PVT. Joseph Cascarella
U.S. Army #32370381
118th Engineer Combat Battalion, 43rd Infantry Division
Embedded Files
Joseph Cascarella was born November 24, 1917, in Rome, Oneida County, New York, to Antonio (1884-1946) and Caroline Ceraulo (1890-1950) Cascarella. According to the Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States, Antonio and Caroline emigrated from Sicily on the S.S. Perugia which sailed from Palermo, on May 23, 1913.
S.S. Perugia
Joseph was the third of ten children in the Cascarella family. His siblings were Anthony (1914-1965), Domnick, Nick (?-1994), Angelo (1921-1962), George (1923-1970), Isabel, Margaret, Rose (1930-2001), and Frank. During WWII, S2 Angelo Cascarella served in the USNR, AOM2 George Cascarella served in the US Navy, and Nicholas served in the US Army. Margaret enlisted in the WAVES in 1951.
Joseph attended Columbus School and Rome Free Academy in Rome, New York. He registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, in Rome, New York. At that time, he was working for Revere Copper and Brass, also in Rome. Joseph was 5’9”, 185 pounds, with gray eyes and brown hair.
His Draft Registration Card (front)
On December 17, 1941, Joseph married Sandina (Sarah) Pianella of Marcy, New York, at St. Stephen’s Church in Oriskany, New York. After a honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls, the couple made Marcy their home.
On May 19, 1942, Joseph left for training in the U.S. Army along with six other men, including his brother, Nicholas. They enjoyed the amenities of the USO room of the NY Central Railroad Station in Utica, NY, while they waited for transportation. Sarah Cascarella was able to accompany her husband this far on the trip.
Daily Sentinel, Rome, New York, December 17, 1941
On February 8, 1943, Sarah Cascarella received word by telegram from the War Department that Joseph was killed in action in the Pacific on January 25, 1943. At the same time she received this telegram, Joseph’s brother, Angelo, was purchasing war bonds for Joseph, for Nicholas who was serving in North Africa, and for George, an apprentice seaman in training in Newport, RI. Frances Caroline Cascarella, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah, was two months old and never knew her father.
Pvt. Joseph Cascarella is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii, in Section M, Plot 555.
On February 27, 1943, the students of Columbus School purchased an extra defense stamp which completed a book necessary to buy a war bond. The bond was presented to Frances Caroline in memory of her father. Pvt. Cascarella was the first graduate of Columbus School to be killed in WWII and the third citizen of Rome, NY.
On March 25, 1943, Pvt. Cascarella was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. The citation reads “ … to Pvt. Joseph Cascarella for Military Merit and for wounds in action which resulted in his death January 25, 1943.” Pvt. Cascarella was also posthumously awarded the Rome, NY, Medal of Honor.
On September 20, 1947, Sarah Pianella Cascarella married George Lichtenberger, of Rome, NY, who served in the Merchant Marines during WWII. Frances Caroline Cascarella graduated from Oriskany Central School in 1962, and married Raymond Rhone in April 21, 1969. Joseph Cascarella was always remembered in any news items of family events.
Sources:
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3771220/joseph-cascarella), memorial page for Joseph Cascarella (24 Nov 1917–25 Jan 1943), Find a Grave Memorial ID 3771220, citing National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA; Maintained by R Burnett (contributor 47445819).
Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/91916767/sarah-lichtenberger:), memorial page for Sarah Pianella Lichtenberger (1915–23 Apr 1995), Find a Grave Memorial ID 91916767, citing Townsend Cemetery, Floyd, Oneida County, New York, USA; Maintained by DBT (contributor 46622280).
Fold3:
https://www.fold3.com/image/671791371?terms=joseph,cascarella
https://www.fold3.com/image/671791372
https://www.fold3.com/record/86211090/joseph-cascarella-us-wwii-army-enlistment-records-1938-1946
https://www.fold3.com/record/722853927/cascarella-joseph-us-veterans-gravesites-ca1775-2019
HonorStates.org: https://www.honorstates.org/profiles/396137/
Center for Military History, US Army: https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/043id.htm#:~:text=The%2043d%20Infantry%20Division%20landed,21%20February%2C%20and%20training%20continued.
Sons of Liberty Museum: https://www.sonsoflibertymuseum.org/43rd-infantry-division-ww2.cfm
Brief History of the 43rd Infantry Division: https://www.43rd-infantry-division.org/history
Genealogy.com – 118th Engineers: https://www.genealogy.com/forum/general/topics/wwi/4635/
FamilySearch: ship manifests and 1940 census
National Cemetery Administration: https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/nmcp.asp
National Park Service – National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific: https://www.nps.gov/places/national-memorial-cemetery-of-the-pacific.htm
American Battle Monuments Commission – Honolulu Memorial: https://www.abmc.gov/Honolulu
Deeproots: https://deeproots.family/up/PerugiaVessel.htm
End notes: This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars Project, a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3 web sites. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery. If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact hillerson@beyondbb.com.
Date: 4/7/2024
Related Documents:
Daily Sentinel, Rome, New York, May 19, 1942, page 11
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