Saturday, October 10, 2015

The Worst Day of Adolf Hitler's Life, Part I



The Allied invasion of Southern France, dubbed Operation Dragoon, caused Adolf Hitler to declare that August 15, 1944, D-Day for Dragoon, was the "worst day of my life."  My grandfather jumped in the early morning hours of the 15th, part of the initial force tasked with disrupting German defenses before the amphibious landings.  The ground that morning was covered with a thick fog and as he drifted towards it, my grandfather feared he was about to splash into the Mediterranean.  He readied to slip out of his chute and boots, but thankfully found that solid ground lay underneath the mists.  His captain was not so lucky, landing on a garden stake.  He and my grandfather would soon meet in the army hospital near Naples.
 

                                          Source: http://www.517prct.org/documents/ airborne
                                          _in vasion/airborne_invasion_history.htm


On D-Day Plus 2 (August 17), my grandfather's company was ordered to retrieve a small force led by Major William Boyle trapped in Les Arcs.  The town was heavily defended and at some point my grandfather was hit by German artillery, the shrapnel slicing through his hip.  He somehow made his way to a farmhouse owned by a family who spoke Italian.  He spent a few days hiding in the family's attic.  At one point, through the crevices in the floorboards, he could see German soldiers interrogating his hosts.  The family stood firm and within a few days friendly soldiers made it to the farmhouse and evacuated my grandfather to a military hospital.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Obituary, Frank Gallucci.



FRANK L. GALLUCCI, SR., 88, passed away Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013 at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne. Born in Detroit, Mich., Frank was a graduate of the University of Detroit and its law school. He was a World War II combat veteran serving in the 517th Parachute Combat Team, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division and the Fifth Army in Berlin following the war. He had six combat jumps and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, receiving the Purple Heart multiple times. He also received the Bronze Star, Croix de guerre and numerous other military awards. He was Executive Vice President of Essex Wire, Founding Partner of Gallucci, Hopkins & Theisen, and Retired Of Council for the Barnes & Thornburg Law Firm. He was a member of the Indiana, Michigan and D.C. Bar, where he argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also served as Chairman of the Board of St. Joseph College and was a Board Member of Ohio Art and the Allen County Sherriff's Merit Review Board, St. Patrick Catholic Church, Arcola and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Surviving are his wife of 60 years, Rita Gallucci of Fort Wayne; son, Louis P. Gallucci of North Las Vegas, Nev.; son, Frank L. (Tina M.) Gallucci Jr. of Fort Wayne; daughter, Sandra M. (Raymond) Wardell of Fort Wayne; grandchildren, Alex (Andrea) Gallucci, Olivia Gallucci, Sophia Gallucci, Maria (Lance) Lockstadt, Dante Gallucci, Dominic Wardell, Philip Wardell, Victoria Wardell; sister, Mary (Sam) Mininni of Livonia, Mich.; sister, Dorothea Siedlik of Novi, Mich.; brother, Richard Gallucci of N.C. He was preceded in death by a son, Peter F. Gallucci; son, Michael Patrick Gallucci; parents, Luigi and Maria Rose Gallucci. Mass of Christian Burial is 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, with calling one hour prior; Father Jim Shafer officiating. Calling also from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 and from 2 to 4 and 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, 2013 at D.O. McComb & Sons Covington Knolls Funeral Home, 8325 Covington Road, with a Rosary at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Burial in St. Patrick Cemetery, Arcola. Memorials may be made to St. Patrick Catholic Church, Arcola or St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. To sign the online guest book, please go to www.domccombandsons.com 

Monday, September 16, 2013

Sospel, France.  (Background, standing next to tree) Sgt. McKeon.
(Foreground, Left to Right) Frank Gallucci, Ted Hillhouse, Perry.
(Kneeling Left to Right) Joe Molina, Al Herr, Dick Young.
Source: http://www.517prct.org/photos/d_company_files/kane_company_d.htm