Pasqual Andrew Rossi was born in Rome, Oneida County, New York on January 16, 1921 to Mary Stolo and Antonio Rossi. His parents were married on July 29, 1917 in Rome, New York. Both his parents were from Italy. His dad worked as an Operator of a Wire Drawing Machine. His mom was a homemaker. The 1940 U.S. Census recorded the family living on South Madison St, in Rome, NY. He had a younger sister Constance and a younger brother Antonio[?].

A Rome Sentinel newspaper account of his death noted he graduated from Rome Free Academy (RFA) in 1942 but there is no entry for him in any RFA yearbooks. He attended Rome Trade School before taking a job as a welder at the Rome Air Depot (later Griffiss AFB). He was a member of the Naval Reserve while working and was also a member of the St. John the Baptist Church.

On February 14, 1942, Patsy registered for the draft in Rome, NY. At 21 years of age, he was working for the General Cable Corp which had a large plant in Rome. He was five feet seven inches tall and weighed 187 pounds. Rossi’s mother Mary was listed as his next of kin. Rossi joined active duty in the Navy on June 20, 1944. He attained the rating of Seaman, First Class with a Navy Service Number of 897 59 25. After basic training he was assigned to the high-speed transport USS Dickerson (APD-21).

USS Dickerson Muster Roll, April 2, 1945 

showing S1C Patsy Rossi aboard

As a high-speed transport, Dickerson was reclassified APD-21 on 21 August 1943. She sailed from Norfolk 1 November 1943 for the Pacific. She escorted convoys from Espiritu Santo to Guadalcanal, and then remained in the Solomons on patrol and local escort duty. On 30 January 1944, she landed a reconnaissance group of New Zealanders on Green Island, reembarking them shortly after midnight of 1 February after the boats were strafed by enemy airplanes. On the 15th and 20th, she landed troops on the island to capture and occupy it, and on 20 March landed marines on Emirau Island without opposition.

In April 1944, Dickerson arrived at Milne Bay, and during her 2 months in the New Guinea area, supported the landings at Seleo Island and Aitape. After a brief repair period at Pearl Harbor, she arrived at Roi in the Marshalls to embark an underwater demolition team from Dent and carried them into action at Saipan and Guam. She remained in the Marianas as supply, control and fire support ship for her team until the end of July, then returned to the west coast for overhaul the following month.”

On January 11, 1945 Rossi is wounded when shrapnel from an automatic weapon's shell struck the gun-deck of the ship. Shrapnel is removed from his leg. The wounds were not serious and he remained on board. His wife, Jennie was notified of his injuries in a message that read in part:

“Rossi, Patsy Andrew, S2C, 897-59-25, USNR. Diag: Foreign Bodies, Traumatic, Multiple. XL”K” #2528 January 11, 1945: Aboard U.S.S. Dickerson (APD21) during Luzon, P.I. operation patient sustained ten (10) shrapnel wounds of the lower extremities. Two (2) Pieces of shrapnel were removed aboard this command. The others either could not be located with a probe or were so located that their removal was considered inadvisable until larger facilities were available. The shrapnel was from an automatic weapon’s shell which struck the gun-deck of the ship.

PROG: excellent

Patient was retained aboard under treatment. When X-ray facilities are available, hospitalization will be secured if it is necessary to remove the retained fragments. Injuries were sustained in the line of duty during air attack by the enemy. NOT MISCONDUCT.

Next of kin: Jennie A Rossi, 301 South Madison St. Rome, NY, (wife)”

The USS Dickerson returned to action in November 1944 with her arrival at Aitape, New Guinea. After escort duty in New Guinea, she sailed 27 December for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, on 9 January 1945, again supporting the operations of an underwater demolition team. She reported to Ulithi at the end of January for repairs, and then joined the screen of a logistics support force for the invasion of Iwo Jima 19 February. She returned to Leyte with 58 prisoners of war, then departed again 24 March with an LST-LSM convoy which was assigned to capture the island of Keise Shima, on which heavy artillery would be placed for the bombardment of Okinawa. Her mission complete, Dickerson was with the transports southwest of Okinawa on the night of 2 April, when the Japanese attacked in strength. An eyewitness account of this attack can be read in the letter from Lt. Ebert below.*

One of the kamikaze planes approached the destroyer in a long, low glide, and slashed off the tops of her two stacks before smashing into the base of her bridge, toppling her mast and starting intense gasoline fires. Almost simultaneously another plane scored a direct hit on the center of her forecastle. The explosion tore a hole in the deck almost the complete width of the ship. Despite immediate fire and damage control measures, Dickerson's crew was forced to abandon ship when the raging fires threatened her forward magazine. Fifty-four officers and men, including the commanding officer, were lost. Bunch and Herbert stood by to rescue survivors, and Bunch succeeded in putting out the fires which had virtually demolished Dickerson. The smoldering hulk was towed by Arikara to a captured Japanese Base, Kerama Retto, the dead and salvageable material were removed, then it was towed out to sea and sunk on 4 April 1945.

Tragically, Patsy Rossi was NOT one of the survivors of the enemy attack. He and 53 other officers and crew were memorialized at the Courts of the Missing in Honolulu. Their bodies were never recovered. All were awarded a Purple Heart Posthumously.

Patsy’s wife Jennie was given a Gold Star flag to hang in her window at South Madison Street in Rome. This was recorded in the U.S. Navy Casualties Books. The family ran the following memorial piece for him in the local papers in April of 1947.

RESOURCES:

New York, U.S., State Census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/25314395:2704

WWII U.S. Draft Registration: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/303109149:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=2e53b656-661c-4317-b1d1-9def5c3751e0&_phsrc=hWQ154&_phstart=successSource

USS Dickerson Navy Muster Rolls, WWII: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/21400596:1143?tid=&pid=&queryId=eca554d3-4ec3-4ea6-8546-132b6622dfd5&_phsrc=hWQ132&_phstart=successSource

U.S. Casualties Books

Page 16 US, World War II War Diaries: https://www.fold3.com/image/295357876/rep-of-ops-in-support-of-the-invasion-of-lingayen-gulf-luzon-is-philippines-16-1245-including-aa-act?terms=navy,war,us,rossi,a,patsy,ii,world

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Dickerson

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56120962/patsy_a-rossi: accessed February 29, 2024), memorial page for S1 Patsy A Rossi (unknown–2 Apr 1945), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56120962, citing Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA; Maintained by PAllred (contributor 48048940).

World War II Scrapbook from the estate of Army veteran Robert Albert Mieskiel (1930-2014) of Rome, NY. Donated to the Oriskany Museum Collection in May 2016

The letter pictured below recounts the death of a Christopher Kompare who was also aboard the USS Dickerson when it was attacked. It is included here because part of it recounts a first hand account of the attack that also killed Patsy Rossi.

Supporting Files....