Stephen Lonczak (paternal grandfather), 179th Infantry. I know he served from Sicily to European. Combat medic. Chester Kusi (great uncle), served in 362nd AAF. Was shot down and died in the last day’s of the Battle of the bulge. Alexander (Alex) Kusi (maternal grandfather). Infantry. Not sure where or when he served. Thanks to anyone who can help. I don’t want to forget their sacrifices.
So he flew a P47D-28 Thunderbolt for the 362nd Fighter Group, 379th Fighter Squadron out of Etain, France. He was shot down on 22 or 23 Jan 1945 (MACR form and witness statement have different dates) near Prum, Germany by anti-aircraft fire.
Trying to identify what Army infantry my grandfather was apart of. His name was Jacinto N Contreras from Ohio and enlisted in the Army in Toledo Ohio. He was sent to California for training. His army serial # is 25-019-883. His 4th Air Force badge is confusing to me? He fought in the EAME Theatre. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
I found a photo & article about Pfc. Stephen Lonczak & sister, Anne Lonczak Cohen. Lansing State Journal Lansing, Michigan 27 Jun 1945, Wed • Page 15 Pfc, Stephen Lonczak & sister, Anne Lonczak Cohen reunited - Newspapers.com Here is a listing when he came back & arrived in New York City port that lists his injuries. Stephen J Lonczak New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists 6958 - vol 14995-14997, May 27, 1945
It seems Stephen Lonczak may have scored a "hat trick" for being wounded. I found records of 3 hospital admissions for LOD injuries. He was... stabbed in the abdomen with a knife in July 1944, was hit in the thigh & groin by debris from an artillery shell in October 1944, and was shot in the upper arm which fractured his humerus in March 1945. This one punched his ticket for home.
Except for the first digit, you have his correct ASN. It should be 35019883 according to his enlistment record: I found several records for that ASN in the WWII Hospital Admission Card database. (Note: these records often do not include the soldier's name - just the ASN). They all indicate he was admitted to be treated for malaria. The dates he was admitted are: Jul 1944, Aug 1944, Oct 1944, Dec 1944, Feb 1945, Apr 1945, May 1945, and Sep 1945. I will not post them all, but there are 3 that are representative of the rest. The first admission record was Jul 1944. What is notable is that his Branch of service indicates "Air Force". During WWII, the Air Force was a component of the US Army. The lack of any data indicating where he was admitted and the "Line of Duty" designation may suggest that he was treated overseas. He was admitted again in Aug 1944. This time, the Branch is indicated as "Air Force, Ground Crew/OtherService, Support Units". His hospital admission in Feb 1945 places him at Gowen Field, Idaho which was near Boise, Idaho. The other 1945 admissions also had him in Gowen Field, Idaho. Gowen Field was an Air Force training center during WWII. It may be that, sometime between his Dec 1944 and Feb 1945 hospitalizations, he was sent back to the States due to his recurring malaria, and was assigned to Gowen Field to train new Air Force recruits. I'm not sure if Gowen Field was ever under the Fourth Air Force. However, if it was, that might explain the SSI on his uniform. More research must be done to confirm the above information and my speculations about it. Hopefully this is an encouragement for you to keep digging to find definitive answers regarding his service.
Thank you for the information. Here are a couple of pictures of military uniform that was just sent to me by my uncle.