Orlando Joseph Leone

1922 – 2004

World War II

The following biography is of my grandfather, Orlando J. Leone. Events were reconstructed from interviewing my grandmother, mother, and using his war memorabilia. My grandfather died March 3, 2004 at the age of 81. Last spring we went to Hawaii and learned about how and why World War II started.

Orlando Joseph Leone was born on August 22, 1922 in Clearfield Pennsylvania. He was the first child of Rosario and Pasquale Leone who was born in America. His mother and father came over from Italy. His father had served in the Italian Army. Life was hard in Italy and America was a land of promise where people could make a better life. They came over on a boat, but came to this country separately. Pasquale came first to find work. He saved money and then sent for his wife and three children. They came through New York at Ellis Island and then went to Pennsylvania. Orlando had a total of four brothers and two sisters. They lived in a three-bedroom house in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. Mom and dad’s room was on the first floor. His sisters, Rachael and Francis, shared a room upstairs. Orlando and his four brothers: Tom, Frank, Tony and Robert shared the other upstairs bedroom. They had one bathroom in the house. The family had a lot of pets: cats, a cow, and a dog. The cow was not only a pet, but they got milk from it. They ended up selling the cow one year to a butcher when it was too old to give milk so they could have the money. Orlando attended Clearfield grade school and high school. He did not continue to college. In school he was very quiet. He did like to talk and had many friends. He obeyed the teachers and did well. He loved to play pranks. One time Orlando and his brother Tony cut the whiskers off their cat to see what would happen. The cat walked like it was drunk. Even though they were not very rich, they had a good childhood. During his youth he enjoyed playing with his brothers. As he grew a little older he liked to work on cars.

Orlando enlisted in the army on November 23, 1942. He had never really thought about serving in the military before. This was the patriotic thing to do at that time. There were many ads asking for men to support their country. He was 20 years old. He was accepted on December 7, 1942 and assigned to a unit by December 12, 1942. He was assigned to the 376^th Infantry Regiment, 94^th Infantry Division. A regiment is a large core group, and the division a smaller group of men within it. There were 113 men is his division. World War II had started about one year earlier on December 7, 1941. He remembered hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor and how one of his best friend’s cousin had died on the USS Arizona. Entering the military during wartime made him feel both proud and afraid. Orlando received his basic training in Altoona, Pennsylvania. His title would be private first class (PFC). Altoona was the first stop for training. Here they would learn rifles, grenades, and get experience with some of the heavy trucks and equipment. Orlando had learned a lot about vehicles and had learned to drive heavy trucks at home. He did not request a specific job. He was assigned as a light truck driver. His company, as they were called, was then sent to Camp Phillips in Kansas. Here it was hot and dry. He became very tan, because of his Italian descent. Basic training was long. They were taught to ‘march’. This marching consisted of walking for long distances. After a bit they were then sent to Camp McCain in Mississippi. As far as training went here, he remembered all the mud and how humid the weather was. They did have many rules, and pay was little. He would send his mother home the little pay he received. This was called travel pay, which was $8.70. All the soldiers had to buy life insurance just in case anything happened to them. Food consisted of bread and a lot of potatoes. They had cigarettes available and sometimes could go to town for entertainment on a free weekend. When training, they also practiced at night. He remembered setting mine traps and digging the ‘fox’ holes or trenches. They were given a combat uniform and a formal uniform. The shower area was open. It looked like a hose strung across an area and many men could shower at once. They did have some free time and a lot of the men played cards (for money). When training, there were ‘range tests’. This was a type of rifle training. He used an M-1 and received an ASR score of 66 when tested. Orlando also remembered the intense training where they had to have tests. Requirements included marching 25 miles in 8 hours and 9 miles in 2 hours with full equipment (helmet, rifle, and backpack). They were the first regiment in the United States Army to qualify as an Expert Infantry Regiment. He was listed as experienced in M-1 rifle, a carbine (a type of rifle with a short barrel) expert, and expert in infantry combat. He made many friends in his company.

After basic training his company was sent to New York by train. They would leave New York to go to the war zone. The Red Cross was waiting at the ship with doughnuts and lemonade. They sailed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth, leaving the United States on August 6, 1944. The quarters were very close and hot. They arrived in England August 11, 1944. This was his first experience in a foreign country. In England they trained for many more months, conditioning, marching and range firing. From England, in total darkness, they sailed for somewhere in France. On September 8^th, they were dropped off on a beach in France. It was raining and there was a lot of mud. They had to march to get to their supplies. They did this mostly at night. After marching and being tired, they needed to rest. They made camp in pastures, since there was no housing. They set up camps with rows of tents for housing. Two years and two days after its activation the members of the 94^th Division began their first combat mission. Their leader was Major General Harry J. Malony. The division had low supplies and needed to fight 60,000 Germans over a 450-mile area. This was called the ‘forgotten front’. Their division finally got to St. Nazaire and controlled it by the end of December. It was very cold with a lot of snow and ice. January 9, 1945 the 94^th Division would begin its first mission in Germany. The Germans had set up a line at the border to protect Germany. This was called the Siegfried Switch Line. It was east of the Saar River. The 94^th Division caught the towns off guard. Orlando’s job was to drive the anti-tank truck. This is a light truck with a large gun on the back of it. The truck also carried supplies and ammunition. The weather made driving these trucks very hazardous and it was hard to get through the snow. Another division (the 302^nd) came into help with tankers. The tankers went first to help clear a path for the anti-tanks. On February 20, 1945 the 94^th and 302^nd divisions finally broke the line. There were many casualties during this time. Orlando lost his best friend, PFC Lawrence H. Dent. Being in the war on the front was very scary. While driving the truck through one village they thought was clear, a man stopped to talk to one of the Lieutenants. Little did they know he was a Nazi. There were more hiding. Orlando has very good hearing. He stopped also and was out of his truck by the Lieutenant. He remembered hearing something and then realized it was a grenade thrown at one of their trucks. He grabbed the Lieutenant out of the way just in time so they were not hurt. On March 15, 1945 his division started their 10-day drive to the Rhine River.

The company was demobilized after these battles. Orlando was sent home from Germany on December 13, 1945. After his tour of duty, Orlando did not stay in the military. He was discharged on December 24, 1945. The highest rank he received was Private First Class. He spent a total of 3 years, 1 month, and 7 days in the army. He was honored with a Good Conduct Medal, American Thr Ser Medal, EAME Thr Service Medal with four bronze stars, and a World War II Victory Medal.

His family was waiting for him when he came home. The first thing he needed to do was find a job. He worked a while at the post office and then the brickyard. He met his spouse, Antionette Pianelli, through friends. She had grown up close to Clearfield in a little town called Curwensville. They both decided they wanted to leave Pennsylvania. At that time the rubber industry was growing in Ohio. There were many job opportunities there. Orlando came to Akron and was hired as a machinist for Goodyear Aerospace. He married Antionette on October 27, 1951. They raised four daughters and helped take care of their five grandchildren. He loved his grandchildren. Orlando still kept his interest in cars and worked on them off and on. He also loved to fix things around the house. He belonged to the Knights of Columbus, URW union, and St. Matthew’s Parish. He retired from Goodyear in 1988 and lived in the same house in Akron, Ohio.