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Personal info

Full name
ROCCO, Philip J "Phil"
Date of birth
16 June 1915
Age
29
Place of birth
Pennsylvania
Hometown
Dade County, Florida

Military service

Service number
14027638
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Function
unknown
Unit
68th Tank Battalion,
6th Armored Division
Awards
Silver Star,
Purple Heart

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
7 April 1945
Place of death
Kefferhausen, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Plot Row Grave
O 12 2

Immediate family

Members
James Racco (father)
Elizabeth Racco (mother)
Nick Racco (brother)
Mollie Racco (sister)
Joseph Racco (brother)
James Racco (brother)
Frank Racco (brother)
Tony Racco (brother)
John Racco (brother)

More information

S/Sgt Philip J. Rocco enlisted in Jacksonville, Florida on 6 November 1940.

Before his enlistment he had a job as a sales clerk. He was a Golden Gloves boxing champion in Akron. When he became a professional boxer he changed his name to "Rocco". Four of his brothers were also in military service during WWII.

S/Sgt Rocco was mortally wounded by machine-gun fire in the vicinity of Keffershausen, Germany, while serving as point for a column on the outskirts of the town.

Source of information: Astrid van Erp, Erwin Derhaag, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com , Basher82, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / 1930 Census, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, The Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)

Photo source: Basher82