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Vincent Speranza

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Vincent Speranza
Speranza in 2015
Born (1925-03-23)March 23, 1925
Died August 2, 2023(2023-08-02) (aged 98)
Place of birth New York City, U.S.
Place of death Springfield, Illinois, U.S.
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service 1943–1946
Rank Private first class
Unit 501st Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars World War II
Spouse(s) Iva Leftwich (m. 1948–2017)

Vincent J. Speranza (March 23, 1925 – August 2, 2023) was an American private who served in the United States Army during World War II.

Early life[]

Speranza was born on March 23, 1925, son of Francesco and Francesca Speranza,[1] in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York.[2] He spent his childhood on Staten Island in a large and extended Italian family during the Great Depression. He had three brothers and four sisters. He graduated from high school in January 1943 and then enrolled at the City College of New York.

Military service[]

Speranza in the early 1940s

Speranza in the early 1940s

In 1943, after graduating from high school, Speranza enlisted in the United States Army.[3] He had tried to join at the age of 16, but had to wait until he was 18.[2] Speranza was sent to Camp Upton in New York City where he stayed until being sent to Fort Benning in Georgia where he trained for the infantry with the 87th Infantry Division, later volunteering for the Parachute Infantry, which he joined after completing a stint in Parachute School.[4][5]

Speranza was sent overseas with Company H, 3rd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division[6] from Camp Shanks on board the Queen Mary, landing in Scotland, later moving to England, Belgium and finally France.[7] His unit arrived in France and would later fight in the Battle of the Bulge.[8] Speranza's first engagement was during the Siege of Bastogne where he operated a machine gun from a foxhole in a forward position outside of the town. During the siege, he visited a wounded comrade at the field hospital set up in a local church, where his friend asked for a drink. Searching through the ruins of the town, he found a working beer tap and filled his helmet for lack of any other container. On delivering the beverage and returning for a second load, he was discovered by a medical officer and reprimanded.[3][9]

Speranza spent a total of 144 days in combat[7] and was discharged in January 1946.[9] His highest rank was Private first class.[10]

Life after the war[]

Speranza in 2020

Speranza in 2020

After the end of World War II, Speranza stayed in Allied-occupied France and Netherlands until December 1945,[11] and then returned to New York, where he became a teacher at Curtis High School.[7] For his service, he received a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and a Presidential Unit Citation.[12]

Speranza later married Iva in 1948 and they stayed together until his spouse's death in 2017.

As part of the 75th anniversary commemoration of Operation Market Garden in September 2019, Speranza was one of two veterans who participated in a parachute drop over North Brabant between Eerde and Schijndel.[13][14] During the 2021 Christmas period, Speranza was featured in an hour-long broadcast by the Overloon War Museum. This was one of a series of videos released by the museum while it was closed due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.[15]

In 2022, after participating in veteran events in Europe for 12 years, Speranza announced that he would no longer make the journey from the US to Europe, in order to preserve his health. The announcement came after he collapsed following a 28-hour journey home from Brussels to Springfield, Illinois.[16]

Personal life and death[]

Speranza in 2015

Speranza in 2015

Speranza married Iva Leftwich in 1948 and they had a son and two daughters.[17] He published a book named NUTS!: A 101st Airborne Division Machine Gunner at Bastogne[18] in 2014.[19]

Speranza died on August 2, 2023, at the Springfield Memorial Hospital, at the age of 98.[20][21][22]

Speranza has a beer and a limited-edition watch named after him.[23][24]

Awards and decorations[]

