffered horrendously from these attacks for the remainder of his life. 

He never talked about his time in the war. But i now know why, as I to am a combat veteran of the Vietnam war.

I wish I could tell you more about this courageous man, but his records were lost in a fire at the storage building several years ago.

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William l. Prokosch

Submitted by: Marty l. Ziemer {Grandson}

William l Prokosch born around 1897, William Prokosch served in World War 1 with the the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

As a survivor of a gas attack he recalled how horrible that experience was. He also mentioned how German Shepherds were used to attack the soldiers.

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Joseph Maziarz

Submitted by: Edward F. Mares, Jr. {Great Nephew}

Joseph Maziarz born around 1899, Joseph Maziarz served in World War 1 with the the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Joseph Maziarz moved to the U.S. with his older sister, Helen, from Poland, and was granted citizenship and a homestead of land to farm by the U.S. Government, located in North Central Montana. He left his sister and farm at age 18 to join the U.S. Army to fight in WW I.

He was a Private an infantryman in the 127th Infantry, 32nd Division. He was killed on October, 8, 1918 in the battle of Meuse-Argonne, France, at the age of 19. Joseph was killed in action but the Allied forces were victorious in that battle and WW I ended.

Joseph fought courageously for his country, state and family. His family honors his memory.

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John Moss Cope

Submitted by: Joseph Cope {Son}

John Moss Cope born around 1897. John Cope served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1916 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

My Dad was in the 47th Regiment Company D from Brooklyn, New York. Their first duty as the US entered the war in April of 1917: His COMPANY D were posted at Ellis Island, NY . It was turned into a prison for all German Nationals, Merchant Marines, Business Men, German Embassy etc. They were held there till they could be exchanged for Americans caught in Germany.

It took 3 months to accomplish this assignment. The Company then joined up with the rest of the Regiment In Richmond, VA . They were assigned to Guard every Railroad Bridge and crossing in a 50 mile radius of Richmond. He was at a RR Bridge at Druy’s Bluff, VA between Petersburg and Richmond.

He was a corporal and he had his own Squad that lived in a tent right along side the Bridge. (The trains still use it as a main North and South route. I will look up some of the Bridge Photos I have.) That assignment lasted till they were replaced in Oct. 1917. 

From there the Entire Regiment was sent to Camp Wadsworth, SC to train for France and get redesigned as The 53 rd Pioneer Infantry, US Army. They fought at St Miehel, and Meuse Argonne, France. They were cited for their work in No Man’s Land at St Miehel, France

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Maurice J. David

Submitted by: Charles J. David {grandson}

Maurice J. David born around 1899, Maurice J. David served in World War 1 with the the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

Just my grandfather . After the war he married and had a son who served in WW II in the Army. I am his grandson; I served in the Air Force in the Vietnam era.

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Bruce Robert Ferrell

Submitted by: Julien Walker Freeman Jr. {Grandson}

Bruce Robert Ferrell born around 1900. Bruce Ferrell served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1920 and the service was completed in 1950.

Story of Service

My Grandfather "Dad Bruce" Ferrell began his United States military service career in 1920 as an Army WWI Doughboy in the muddy trenches of Europe, and retired in 1950 a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas.

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James Cameron

Submitted by: Peter Charles Kinney {Grandson}

James Cameron born around . James Cameron served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1919.

Story of Service

My Grandpa Jim (Cameron) left his home in Canada at age 16 to work on the Canadian Transcontinental Railroad. When Great Britain announced in 1916 that they would start drafting men for the war he crossed the border and came to America. Then we drafted him in 1917.

He worked on the narrow gauge railroads in France that were used to evacuate the wounded to hospitals in the rear areas. He was assigned to Company E, 37th Engineers. Jim came home after the war, married Elenore and they had 10 children, one of which was Margaret, my mother.

- Pete Kinney, Fort Montgomery, NY.

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H Greenstein

Submitted by: Gerald Greenstein {nephew}

H Greenstein was born around . H Greenstein served in World War 1 with the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1917.

Story of Service

Was gassed during WW 1 and never fully recovered

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Sebastiano Charlie Scalzadonna

Submitted by: COL (R) Robert DeSousa {grandson}

Sebastiano Charlie Scalzadonna was born around 1895, Sebastiano Scalzadonna served in World War 1 with the the United States Army . The enlistment was in 1917 and the service was completed in 1918.

Story of Service

When PFC Scalzadonna was released from service he missed the troop train coming back to his hometown in NJ. His parents were waiting at the station. Because there was no way to communicate then, when his mother saw that he was not on the train she convinced herself that he had died and worked herself into such a frenzy that she had a heart attack and died herself. It was a sad home arrival when Sebastiano got home on the next train and found that his mother had passed.

Sebastiano rmarried Adelina Ucoli. They had three chidden: Iluminada who died young, Anna, and Joseph. He was a very hard worker and a good provider, though he had a bad temper. He opened a grocery store in Westfield NJ. He would leave the house very early in the morning to go to the market to by fruits and vegetables, also would go to the slaughter house to buy a side of beef and come back to the store he had on Central Ave in Westfield, he would carry it in and hang it on a big hook he had in the back room and then butcher it into all cuts of meat to sell in the store.

He was a very generous man, he would always help the people in need, giving them groceries or meat for their families. Before he died in 1949 they sold the store, and he bought a pick up truck and purchased a rooming house in Keansburg ,it was a mess. He spent the winter fixing it so the family could live in the rear of the building. He made a nice apartment for them, and started to renovate all the rooms so he could rent them in the summer.

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