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name
DE BENEDETTO, Frederick S "Freddie" - Date of
birth
4 April 1925 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Connecticut -
Hometown
Hartford County, Connecticut
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
31378669 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
C Company,
59th Armored Infantry Battalion,
13th Armored Division
-
Awards
Distinguished Service Cross,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
14 April 1945 - Place of
death
In the vicinity of Schildgen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| J | 8 | 3 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Anthony De Benedetto (father)
Agatha De Benedetto (mother)
Dolores De Benedetto (sister)
Joan De Benedetto (sister)
More information
Pfc Frederick S. De Benedetto attended Bloomfield High School.He enlisted in Hartford, Connecticut on 2 July 1943.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Medal posthumously for action on the day of his death. The citation reads: On 14 April 1945, when Pvt De Benedetto's squad was pinned down by intense hostile machine gun and automatic weapons fire near Schildgen, Germany, he voluntarily assumed an exposed position to cover the advance of his comrades across an open area. With cool, heroic defiance, he poured a deadly stream of automatic rifle fire into the hostile positions and so effectively diverted their return fire to himself that his squad and the main body of his platoon were able to cross the exposed area without a casualty. Although killed by sniper fire a few moments later, Pvt De Benedetto's intrepid self-sacrifice and supreme devotion to duty live on as an inspiration to the men with whom he fought.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1940 Census, recipientid=30710
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Joan Mazzotta, www.ancestry.com - Bloomfield High School Yearbook 1942