Corporal ANTHONY S. DEFATTA KIA,
Corporal ANTHONY S. DEFATTA KIA, U. S. Army. Brother of Staff Sergeant PHILLIP JOSEPH DEFATTA. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Anthony DeFatta, he was born October 10, 1920, and attended Parkview and St. John’s Schools. On July 1, 1942, he entered the Army at the age of 21. He was assigned to Camp Carson, Colorado Springs, Parachute Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia, and Camp Hoffman, North Carolina, where he was squad leader. From Camp MacKall, North Carolina, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he went to Swindon, England, as a squad leader, and fought in the Invasion of Fortress Europe (ETO) on Normandy Beach. He served in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division. He lost his life there in the D-Day assault landings June 6, 1944 at the age of 23. He was awarded the Purple Heart Medal (PHM) for his sacrifice in the Normandy Beach landings, and the decoration was presented posthumously to his family.
Source:
1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF LOUISIANA – LOUISIANA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE – 1946
2- US Headstone and Interment records for US Military.