World War II Honoree

Joseph Anthony Cutro, Sr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Brooklyn, New York

Honored By

Michael J. Lynett

Enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1944. In November 1944 after basic training, he was deployed to Le Havre, France with the 394th Regiment of the 99th Division. His active combat service would include surviving the freezing conditions at Elsenborn Ridge, arriving at the Battle of the Bulge on January 10, 1945, where his unit was strategic in blocking the Germans access to Belgium in the Ardennes Forest. He served in a machine gun unit and as a password runner. In March 1945, he crossed the Ludendorf Bridge at Remagen between timed sequences of German artillery, which signaled the beginning of the end of WWII and the start of the Allied occupation of Germany. Once inside Germany, he experienced the horror and pain of witnessing Nazi Death Camps and liberating their remaining survivors. For the remainder of his tour of duty, his high school German came in handy in connecting with the locals until he was shipped home. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on July 8, 1946, receiving the Bronze Star, American Campaign, WWII Victory, Army of Occupation and European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign medals for his service.