Vincent Speranza
Vincent Speranza | |
|---|---|
 Speranza in 2015 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 25, 1925 Manhattan, New York, US |
| Spouse(s) | Iva Speranza (1925-2017) |
| Parents | Frank Speranza (1892-1964) Frances Speranza (1899-1970) |
Vincent "Vince" J. Speranza (born March 25, 1925) was an American private of Italian descent who served in the United States Army during World War II.[1][2][3][4]
Early life
Speranza was born on March 25, 1925, son of Frank Speranza and Frances Speranza in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. He spent his childhood on Staten Island in a large and extended Italian family during the Great Depression. He had three brothers and four sisters. He graduated from high school in January 1943 and then enrolled at the City College of New York.
Military service
In 1943, immediately after turning eighteen, Speranza went to the draft board. On October 25, 1943, he was drafted into the United States Army but only entered official service on November 15. He was sent to Camp Upton in New York where he stayed until being sent to Fort Benning in Georgia where he trained for the infantry with the 87th Infantry Division, later volunteering for the Parachute Infantry, which he joined after completing a stint in Parachute School.
He was sent overseas with Company H, 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division from Camp Shanks on board the Queen Mary, landing in Scotland later moving to England, Belgium and finally France.[5] His unit arrived in France and would later fight in the Battle of the Bulge.[6] Speranza spent a total of 144 days in combat.
Life after the war
After the end of World War II, Speranza stayed in Allied-occupied France and Netherlands until December 1945,[7] and then returned to New York, where he became a teacher at Curtis High School. For his service, he received two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and other medals of distinction.[8]
Personal life
Speranza married Iva Leftwich in 1948 and they had a son and two daughters. He published a book named NUTS!: A 101st Airborne Division Machine Gunner at Bastogne in 2014. His wife died on March 6, 2017.[9]
He has a beer named after him,[10] and also two limited edition clocks,[11][12] sharing one of them with World War II veteran Tom Rice.
Speranza is a dad of three, grandfather of nine and great-grandfather of five, and lives by his words "Fai sempre cose buone" (Always do good things).[13][1]
Awards and decorations
- American Campaign Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- Bronze Star Medal (2x)
- Combat Infantryman Badge
- European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with 2 campaign stars)
- French Croix de Guerre
- Fourragère
- Honorary Medal in Bronze, municipality of Gerwen en Nederwetten
- Honorary Medal in Bronze, municipality of Nuenen
- Legion of Honour
- Parachutist Badge
- Presidential Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster
- Purple Heart (2x)
- World War II Victory Medal
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Who is Vince Speranza?". praesidus.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- ↑ "Vincent Speranza in the 1940 Census". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ↑ "An Army veteran didn't know his epic beer run was World War II legend for 65 years". We Are The Mighty. 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ↑ U. S. Embassy in Belgium (2022-12-05). "Eyewitness - Vincent Speranza". U.S. Embassy in Belgium. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
- ↑ "The 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment". The 101st Airborne.
- ↑ Wantroba, Matthew (December 20, 2022). "78th Anniversary of the Siege of Bastogne". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
- ↑ "Vincent Speranza" (PDF). Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ↑ Bauzá, Margarita (February 25, 2021). "World War II veteran shares advice, humor and tale that led to late-life fame". The NAU Review.
- ↑ "Obituary for Iva Speranza". Bramley Funeral Home, Auburn, IL. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
- ↑ "World War II Veteran Vincent Speranza and His Legendary Airborne Beer Story". Coffee or Die. 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
- ↑ Commemorative Airforce UK. "Vincent Speranza Watch". Retrieved 2022-12-31.
- ↑ "Vince Speranza". Praesidus. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
- ↑ "Vincent J Speranza". PURPLE FOXES UNITED. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
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