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name
FOSTER, William Joseph "Bill" - Date of
birth
10 September 1915 -
Age
29 - Place of
birth
Verplanck, Westchester County, New York -
Hometown
Westchester County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
32508498 -
Rank
Private First Class -
Function
unknown -
Unit
325th Glider Infantry Regiment,
82nd Airborne Division
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
7 January 1945 - Place of
death
Thier del Preu, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 14 | 48 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Emory V. Foster (father)
Bridget L. (Meehan) Foster (sister)
Margaret M. Foster (twin sister)
Anna S. (Kruckosky) Foster (wife)
Diana M. Foster (daughter)
More information
Pfc William J. Foster enlisted at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York on 21 September 1942.His granddaughter, Christine Vitolo Calabro, shared the following story: "Pfc Foster was killed two days before his daughter was born. When his wife was in the hospital after having given birth to their daughter, she told her sister that "Bill" had come to her and stood at the end of her hospital bed and he said he wouldn't be coming home. That was before she had received word that he had been killed.
Mrs Calabro hangs his wedding picture in every home she lives in. She says it helps her remember where she came from and that is from a place of true love. Pfc Foster's wife never remarried. Her grandmother never felt that anyone could measure up to her "Bill"."
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, www.findagrave.com - Kathy, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census / U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Christine Vitolo Calabro (granddaughter) - courtesy of Kathy McDermott