SHREWSBURY – They were part of the “Greatest Generation,” born in the early years of the 20th century. Most (if not all) of them were born and grew up right in Shrewsbury. When World War II loomed, many joined the service, many others were drafted.
We can only imagine the huge impact on the small town that Shrewsbury was at the time. The town’s population in 1940 was 7,586—by 1945, almost 600 residents of town had entered the service, including 48 women. This same percentage of the town’s population today would involve 3000 residents serving in the military. Many families had several members in the military—many had two or three sons serving. In fact, the Michalak family, who lived on Sterling Street, for a time held the record in the entire country for the number of sons serving in the military—seven!
Shrewsbury’s members of the military served across the globe, from North Africa and Europe to the Middle East, the Pacific and Indian Ocean. They endured combat and brutal weather conditions, wounds and injuries. Twelve died overseas with three others dying in non-war zones. We can only imagine the anguish of their families—such as the Wysocki family, who lived on Plainfield Avenue, who were notified of Sgt. Edward Wysocki’s death as they were sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner in November 1944. Several were highly decorated—Sgts. Paul “Whitey” Garganigo and Ralph Kershaw earned the Silver Star Medal for bravery in action, among others. Others endured being captured by the enemy—Pvt. Joseph Mazzari was the first, captured in North Africa in 1943. Sgt. Joseph Leone, who was captured in Italy in 1944, ended up in the same POW camp as Mazzari—ironically, they had grown up together.
When the war ended, the veterans returned home. Many of them stayed living in town for the rest of their lives. They seem to not have talked much of their wartime experiences until their later years, and then only briefly here and there. Several lived as neighbors, including Melbourne Crouse and Marion (Kershaw) Colonies (who enlisted with her lifelong friend Marjorie (Dumas) Hopewell), both of whom were among the last surviving Shrewsbury World War II veterans.
Today, it appears that all of the original 575 Shrewsbury residents that served our country during World War II have passed on. In recognition of their service and sacrifices, let’s offer all of them one final salute. Thank you all for protecting our freedom and way of life.
