PVT Joseph H. Sawicki

courtesy of Ronzoni

PVT Joseph H. Sawicki was born 21 Feb 1910 in Brooklyn, New York. He was the 8th of the 9 children born to Anthony and Marianne (Załucka) Sawicki. Both parents were natives of Poland.  His father worked as a tailor and had been born in Olszany, Gmina Strzegom, Świdnica, Voivodeship, Poland. His mother was born in Borki Nizinskie, Mielec, Podkarpackie, Poland. The couple had married after immigration.The family lived at 357 South 4th Street then for many years at 169 Johnson Avenue before finally moving to 445 Ridgewood Avenue. Joseph married Josephine Rachwalski on 24 Sep 1938 and the couple went to live at 109 North 8th Street, also in Brooklyn, which they rented for $24 a month. Joseph was working for a coal company and Josephine was working in a woman's undergarment factory. The couple reported a 1939 income of $2160. They had their only child, a son, born in 1942.

Joseph was drafted in December 1943. After his basic military training he was sent to the European theater. PVT Sawicki was transferred from the replacement depot to B Company 116th Infantry on 25 Oct 1944 to served as a rifleman. He was killed in action on 17 Nov 1944 in the vicinity of Baesweiler, Germany.

PVT Sawicki was repatriated in 1948 and he was re-interred in the Long Island National Cemetery in East Farmingdale, New York.

Joseph's older brother, Henry Joseph Sawicki, served as a CPL during the first World War. Josephine lived for many years at 109 North 8th Street and eventually remarried. As we write this his son is still living and has retired after teaching English for 33-years at the Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, New York.