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name
LOCHOWICZ, Eugene E - Date of
birth
17 September 1925 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
Wisconsin -
Hometown
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
36836906 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
A Company,
1st Battalion,
28th Infantry Regiment,
8th Infantry Division
-
Awards
Bronze Star,
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
24 February 1946 - Place of
death
Lendersdorf, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten -
Walls of the Missing
* This soldier has been accounted for. A rosette has been placed next to his name.
Immediate family
-
Members
Frank Lochowicz (father)
Agnes (Glisch) Lochowicz (mother)
Florence Lochowicz (sister)
Ervin J. Lochowicz (brother)
Raymond Lochowicz (brother)
Lorraine L. Lochowicz (sister)
Rosemarie Lochowicz (sister)
More information
Pfc Eugene E. Lochowicz enlisted on 22 November 1943.On 23 February 1945, Pfc Lochowicz went missing while his unit was attempting to cross the Roer river near Lendersdorf, Germany. The boat Lochowicz was in capsized and his remains could not be recovered.
The general crossing had begun at 2:50 in the morning, and by 03:45, some members of Company A had reached the far shore. Although elements of Company A were still trying to cross the river late in the day, Pfc Lochowicz was among the first wave of Company A to attempt the crossing: he was reportedly in the first boat Company A launched. At least six of 1st Battalion assault boats overturned in midstream, dumping soldiers and equipment in to the swiftly moving river.
While it is not certain that Pfc Lochowicz was among those overturned, it is possible. Pfc Lochowicz's last known location was on the bank of the Roer river where he entered a boat at 3:35. According to unit records, the unit had a great deal of difficulty crossing the Roer river. The unit history notes that many boats were destroyed by fire, and additional soldiers and equipment were lost when some boats became swamped or overturned. At times during the crossing, the 1st Battalion also received heavy mortal fire from the river's edge, as well as small arms fire from a factory held by German forces. In addition to enemy fire, weather conditions and the natural features of the river also presented a challenge to the crossing. At the time of the crossing, Pfc Lochowicz was reportedly wearing a uniform that consisted of a field jacket, combat boots, light combat pack, M1 rifle, and a belt with two extra bolts of ammunition. Additionally, Pfc Lochowicz also carried a 536 radio. All of this would have weighed him down in the water and would have hampered the most agile person in efforts to swim to safity. In addition to these challenges, it appears as though Pfc Lochowicz was unable to swim. These factors led others in the same boat to believe that Pfc Lochowicz had drowned during the crossing.
After the war, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, was the unit tasked with investigation and recovery of missing American personnel. In February 1949, AGRC investigators were in the area where Lochowicz was lost, but were unsuccessful in finding his remains.
He was officialy declared death one day and one year after he was reported missing in action.
In 2017, in response to inquiries from Lochowicz’s family regarding unknown remains recovered around Lendersdorf, a DPAA historian reviewed documents of X-285 Margraten, which had been pulled from the river near where Lochowicz went missing. The remains, which could not be identified when they were found in 1945, had subsequently been buried at the United States Military Cemetery at Margraten, Netherlands. Based upon the location and circumstances of recovery, the DPAA historian concluded that Lochowicz was a likely candidate for association.
In September 2018, the Department of Defense and American Battle Monuments Commission disinterred X-285 and accessioned the remains to the DPAA laboratory for identification.
To identify Lochowicz’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis.
DPAA is grateful to the American Battle Monuments Commission and to the U.S. Army Regional Mortuary-Europe/Africa for their partnership in this mission.
On 29 July 2019, The DPAA announced that Pfc Eugene E. Lochowicz was accounted for on 24 July 2019.
Pfc Lochowicz was given his final resting place on 16 November 2019 at the St. Adalbert Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His remains were cremated and buried on top of his mother. The family felt this was appropriate because a cousin mention she remembers Mrs. Lochowicz sitting in a chair holding a photo of him and crying.
A rosette is placed next to his name at the Walls of the Missing at Margraten to indicate he is accounted for.
His nephew, Kenneth Lochowicz, provided pictures of the arrival of his uncle's remains at Mitchell International Airport and of the funeral ceremony.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Kenneth F. Lochowicz, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - Ginny's Tree, 1930 Census, PDF Files, Dept. of Defense and newspapers
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Kenneth F. Lochowicz - Family photos