4th Infantry Division Veterans

Robert A. Pizzano
Corporal, 4th Infantry Division
22nd Infantry Regiment
Company G

Cpl Robert Pizzano in 1944

Robert Pizzano was born in 1924 in Revere, Massachusetts. He graduated from Revere High School in 1922 and was attending Kents Hill Prep School when he was drafted.

Mr. Pizzano attended basic training at Camp Lee, Virginia in 1943. He was shipped out overseas on February 12, 1944, leaving from Boston, Massachusetts, destination Liverpool, England.

As part of the Quartermaster Corp headquartered in Cheltenham, England, he served as a messenger and often delivered Confidential papers between various headquarters. Some of those papers were occasionally marked "Operation Overlord".

In August of 1944, he brought a jeep from Cheltenham across the channel to Utah Beach to the new Quartermaster Headquarters in Normandy, France. In September of that year, the Quartermaster Headquarters were to Paris.

December 1944 brought the Battle of the Bulge and great losses to our troops. Robert received his corporal stripes just before Christmas that year and then transferred to the Infantry in January 1945. He trained in central France. Upon completion of his training, he joined the 4th Infantry Division in Frankfurt, Germany in April of 1945. Assigned as the bazooka man, he moved through Bad Mergentheim, Niederstetten, Obereichenrot, and several other small hamlets and towns. Around the 16th of April 1945, Robert came down with a fever of 103 degrees and was sent to battalion aid to get checked out. He was sent back to a makeshift field hospital and eventually evacuated back to Cherbourg France to recover.

Once recovered, CPL Pizzano was returning to action as a replacement soldier when the war in Europe ended. Robert was then assigned to be a member of the 25th Staging Battalion set-up outside of Marseille, France. This was a staging depot for troops and equipment to be sent to the war in the Pacific until August of 1945. After that time, it became a staging location for troops and equipment to be sent home. CPL Pizzano left on the last victory ship that sailed from Marseille headed to the states and he landed in New York on February 10, 1946. Robert was discharged from the Army as a member of the 4th Infantry Division.

Mr. Pizzano in 2006

Jack Blickenderfer
Private First Class, 4th Infantry Division
12th Regiment

PFC Blickenderfer during basic training with the 69th Division

Jack Blickenderfer was originally drafted and went through basic training with his brother. He was originally assigned to the 69th Division. He left from Europe from Boston, Massachusetts on D-day, June 6th 1944. Jack was first sent to England then went on to France.

PFC Blickenderfer arrived on Utah Beach in July of 1944. Jack and his brother were then assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, 12th infantry Regiment as replacement soldiers. Jack and his brother were sent to an R&R platoon.

PFC Blickenderfer's job was to scout enemy and enemy positions without being detected.

One story he tells is of traveling down the road in a jeep when the enemy opened up machine gun fire ahead of him. His driver veered the jeep off the road and into a ditch to avoid the gun fire. Jack was ejected from the jeep falling head first about twenty feet. Miraculously, he walked away from the accident unharmed.

Jack fought all the way until the end of the war, including during the Battle of the Bulge, sharing a fox hole with his brother on most nights.

Jack was never wounded.

Jack Blickenderfer at the Mount Joy parade in May of 2011

Although blurry, this is truly an endearing photograph of PFC Blickenderfer in 1943

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