Martin Joseph Boris was born January 28, 1919 in Utica, NY to Felix Boris and Ulena (Helen) Kozak. His parents were married on November 5, 1913 in Utica. His mom and dad were from Lithuania. He had 7 siblings, Walter, Bernard, Helen, Anne, Nellie, Stanley and William. His uncle George (Kozak) also lived with them for a time at 14 Maple St., New York Mills, NY. He attended St. Joseph's school and was employed by the A.D. Julliard Company before entering the service.

Martin registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Utica, NY. He was 5'-9" tall and weighed 140 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He was drafted into the service on May 20, 1942 with service number 32369574. Martin did his training at Camp Shelby, Mississippi and was sent25 S overseas with the 338th Infantry in late 1943.

He married Jessie J. Bochenek (1921- 2004) on July 11, 1942. They have a son together, Martin Luke who was born in California in October 1943. She lived at 57 Greenman Ave, New York Mills at the time he was killed. Prior to that she lived at 14 Maple St., New York Mills.

In 1944 the 338th was slugging it out in Italy with the 5th Army. During this fighting, Martin gets promoted to Sgt.,was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Good Conduct Medal. By mid September 1944 the 338th was engaged in hard fighting against the outer defenses of the Gothic Line. Sgt. Boris is killed in action on September 25, 1944. He is hit in the chest by shrapnel. He was initially buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery at Castelfiorentino, Italy, Plot J, Row 33, Grave 1249.

Author's note: At first he was reported Missing in Action (September 28, 1944, MR for Company I, in the vicinity of Collinelle, Italy. October 2, 1944 MR Company's Morning Report as MIA ). His Report of Burial found in his IDPF notes his place of death “Near Sambuco, Italy” on September 27, 1944.

In December 1944 his wife Jessie writes the government that none of his personal effects had arrived to her and she hoped they could help. She mentioned that in his last letter he was going to send her money to buy a winter coat and she thought this might mean he had a considerable amount of money on his person. She also hoped they could send back the Christmas presents she had sent him. By May 1945 the Army Effects Bureau had received his belongings and forwarded them to her.

After the war the government established a body recovery program and in November 1947 the American Graves Registration System reaches out to Jessie Boris who requests her husband's remains be returned home. Sgt. Boris' remains were returned home in November 1948 aboard the USAT Lawrence Victory, escorted to the Utica, NY train station by Cpl. John M. Carroll and met by the Mayor's Committee for the War Dead. He was buried in the Saint Stanislaus-Saint Casimir Societies Cemetery, Whitesboro, NY on November 25, 1948. In February 1949 his headstone was delivered to his grave.

In October 1949 New York Mills, NY dedicated its war memorial which included the name of Sgt. Boris along with 22 other men that lost their lives in World War II. More than 400 people attended. The plaque was placed on the wall of the Edward Bator Veterans Post. Gold Stars were presented to the mothers.

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

"4 More Utica and Area Men Killed In Action; 2 Wounded, 1 Missing", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, November 21, 1944, pg 3?.

"4 War Dead To Come Home", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, November 22, 1948, pg. 25.

"5 More Area Soldierss Killed in European Theater; Utican Wounded 2nd Time After return to Duty", Utica Observer-Dispatch, October 2?, 1944, pg. 6?

"55 Upstate Soldiers' Bodies Are Returned From Italy", The Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY, November 9, 1948, pg. 5.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55251454/martin-boris: accessed April 21, 2026), memorial page for Martin Boris (28 Jan 1919–25 Sep 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 55251454, citing Saint Stanislaus-Saint Casimir Societies Cemetery, Whitesboro, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by Katherine Russ (contributor 49759886).

Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) 293 Boris, Martin J. 32,369,574 obtained from the National Archives, St. Louis, MO via FOIA. 

"Killed", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, January 19, 1945, pg. 4

"Mills to Dedicate Plaque Honoring Village War Dead", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, October 31, 1949, pg. 19.

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: 05042; Reel: 168

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 Washington DC; Washington DC, USA; Applications for Headstones For U.S. Military Veterans, 1925-1941; NAID: 596118; Record Group Number: 92; Record Group Title: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General

"New York Mills To Dedicate War Memorial", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, October 31, 1949, pg. 11.

"N.Y. Mills Unveils Memorial Plaque", Utica Daily Press, Utica, NY, November 7, 1949, pg 19.

"Plaque Unveiled at Mills Honors Heroes of War", Utica Observer-Dispatch, November 7, 1949, pg 10.

"Rites Planned For War Dead Of Utica, Area", Observer-Dispatch, Utica, NY, November 21, 1948, pg. ?

U.S. War Department, Order of Battle of the United States Army Ground Forces in World War II: Divisions, Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1945.

"War Memorial Is Unveiled At N.Y. Mills", Daily Sentinel, Rome, NY, November 7, 1949, pg. 18,

Year: 1930; Census Place: Utica, Oneida, New York; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 0112; FHL microfilm: 2341356

Supporting Documents