Frank Perconte
| Frank Perconte | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Perco |
| Born |
March 10, 1917 Joliet, Illinois |
| Died |
October 24, 2013 (aged 96) Joliet, Illinois |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942-1945 |
| Rank |
 Technician 4th Grade |
| Unit | Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| Spouse(s) | Evelyn Welch (1942-2003; her death) |
| Relations | Jack Perconte (nephew) |
| Other work | Postman |
Technician Fourth Grade Frank J. Perconte (March 10, 1917 – October 24, 2013)[2][3] was a non-commissioned officer during World War II with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army. He was portrayed by James Madio in the HBO/BBC miniseries Band of Brothers.
Youth
Perconte was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois. His parents were Joseph Perconte, who died in 1929, and Mary Carbone.[2] He was raised Catholic and attended parochial schools.[2] He graduated Joliet Central High School in 1935.[2] During the Great Depression, he and some of his friends moved to Gary, Indiana and worked in a steel mill.[2] He enlisted on August 17, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois[4] with childhood friend Herman Hanson. Perconte and Hanson, along with Wayne Sisk and Carwood Lipton, were the first four soldiers assigned to Easy Company
Military service
Perconte was a non-commissioned officer in 1st Platoon. In 1942, while on leave from Toccoa, he married Evelyn and had a son named Richard.[5] He participated in the division's airborne assault on France on D-Day, and saw action during Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. On Easy's assault on the town of Foy on January 13, 1945, he was shot in the thigh by a German sniper.[6] Frank was out for a couple of days before re-joining Easy at the town of Haguenau.
In late April 1945, Perconte along with Denver ("Bull") Randleman, and a few others were patrolling an area outside of Company E's headquarters, and along the way they discovered the Kaufering concentration camp in Landsberg, Germany.[7][8] Perconte ran back to headquarters and alerted Major Richard Winters.[7][8] Perconte and Winters were joined by the rest of Easy company on the trip back to the camp.[7][8]
Later years
Perconte was demobilized earlier than most of his counterparts as he was married and had a child.[9] He returned home to his family in Joliet and worked as a postman. His nephew, Jack Perconte, played major league baseball during the 1980s with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago White Sox.[2]
Perconte was one of 20 contributors to the 2009 book We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers, published by Penguin / Berkley-Caliber. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living member of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion 506 PIR. He died on October 24, 2013 and is survived by his son Richard and two grandchildren.[10]
Awards and decorations
 |
Combat Infantryman Badge |
 |
Parachutist Badge with two stars |
 |
Marksmanship Badge with Submachine gun and Pistol |
 |
Five Overseas Service Bars (two and a half years overseas) |
 |
Honorable Service Lapel Pin |
|
Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster |
 |
Purple Heart |
 |
Army Good Conduct Medal |
|
Presidential Unit Citation with two oak leaf clusters (Normandy & Bastogne) |
 |
American Campaign Medal |
 
|
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four campaign stars and one arrowhead device |
 |
World War II Victory Medal |
 |
Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp |
 |
Croix de Guerre with bronze palm leaf |
 |
French Liberation Medal |
- Commemorative awards
- Commemorative D-Day Medal (60th Anniversary)
- Commemorative D-Day Medal (50th Anniversary)
- Commemorative Battle of the Bulge Medal
- Commemorative French D-Day Medal
- Combat Service Commemorative Medal
- Austrian Liberation 50th Anniversary Medal
- Victory in Europe Commemorative Medal
- Commemorative World War II Medal
See also
References
- ↑ DeAngelis, Frank. "Perconte's shadowbox". Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brotherton, pp. 8–9.
- ↑ "Frank Perconte Obituary". The Herald-News. October 25, 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
- ↑ WWII Army Enlistment Records: on-line NARA Archival Database
- ↑ Bio of Perconte
- ↑ Mini bio on Perconte on The Battle of Normandy website
- 1 2 3 Ambrose, pp. 262–263.
- 1 2 3 Winters, p. 214.
- ↑ "Memorial Day visit with Joliet's Frank Perconte, the oldest living member of the Band of Brothers". ChicagoNow.com. May 28, 2012.
- ↑ "Joliet man was among 'band of brothers'". Chicago Tribune. October 26, 2013.
Bibliography
- Brotherton, Marcus (2009). We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from The Band of Brothers. Berkley Caliber. ISBN 0-7434-6411-7.
- Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6.
- Winters, Richard D., with Cole C. Kingseed (2006). Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-425-20813-3.