PFC John Edward Wise

PFC John Edward Wise was born 4 Nov 1917 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the eldest of the 7 children born to John Sauers and Helen Ann (Bader) Wise. His father worked as an electrician to support the family and rented homes at 328 38th Street and  970 Washington Boulevard in Pittsburgh. The family suffered a tragedy when younger brother Roy died in July 1925 of spina bifida after living less than a month. His father was able to own his own business, Wise Electric Service, and in 1940 the younger John was working for his father in that business.

John was drafted in May of 1942 and was sent to England in September of that year. He may have already been assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company 3rd Battalion 116th Infantry at that time but he certainly was soon after arriving in England. He then trained with the regiment for the planned invasion of occupied France including the amphibious operation that was to be a part of that effort to liberate the country from Nazi occupation. PFC Wise was killed in action on 6 Jun 1944 while participating in that amphibious assault. 

PFC Wise was repatriated and re-interred in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

As noted in the newspaper article shown here, his brother, S1c Robert Albert Wise was killed in action on 7 Oct 1943 in the Solomon Islands while serving aboard the USS Chevalier (DD451). Father, John Sauers Wise served as a PFC at Fort Monroe, Virginia during WW1.