“Ranger Platoon” of the 351st Regiment

There are also some articles about Decker in the Manhattan, Kansas papers which refer to him as a patrol leader. One article documents him at San Giovanni where he captured a Czech officer and took the whole regiment for surrender at the end of May, 1945.

Good luck.

I hope you ordered the MEDITERRANEAN Stars and Stripes.

Inky, I was unable to get copies of Stars and Stripes from Jan 30th and April 2nd, 1945 on EBay. Is there another source I can try?

Thank, Sal Calabro

Thanks again for the newspaper website. To answer your question: Vincent Amoroso was my Uncle. After the war he worked as a bread baker. I became close to him while working for him as a helper on his bread delivery truck delivering loaves of Italian bread house to house, when I was about 9 years old. He quickly became my idol. I knew he was a sergeant in the 88th Division, but nothing else about his military history. He answered all my specific questions about the war with vague generalities that never included any of his personal experiences. He never initiated the topic of war. He just tried to satisfy the curiosity of a 9 year old. He was a man who was loved by all for his omnipresent smile and positive attitude. He had incredible energy. Once during a conversation about physical fitness, he dropped to the floor and did 50 perfect pushups. I did 2. He was very smart and very hard working. Through the years he built the bakery from a small neighborhood business into a regional distributor of Italian bake goods which today supplies supermarkets in 38 states. During my high school days he gave me a job working nights in the bakery so that I could save for college. I went on to complete college and medical school. He served as President of the 88th Division Veterans Association 1964-1965. He passed away from a heart attack in 1965. I am retired now. Often, in my reverie I think of the very few people who have had the greatest effect on my life. He always comes to mind. I decided to try to research exactly what he did during WWII. I was astounded to find out that he was part of an all volunteer group of aggressive, superbly fit men who wanted to be first in battle. They called themselves Rangers. There were 44 of them commanded by 1st Lieutenant Ralph Decker, who was himself himself an intrepid warrior. They were formed after the liberation of Verona. They received special training in ranger tactics. They were kept off the front line until they were needed for special missions. Their missions could have lasted for hours or days. Once my Uncle was reported missing in action. Our entire family was crushed. About 2 weeks after the telegram arrived, a family friend living in New York City telephoned us to say he read a report in one of the local papers about men missing behind German lines for weeks finally were able to fight their way back to their main unit in Italy. My uncle’s name was among those listed. So you can see why he was my boyhood hero. I am surprised how precious little is known about the Rangers of the 351st. It seems that some military actions by the Rangers were credited to the 351st without specific mention of this elite unit. Many records of combat action reports were burned during a fire in the building where they were kept after the war. As a student of WWII History, I find that the war in Italy was, to a great extent, overlooked by the chroniclers. They concentrated on the epic Normandy invasion and its significance and somewhat overlooked the Italian campaign. I thank you for your interest.

You are right about the Italian Campaign. That is a wonderful story about your uncle. I am sorry to say that these articles do not mention him by name, so they may not be what you are looking for. Also, I understand you contacted the admin at the 351st site and he was able to help you. That is the best source for the 351st. Best wishes with your research!

I am searching for the roster/muster roll of the 88th, 351st Infantry in Italy. I have searched through the Delaney book (Blue Devils in Italy: A History of the 88th Infantry Division in WWII) but did not see him listed as receiving the Purple Heart (Sept 29, 1944) or the Bronze Star. Where can I find an accurate muster roll?