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Coniglio, James J. (802nd)

James-J.-Coniglio-1James J. Coniglio

Biography:  James J. Coniglio was born in 1920 in Brooklyn, New York,, the son of immigrant parents.  In 1938 he graduated high school and joined the Army National Guard.

Service Time:  When the National Guard was federalized in 1939, James was inducted into the United States Army.  He was stationed at Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in Company A, 802nd tank destroyer battalion.  He was one of the youngest sergeants in the army at the time.  His duties included training young recruits.

In May 1944 he and his battalion were sent to England to prepare for the invasion of Europe.  Six days after D-Day he entered the European Theater at Normandy where he saw his first action.  He was awarded the Bronze Star and given a field commission to the rank of 2nd lieutenant.
 
James returned home to Merrick, Long Island, NY, where he pursued a career as a draftsman.  In 1949 he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he met Theresa, they were married in 1950 and raised seven children.  They made their home in the San Fernando Valley and were active members of St. Charles Catholic Church.
In 1997 James was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease which slowly took his life away.  He passed away in January 2009.

James’ son, John, produced an incredible video tribute to the life of his father which can be found on YouTube.  The following are links to the two sections of the video.

James Coniglio – Part 1

James Coniglio – Part 2

I want to thank John for providing this information and photo.