Can Someone Help Me Find Information on My Grandfather Angelo Durante for WWII Family Scrapbook?

Hi Everyone! My name is Christian Durante. I am the grandson of my own Hero Grandpa, Private Angelo J. Durante. I am assembling a World War II Scrapbook of my Grandfather's Experiences during World War II. NARA recently sent me two pages of information that didn't contain much information.

I was wondering if someone can help find some information of my grandfather experiences in the 180th Infantry. They sent me a AG 210.5 Form from the Headquarters of the 180th Infantry. It says the following:

Headquarters of the 180th Infantry
Office of the Regimental Commander
APO 45 Postmaster
New York, New York

July 25th, 1943,

Subject: Award of the Purple Heart
To: Individuals Concerned

They list 11 people concerned: My Grandfather is listed as follows:

Pvt. Angelo J. Durante, 32197612, Company "B", 180th Infantry, for wounds received in action near Biscari, Sicily, 17th of July 1943. (Medal No. 214200). Purple Heart with Oak Leave Cluster

Can someone search the After-Action Reports or 180th Archives and see if my Grandfather is mentioned. I am looking to collect any WWII Paperwork on him for the family scrapbook.

I followed his footsteps and joined public service. I am serving my country as Federal Employee in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and volunteer as U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Grandpa Angelo Durante Enlisted in the U.S. Army on February 4th, 1942 in Camp Upton Yaphank, New York.
He was honorably discharged on September 27th, 1945. His separation center was Fort Dix, New Jersey.
His last rank and grade and unit was Technician, Fifth Grade. 3485 Ordinance Company.

His Battles and Campaigns on his Honorable Discharge was the following: North Apennines, Naples-Foggia, Sicily, Rome-Arne.

My questions:

1. Can anyone find some photos or information on him in any books or websites that you come across?

2. What is a Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster? He received 2 Purple Hearts. Both have 3 stars on them.

3. What did the 3485 Ordinance Company do during WWII?

4.He also got wounded in October 1943 in Italy. I have no paperwork on that.

5. I have a award certificate saying he completed training as a Infantryman of a Heavy Weapons Company during the period of February 13th, 1942, to May 16th, 1942, at the Infantry Replacement Center Training Center at Camp Croft, South Carolina. It says his training unit was Co. D, 30th Infantry Training Battalion. What is this training and company about? What was Camp Croft?

6. Grandpa Angelo Durante also Earned the Bronze Star Medal during the Naples Foggia Campaign. I really want to know what he specifically or generally did to earn the medal. Would the After-Action Report List That? Can someone find the Medal Justification.

Any help is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Christian Durante

I can provide my private email if anyone finds anything during their research. Please see attachments for more information.

 

Hi Christian,

You are unlikely to find mention by name of any soldier in an After Action Report but possibly in the postwar published Regimental History. A better place to search are the Company Morning Reports, which actually tracked what happened to personnel. Geoff Gentilini at Golden Arrow Research is your best bet. https://www.goldenarrowresearch.com

2. The Army uses the Oak Leaf Cluster (OLC) to designate second awards of medals. Your Granddad was wounded twice, on 17 July 1943 in Sicily and then again on 13 October 1943 on the Italian mainland. However, he may have received two medals, one possibly postwar. His Bronze Star Certificate was issued in 1961, which means he was actively pursuing information from the Army on his eligibility for awards. Anyway, postwar when the Army processed such queries from vets they often issued a second medal in case the vet lost the original, which was common. The stars on his Purple Hearts are odd though. There should only be an OLC, the Navy and Marine Corps used stars for second awards, not the Army.

3. The 3485th Ordnance (not Ordinance that is something very different) Company was a Medium Automotive Maintenance Company, which title should be self-explanatory. I suspect at some point he was reassigned from the Infantry to Ordnance, apparently as a Clerk. That may have been at the end of the war and was simply the organization he was assigned to for his return to the US. Again, you would have to do a search of the Morning Reports to find out exactly when.

4. It is on his discharge. It is why he received the OLC.

5. Camp Croft, near Spartanburg, SC, which is only a State Park now. It was an Infantry Replacement Training Center. It is where he was trained as an Infantryman, originally in infantry heavy weapons (mortars and machine guns).

6. Since no Bronze Star appears on his discharge certificate, that was probably an automatic issue retroactively since he was a Combat Infantryman with a CIB award. It is possible an individual award was made at the time but since no issue is noted and no General Orders number is given on his discharge I would tend to doubt it.

Hope that helps!

 

Hi Richard!!!!! Thank you so much for this information. I printed your reply for my WWII Grandpa Angelo Durante Hero Scrapbook for the Family. I been in contact with Geoff and hired him to do some research with my Grandpa Angelo. I am just so excited to learn more and can't wait to see what Geoff finds. But all this supplemental information that you provided will help put the research into context.

The 3485th repaired Military Vehicles?

oh man, it would be cool to search Camp Croft Military records for him. Maybe Geoff is doing that now. I wonder how many GI's went through that camp during the
war?

What is a CIB Award?

It did help a lot! The Bronze Star has his name on the back and the certificate as well. His Purple Hearts as well.

Christian Durante

 

CIB=Combat Infantryman Badge

On 27 October 1943, the War Department formally established the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) and the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB) awards in Section I, War Department Circular 269:

"The present war has demonstrated the importance of highly-proficient, tough, hard, and aggressive infantry, which can be obtained only by developing a high degree of individual all-around proficiency on the part of every infantryman. As a means of attaining the high standards desired and to foster esprit de corps in infantry units; the Expert Infantryman and the Combat Infantryman badges are established for infantry personnel."

 

Thanks, Colonel, for the clarification. It says from NARA that Grandpa Angelo received the CIB with Rifle and Machine Gun Bars. Would their be a record or award issuance for that?

 

There aren't any bars for a CIB, but there are marksmanship qualifications which would include bars for rifle and machine gun.

 

My apologies. Thats what I meant lol

 

Hi Christian, I also found his admission record for the July wound. He was admitted and discharged in July. Diagnosis: Wound, lacerated; Qualifying Term: Right; Location: Toe; Causative Agent: Bullet (other) (code possibly also means bullet, shotgun); Diagnosis: Wound(s), Lacerated; Causative Agent: Bullet. No other admission records so probably just the two wounds.

 

Thank you!

 

I ended up ordering the CIB and Marksman Badge that the NARA said he was entitled too.