Corporal LAWRENCE L. LUKASEVICIUS 31074463 Army Air Corps, KIA.
Corporal LAWRENCE L., LUKASEVICIUS 31074463 Army Air Corps, KIA. He is the son of Joseph and Annie (Adamaitis) LUKASEVICIUS; of Gardner Massachusetts. He was Born, April 10, 1917, and attended Gardner High School. He entered the military service at Fort Devens Massachusetts, on April 11, 1942; at the age of 25. He received his basic training in Miami, Florida lacer stationed in St. Louis, in, Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah, Army Air Fields. He was sent overseas to North African Theater in October of 1943, and flew with the 501st Group, Squadron. He was Killed in action on November 27, 1943 when the transport ship HMT Rohna on which he and his unit were being transported to the Sicilian Theater of Operations was sunk at sea by enemy action.
When the HMT Rohna was sunk 1138 people were killed including 1015 Americans. Historical the sinking of the Rohna is a mile stone in warfare because it was the first successful “hit” of troopship by a German remote-controlled, rocket-boosted bomb, which brought about the “Missile Age.” Corporal LAWRENCE L., LUKASEVICIUS was awarded the American Theater Ribbon, Purple Heart Medal (PHM), the Good Conduct Medal, European Theater of Operations (ETO) Medal with one battle star, the World War Two Victory Medal, Air Corps Citation of Honor.
1- Gardner Massachusetts in World War Two
2- https://aad.archives.gov/
3- http://rohnasurvivors.org/
4- Rohna Memories: Eyewitness to Tragedy By Michael Walsh