Frank Caprarelli was born October 9, 1918 in Italy to Alphonse Caprarelli (1898-1975) and Louisa (Luisa) Appetito (abt. 1898-1968). His parents were both from Italy and they were married abt. 1916. Louisa brought Frank and younger sister Agnese (1920-1959) with her to the U.S. in March 1930 aboard the S.S. Roma. Frank's father, Alphonse was already in the U.S. coming in 1922 aboard the S.S. Colombo. The have three more children together, Nicholas, Theresa and Clara (1934-2025) while in the U.S. Frank worked with his father as a painter and the family lived at 1206 Albany St. in Utica, NY. U.S. Census records indicate that Frank never attended school.

When he registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Utica, NY. he was 5'-4" tall, weighed 165 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He was drafted into the Army on January 8, 1941 with service number 32025491. He did his basic training at Ft. McClellan, Alabama and was sent to Hawaii with the 105th Infantry Regiment of the 27th Infantry Division. His name appeared on a payroll sheet for the 105th in October 1943. A company Morning Report for February 1944 listed him in Hawaii at Schofield on Oahu.

The 105th left Hawaii on May 31, 1944 making stops at Kwajalein before landing on Saipan in June 1944. Sgt. Caprarelli was first reported missing in action on a July 7, 1944 company Morning report. Later it was confirmed he was killed in action on July 9, 1944 and initially buried in the 27th Division Cemetery. Later, in July 1949, during the government's body recovery program, his remains were returned and buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii, Section D, Grave 85. On July 26, 1944 he received the Combat Infantryman Badge posthumously for "exemplary conduct in action against the enemy on Saipan."

The family moved to Los Angeles, California sometime after Frank entered the service.

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

"2 Killed, 7 Wounded in War Areas", Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, August 14, 1944, pg. illegible.

Interment Control Forms, 1928–1962. Interment Control Forms, A1 2110-B. NAID: 5833879. Record Group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985. The National Archives at St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Fiche_1230; Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration; Series: Army General Orders; NAID: 467313037

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Army and Army Air Force (Air Corp) Rosters, 1940-1943: Number 1637 (3 of 3); Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration; Series: Muster Rolls and Rosters.

National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Wwii Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147

National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 04563; Reel: 178

National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Roll: 1174; Page: 22; Enumeration District: 66-1522

Year: 1930; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Page: 16B; Enumeration District: 0102; FHL microfilm: 2341356

Year: 1940; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Roll: m-t0627-02861; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 67-51

Supporting Documents