Albert Joseph Clerrico was born July 26, 1924 in Utica, NY to Joseph Clerrico (1903 – 1969) and Nina M. Dilworth (1905 - 1931). His parents were married on October 27, 1923 in Utica, NY. He had a younger sister Rita (1925-1998). His dad remarried to Amelia Joan Kanches in 1932, after Nina's death in 1931 and they had a son and daughter, Albert and Mary Ann. The family lived on Jay St. and later Elizabeth St in Utica, NY . His dad was from Italy and came to the United States in 1912. His biological mom was from Sherburne, New York. His dad was owner and operator of Jo and Angie's service station, co-owner of the Parkway Restaurant and a well known bowler in the Utica, NY area.

He attended Wetmore School and Proctor High School and was employed by Snyder Brothers in Little Falls, NY as a machinist. After Pearl Harbor, Albert, then only 17 years old, gets permission from his parents to join the Marines. He enlisted on February 11, 1942 with service number 354399. He did his basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina and was en-route to the Solomons by his 18th birthday. He took part in the conquest of the Solomons (Guadalcanal) in the summer of 1942. He wrote home in August 1942 that he was "all right."

After Guadalcanal the 5th Marines went to Australia for refitting and rest then in December 1943 assaulted Cape Gloucester on New Britain. While there they advanced through extremely difficult swamp and jungle terrain and captured and secured Japaneses airfields. By January 1944 the island was secure. After Cape Cloucester, the regiment returned to training and preparation for the next phase of the Pacific offensive – the New Guinea campaign and the invasion of Peleliu.

During the invasion of Peleliu, on September 27, 1944 Cpl. Clerrico was killed in action. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart posthumously for "heroic achievement while serving with the Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division in action against Japanese forces on Peleliu, Island..." In September 1948, during the government body recovery program, Cpl. Clerrico's remains were escorted home aboard the USAT Sgt. Morris E. Crain and he was laid to rest in the Calvary Cemetery, Utica, NY. in section 12.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3.

(Please see - http://www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

Can you help us write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of WWII fallen.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute, please contact Jim Greenberg at jim.greenberg@oneonta.edu.

SBTSProject/New York/Oneida

Sources

"7 More War Dead Come Home", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, October 1?, 1948, pg. 4-A.

"8 Join Navy; 11 Marines Leave", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, February 1?, 1942, pg. 12.

Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1847-1849, 1907-1936 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

“Burlington Flats”, Richfield Springs NY Mercury, July 4, 1929, pg. 6

"Bodies of 10 Area War Dead Arrive", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, September 22, 1948, pg. 12-A.

Classified Ads, Died, Clerrico, Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, January 17, 1931, pg. 12.

"Clerrico Killed In Action", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, October 13, 1944, pg. 8-A.

"Dilworth – Peskar", wedding announcement, Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, November ??, 1927, pg. 6.

"Father Gets Posthumous Award to Son", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, date and page illegible, retrieved via fultonhistory.com with a string search of "Clerrico".

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/200540566/albert_joseph-clerrico: accessed 11 Oct 2026), memorial page for CPL Albert Joseph Clerrico (1924–1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 200540566, citing Calvary Cemetery, Utica, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by PaPasgirl (contributor 48623246).

“Funeral Ship Bears Bodies”, Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, September 22, 1948, pg. 3.

"Home Front", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, January 31, 1943, pg. 8-C.

Honor States Profile for Albert Joseph Clerrico accessed at https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/612627/ on October 12, 2026.

New York State Department of Health; Albany, NY, USA; New York State Marriage Index

"Pardi Post to Attend Mass for Service Man", Utica Observer-Dispatch, November ??, 1944, pg. 2-A.

"Transport Docks With War Dead; 10 in Area Aboard", Utica Daily Press, September ??, 1948, pg. 14.

"Uses Japaneses Pencil, Candy, Cigarets [sic] in Solomons, Young Utican Writes", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, September 13, 1942, pg. 1.

"Utica Marine Dead in Action, Parents Told", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, October 13, 1944, pg. 13.

"Utica Marine Takes Part in Solomons Attack", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, September 14, 1943, pg. 7.

Year: 1940; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02861; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 67-33

Supporting Documents