T/5 Joseph Edward Giampietro 31424770

Technician fifth grade Joseph Joe E. Giampietro 31424770 US Army. He was born on May 10, 1919, in Norwood, Massachusetts, the son of Franco Giampietro and Marietta Di Zio Giampietro. His parents were from Italy immigrating to the United States in 1903 and they had 6 children starting in 1906. Joseph graduated from Norwood High School in 1939 he was on the Track team for 3 years the tennis team for 1 year the football team for 1 year and the Quest club his yearbook quote was ” He sights the lasses, doth pursue ’em, He sings to ’em but doth not woo ’em.”

At the time of his enlistment, he was working for Frank M Hill. He entered the US Army on November 15, 1943, at the age of 24. At the time of his enlistment, he was 5 foot 8 inches tall weighed 163 pounds had brown hair and brown eyes. He entered HQ Platoon, Company G, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division on August 29, 1944 at Camp Van Dorn Mississippi. He went overseas with the company in November 1944 and entered combat in December 1944. The week of April 2 – 9, 1945 his company would have its hardest fighting of the war. On April 8, 1945, in the vicinity of Stein, Germany. Private First Class Giampietro volunteered to eliminate an enemy machine gun which was causing heavy casualties in the company. He rose from his covered position in the face of enemy machine gun and sniper fire and charged the enemy position, killing two enemy and capturing three. He then assisted his platoon leader in killing five snipers.

On August 24, 1945 after nearly a year serving in G Company he was transferred to the 100th Infantry Division. He was discharged on April 17, 1946. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal (SSM), Bronze Star Medals  (BSM), The Combat Infantry Badge, the American Theater of Operations Medal, European African Middle Eastern Theater of operations Medal, and the World War Two Victory Medal. After the war he married Rita Marie McKenna in 1952 in Norwood Massachusetts. They had one child during their marriage. He died on January 22, 2004, in Franklin, Massachusetts, at the age of 84, and was buried in Franklin Massachusetts.

63rd Division GO 345

https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=2&tf=F&q=31424770&bc=sl,sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=2593711&rlst=2593714,2593711

U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

Norwood High School in 1939 Yearbook

Massachusetts, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950

the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

the U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010

the U.S., Veterans’ Gravesites, ca.1775-2019