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name
TORNETTA, Anthony J - Date of
birth
20 March 1920 -
Age
25 -
Place of birth
Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania -
Ethnicity
White
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33774516 -
Rank
Corporal -
Function
Intelligence NCO -
Unit
HQ Company,
17th Airborne Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 March 1945 - Place of
death
Between Wesel and Hamminkeln, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 4 | 22 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Joseph F. Tornetta (father)
Mary (Ciaccio) Tornetta (mother)
Frank J. Tornetta (brother)
Joseph J. Tornetta (brother)
Lawrence F. Tornetta (brother)
Angelina Tornetta (sister)
Augustus Tornetta (brother)
Charles Tornetta (brother)
More information
Cpl Anthony J. Tornetta graduated form High School and was a policeman detective.He enlisted in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania on 15 March 1944.
Initially, he was assigned to the 218th CIC Detachment (Airborne) attached to XVIII Airborne Corps and was reassigned to the 17th CIC Detachment (Airborne) attached to the 17th Airborne Division on 15 February 1945 as an Intelligence NCO MOS 631.
On 24 March 1945, he boarded a glider as a volunteer to participate in Operation Varsity. The glider was hit by enemy flak, landed on Landing Zone N, caught on fire and came under intense hostile fire, killing him and all the occupants of the glider.
Source of information: www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees / Veteran Compensation Application File, www.ww2-airborne.us, PDF: A Preliminary Who's Who of U.S. Army Military Intelligence, 17th Airborne Division Historical Report of Operation Varsity, 17th CIC Detachment (Airborne) Morning Reports, The Last Drop, Operation Varsity, 24-25 March 1945 by Stephen L. Wright
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Norristown Area High School Yearbook 1938, Lancaster New Era - 7 December 1945