World War II Honoree

John C. Zukosky

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private First Class. On November 10, 1943, he was inducted into the United States Army at Binghamton, New York. His Boot Camp Training took place at Camp Toccoa, Georgia. Later completed Paratrooper Combat Infantry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Deployed to Great Britain, arriving Camp Scraptoft near Leicester, England in July of 1944. Served in Charlie Company as a Rifleman, First Battalion, 401st Parachute Infantry Regiment, and a subordinate unit of the 101st Airborne ‘Screaming Eagles’ Division. His Division participated in the Invasion of the Netherlands against the German armed forces Code Named: Operation, Market Garden, the liberation of Holland. Killed in Action December, 27, 1944 while fighting in the defense of Bastogne, Battle of the Bulge Campaign. He was buried in the battlefield cemetery in Foy, Belgium. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, his family requested that his remains be interred in the American Cemetery in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart, with one oak leaf cluster posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.