World War II Honoree
Killed In Action
Matthew Benya
Branch of Service
U.S. Army
Hometown
Sharon, Pennsylvania
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
Rank: Sergeant. Served with the 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry ‘Thunderbird’ Division attached to the U.S. Seventh Army in the European Theater of Operations. Killed in Action, December 27, 1944 during a combat engagement in the Battle of the Bulge, Ardennes-Alsace Campaign and buried in a battlefield cemetery in France. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, his remains were transferred to the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold (Moselle), France. His family has placed a Memorial Marker in his memory at the Saint John’s Cemetery in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. Decorations: Combat Infantryman Badge, Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal and the WWII Victory Medal. This Soldier, an American Patriot, awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, who so gallantly gave his life in the defense of his country.