Rome, NY WWII Fallen

Pvt. Joseph L. Orzechowski

U.S. Army 32946495

3rd Infantry Division, 15th Infantry Regiment

Joseph Louis Orzechowski was born July 4, 1925, in Bellwood, Blair County, Pennsylvania, to Frank (1888-1963) and Aniela “Nellie” Piecuck (1895-1969) Orzechowski.

Frank was born June 10, 1888, in Limanowa, Poland. Nellie was born August 2, 1895, in Kolbuszowa, Rsezsozow, Poland. Frank and Nellie married June 10, 1915, in Winthrop, Maine, where she resided after immigrating to this country. According to the U.S. Census of 1930, the couple had moved from Pennsylvania to 213 Henry, Street, Rome, Oneida County, New York, prior to 1928, as the two youngest children were both born in New York. Frank worked at Revere Copper and Brass in the metal mill.

Joseph was the fourth of seven children born to Frank and Nellie. His siblings were Caroline Smith (1917-1990), John (1919-1997), William (1920-1998), Mary Mirabelli (1924-2005), Anna Nicholas (1928-2018), and Amelia Jane “Peachy” Zionc (1933-2012). Joseph went by the nickname of “Turkey” or “Turk.”

In the U.S. Census of 1940, the Orzechowski family is still living at 213 Henry Street. Carol does private housework, William is a baker at a bakery, and John also works at Revere Copper and Brass. Joseph attends DeWitt Clinton School.

On September 26, 1940, Frank became a U.S. citizen at the Naturalization Term of the New York Supreme Court in Utica, New York.

Joseph registered for the draft at DeWitt Clinton School, Rome, New York, on July 5, 1943. He was 6 feet tall, weighed 192 pounds, and had brown hair and brown eyes, and a mole on his right cheek. Joseph was living with his parents on Henry Street and working at Washington Market in Rome, New York.

Joseph’s draft registration shows July 4, 1925, as his birth date which aligns with registering when eighteen years old. This is verified by his age in census records of 1930 and 1940. His headstone shows 1926. However, the application for the headstone says “over” next to the birth date of 1926 and notes “d of b” as July 4, 1925.

John and William, his older brothers, both enlisted in the USAAF on April 23, 1942. In March 1943, John was promoted to Sergeant and was based at Orlando Field, Florida. He later served in England. William was a PFC at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. PFC Richard Nicholas, husband of Anna Orzechowski, also who served in the U.S. Army during WWII. Amelia’s husband, Edward Zionc, served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Missouri during the Korean conflict.

Amelia Orzechowski, younger sister of John, William, and Joseph, was part of a “neighborhood gang” who set up a lemonade stand on July 9, 1942, in order to raise money for the USO. The four youngsters also sold chocolate cookies and gum which they solicited from local stores.

Joseph was drafted into the U.S. Army on October 21, 1943, in Utica, New York, and inducted in November 1943 to Fort Blanding, Florida, for basic training. He went overseas in July 1944 with the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division.

Joseph’s parents received a telegram in January, 1945, stating Joseph was missing in action. They later received a telegram from the War Department confirming Pvt. Joseph Orzechowski was killed in action on December 24, 1944, in France in what later became known as the Battle of the Bulge.

Joseph was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Rome, New York, Medal of Honor. Pvt. Orzechowski was the 64th citizen of Rome, New York, to give his life in World War II.

Pvt Orzechowski is remembered on Page 110 of the World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel from New York. He is also remembered on page 11073 of World War II fallen. His name appears on Page 497 of “The History of the 3rd Infantry Division in World War II.”

In September 1946, a Welcome Home Day celebration was held in Rome, New York, to honor the city’s 420 Polish-American veterans. Among those in attendance were Frank and Nellie Orzechowski and the rest of the parents of the eleven young men who gave their lives in World War II. An honor roll was dedicated at the Polish Home in Rome, NY.

In November 1948, the USAT (United States Army Transport) Carroll Victory brought home the bodies of 7572 Americans who died in WWII in Europe. Among those was the body of Pvt. Joseph Orzechowski. Delegates of the Combined Veterans Committee for Return of War Dead met his body at New York Central Station and accompanied him back to Rome, New York.

Joseph was buried in All Saints Polish National Cemetery in Rome, New York, on December 10, 1948, with full military honors.

In April 1949, work began on a cemetery monument in memory of the Polish-Americans from the Rome, New York, area who sacrificed their lives in World Wars I and II. The War Monument Committee was organized at the All Saints Polish National Catholic Church and included Carol Orzechowski, sister of Joseph. The monument was unveiled in a ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 1949, at the All Saints Polish National Cemetery, Rome, New York. Names of the war dead are engraved on the granite monument which features an American eagle, Latin crosses, and emblems of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force.

William Orzechowski remained an active member of the Frank J. Steczko Post, Polish-American Veterans, serving as Commander several times. Mrs. Nellie Orzechowski was an honored Gold Star Mother at many functions. Nellie passed away September 20, 1969. Frank was an active member of the retirees group from Revere Copper and Brass. He passed away October 21, 1963.

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.

Sources:

FindAGrave.com:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11686466/joseph-l-orzechowski

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115029958/frank_orzechowski

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35359786/nellie_orzechowski

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35359787/caroline_orzechowski

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13058466/john-orzechowski

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160375408/william-orzechowski

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74768627/mary-mirabelli

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74768605/pat-mirabelli

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195576934/ann-nicholas

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13058424/richard_w_nicholas