TSGT Edmund L. Okoniewski

courtesy of Ralph Henderson

TSGT Edmund L. Okoniewski was born 20 Nov 1919, probably in Burrillville, Rhode Island. He was the 3rd of 4 children born to Ludwik Marion "Louis" and Mary (Madej) Okoniewski. Both parents were Polish Catholics who had immigrated in 1904. His father worked as a weaver in a local mill for decades. With a reported 1939 income of $880, he had managed to buy the family a home at 63 Main Street in Burrillville which was valued at $1000 in 1940. Edmund was able to graduate from high school.

When Edmund was drafted in February 1942 he was working in a bottling or canning plant. He was probably in England and assigned to E Company 116th Infantry by the beginning of 1943. Once assigned to the unit he would have begun training for the amphibious landing that was planned as part of the liberation of occupied France. He was likely a more competent than average soldier as he was promoted to SGT by the time of the landings on 6 Jun 1944. He was promoted to SSG on 20 Jun 1944. On 13 Jul 1944 he was wounded by shrapnel in the right foot but remained on duty. On 27 Jul 1944 he was again promoted, this time to TSGT. TSGT Okoniewski was killed in action on 5 Aug 1944.

TSGT Okoniewski was repatriated in 1948 and re-interred in the Polish Catholic National Cemetery in Blackstone, Massachusetts where he will rest forever with his family.