Memorial

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Pfc Steve Rados enlisted in Cleveland, Ohio on 28 June 1941.

He was initially listed as missing in action. His name is permanently inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery. Pfc Rados' remains were recovered and interred at the Ardennes American Cemetery on 17 November 1959.

He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart posthumously.

Official records reveal that Pfc Rados was killed in action on 30 June 1944 in the vicinity of "Hill 192" at St. Clair, France, which is located within a few miles of St. Lo, France. He was struck by enemy cross fire when he moved through an opening to fire his rifle. Many searches were conducted by the Graves Registration Service personnel in an effort to recover his remains as well as the remains of others reported missing in the general area.
The German War Graves Commission, during exhumation operations near St. Lo, France, discovered human remains, together with the idenfication tag of Pfc Rados and other bits of American clothing and equipment. The German Officials contacted United States Army Officials in Germany and released the remains so that anthoropological examinations could be made in the United States Army Mortuary in Frankfurt, Germany. Comparisons were made of the physical and dental charateristics of the remains against the Army medical and dental records for all the casualties who were reported missing in the general areas, as well as against similar records for Pfc Rados.

Pfc Rados remains were recovered the latter part of 1957 or early 1958. Several years prior to discovery of Pfc Rados remains, in 1946 or 1947, Mr. Hennequin had unearthed a skull on his property during spring plowing. Assuming that the skull belonged to one of three German deceased previously recovered by a German de-mining team, Mr. Hennequin had turned the skull over to a member of the de-mining team and was told that it would be buried with the three Germans in the local cemetery. When this matter was brought to the attention of the GWGC during exhumation operations in 1957/1958, the area where the skull had been found was re-searched, and it was then that the remains bearing the ID Tag of Steve Rados were discovered. The bodies of the three German deceased were exhumed from the local church cemetery, but the missing skull was not found with their remains. A former member of the German de-mining team, residing in East Germany, was contacted and in response to the letter of inquiry he replied that he believed that the skull was interred in close proximity of the three Germans. A second search of the church cemetery on 24 May 1958 resulted in recovery of the skull, buried at a depth of approximately 15cm, near the foot of the middle German grave. Identification of Unknown X-9302 at the Frankfurt Mausoleum were proven to be the remains of Pfc Steve Rados.