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Other notes Sources
2019 Libertas: 75th Anniversary of D-Day Himself [25]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.bramleyfh.com/obituary/Vincent-Speranza#:~:text=He%20was%20born%20in%20Manhattan,Speranza%20on%20March%2023%2C%201925.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Stone, Chris (September 24, 2022). "'You Could See Forever': WWII Veteran Parachutes to Coronado During Force-Con" (in en-US). https://timesofsandiego.com/military/2022/09/24/you-could-see-forever-wwii-veterans-parachute-to-coronado-during-force-con/. Retrieved January 12, 2023. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Burke, Matthew (November 23, 2013). "Former paratrooper recalls WWII incident that led to beer fame" (in en-US). https://www.stripes.com/news/former-paratrooper-recalls-wwii-incident-that-led-to-beer-fame-1.254178. Retrieved January 12, 2023. 
  4. ↑ Leprovost, Pierre-Maxime (June 2, 2022). "78e anniversaire du Débarquement. Le vétéran Vincent Speranza en visite pour le D-Day" (in fr). https://www.ouest-france.fr/d-day/78e-anniversaire-du-debarquement-le-veteran-vincent-speranza-en-visite-pour-le-d-day-d82d94ea-e24a-11ec-85b7-5019e6305619. Retrieved January 12, 2023. 
  5. ↑ Ameline, Ludovic (June 3, 2022). "78e anniversaire du Débarquement : Vince Speranza, vétéran superstar !" (in French). La Presse de la Manche. https://actu.fr/debarquement/78e-anniversaire-du-debarquement-vince-speranza-veteran-superstar_51407181.html. 
  6. ↑ Byrne, John (December 24, 2020). "Vince Speranza: Bastogne Legend". In Dooley, Kelly. VA News. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. https://news.va.gov/82747/vince-speranza-bastogne-legend/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Benanti, Carol Ann (November 9, 2017). "Decorated World War II veteran tells his 'buried' story after 65 years" (in en-US). https://www.silive.com/entertainment/2017/11/decorated_world_war_ii_veteran_tells_his_buried_story_after_65_years.html. Retrieved January 12, 2023. 
  8. ↑ U. S. Embassy in Belgium (December 5, 2022). "Eyewitness - Vincent Speranza" (in en-US). https://be.usembassy.gov/eyewitness-vincent-speranza/. Retrieved January 1, 2023. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Grisolia, Linda (January 16, 2023). "Army Private Vincent Speranza". Fra Noi. Fra Noi Inc.. https://franoi.com/profiles/army-private-vincent-speranza/. 
  10. ↑ "Vincent J. Speranza Collection". United States Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.98058/. 
  11. ↑ "Vincent Speranza". https://presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/Resources/2e3b0b00-2549-457c-a55d-b3f6dbf575df/Speranza_Vin_IMG.pdf. Retrieved January 3, 2023. 
  12. ↑ Bauzá, Margarita (February 25, 2021). "World War II veteran shares advice, humor and tale that led to late-life fame". https://news.nau.edu/speranza/. 
  13. ↑ Rietbergen, Kirsten (September 12, 2019). "En nóg een 90-plusser springt dinsdag boven Vlagheide uit vliegtuig" (in Dutch). Brabants Dagblad. 's-Hertogenbosch. https://www.bd.nl/uden-veghel-e-o/en-nog-een-90-plusser-springt-dinsdag-boven-vlagheide-uit-vliegtuig~a5d20073/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F. 
  14. ↑ Schoenmakers, Ilse (September 17, 2019). "[VIDEO Jim (98) en Vincent (94) maakten nog één parachutesprong, bekijk hier hoe dat ging"] (in Dutch). Omroep Brabant. https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/3069406/video-jim-98-en-vincent-94-maakten-nog-een-parachutesprong-bekijk-hier-hoe-dat-ging. 
  15. ↑ Janssen, Leon (December 25, 2021). "Oorlogsmuseum Overloon start digitale rondleidingen met Herman the Sherman" (in Dutch). De Limburger. Mediahuis. https://www.limburger.nl/cnt/dmf20211224_94274922. 
  16. ↑ "Débarquement. Apprécié dans le Cotentin, le vétéran Vince Speranza n'y reviendra plus" (in French). La Presse de la Manche. October 5, 2022. https://actu.fr/normandie/sainte-mere-eglise_50523/debarquement-apprecie-dans-le-cotentin-le-veteran-vince-speranza-n-y-reviendra-plus_54242091.html. 
  17. ↑ "Obituary for Iva Speranza" (in en). Bramley Funeral Home, Auburn, IL. https://www.bramleyfh.com/obituary/Iva-Speranza. Retrieved December 31, 2022. 
  18. ↑ Spearie, Steven (November 20, 2022). "Veterans Day events still on for Wednesday". The State Journal-Register. Springfield, Illinois: Gannett. https://eu.sj-r.com/story/lifestyle/things-to-do/2020/11/10/veterans-day-events-still-on-for-wednesday/114817920/. 
  19. ↑ Fuqua, Brad (November 12, 2021). "Philomath program features 96-year-old WWII veteran and his beer-in-the-helmet story". Philomath News. https://philomathnews.com/philomath-program-features-96-year-old-wwii-veteran-and-his-beer-in-the-helmet-story/. 
  20. ↑ "Bastogne : Vince Speranza, le héros de guerre décoré de la Légion d'honneur, est décédé" (in french). August 3, 2023. https://www.sudinfo.be/id693478/article/2023-08-03/bastogne-vince-speranza-le-heros-de-guerre-decore-de-la-legion-dhonneur-est. 
  21. ↑ "Débarquement. Bien connu dans la Manche, le vétéran Vince Speranza est décédé" (in french). August 3, 2023. https://actu.fr/societe/debarquement-bien-connu-dans-la-manche-le-veteran-vince-speranza-est-decede_59926592.html. 
  22. ↑ Steven Spearie (August 3, 2023). "Vincent Speranza, popular WWII veteran and hero, passes away at 98". https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/local/2023/08/03/auburn-iii-resident-vincent-speranza-fought-at-battle-of-the-bulge-dies/70519606007/. 
  23. ↑ "World War II Veteran Vincent Speranza and His Legendary Airborne Beer Story" (in en). November 16, 2020. https://www.coffeeordie.com/airborne-beer-vincent-speranza. Retrieved December 31, 2022. 
  24. ↑ Sampson, Matt (May 31, 2022). "Review: the Praesidus Vince Speranza is a unique tribute to the WWII A-11 field watch" (in en). https://taskandpurpose.com/gear/praesidus-vince-speranza-a-11-field-watch-review/. Retrieved January 12, 2023. 
  25. ↑ "Libertas 75th Anniversary of D-Day Normandy Jump 2019 Documentary". https://www.normandyjump2019.com/. 

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