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S/Sgt David Rozenkrantz enlisted in Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, California on 29 January 1942. After training at Fort Benning and Fort Bragg he was assigned to Company H, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. David fought in Sicily, Italy, and Europe. He was killed in a SS Panzer Division counter-attack during Operation Market Garden. Original H Company member and veteran of the Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio campaigns.

According to reports, Rosenkrantz sprained his ankle during the combat jump into Sicily on the early morning of July 10, 1943. He and Cpl Lee Black, a medic, hid until daylight so that he could recover, then set out walking to find the rest of their unit.

Instead, they marched into the group of Italian soldiers.

“They captured us,” Rosenkrantz told an American reporter who wrote about the incident. “But then strange things began to happen. They held a conference and decided to turn themselves over to us, for they heard that Americans were only eight kilometers away.”

“They presented us to the Chief of Police of the nearby town and he fed us, wined us, gave us good beds and declared on his honor that he was glad to see us,” Rosenkrantz added. “In fact, everyone was happy, including our prisoners.”

According to the report, Rosenkrantz and Black collected the Italian troops’ weapons and then marched them to American forces.

“They were singing and just about raising hell,” Rosenkrantz recalled. “And a couple of them remarked that they hoped they would be sent to a prison camp in the United States.”

On 28 September 1944, Rosenkrantz an his platoon was occupying a farm when they were attacked by an overwhelming force. The isolated paratroopers hid among sparse trees and buildings. As Rosenkrantz rose from his position, enemy gunfire erupted and killed him. Due to enemy fire and the proximity of enemy troops, his remains could not be recovered.

On 16 March 2018, the Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that the remains of S/Sgt David Rosenkrantz were identified. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. His funeral was at the Riverside National Cemetery in California on 20 July 2018.

He had four brothers who served during World War II. They are all buried at Riverside National Cemetery. Launie served on the USS Chicago during the Battle of the Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, the Battle of Salvo Island and the Battle of Rennell Island, where he was rescued from the sea. Lawrence served with the US Merchant Marine. Jack was with the US Army Air Corps and Harry served int the occupation forces in Italy at Trieste. His sister Janet, who was called Goldie, worked at the Douglas aircraft fatory, installing cockpits.