Primo F. Guardiani

Lt. Primo Guardiani attended basic training at Fort Wheeler Georgia and and then went to Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. After graduating OCS as a 2nd Lt., he was assigned to the 84th Infantry Division, the Rail Splitters. He was stationed in Camp Houze, Texas. In September 1943 Lt. Guardiani was promoted to 1st Lt. with a transfer to Europe in December 1943 joining the 28th Infantry Division. In May 1944 he was transferred to the 2nd Infantry Division, 23rd Infantry Regiment Company A as part of the 20% increase for units participating in D-Day. Lt. Guardiani was reported as KIA on July 12th 1944, immediately after liberating St. Georges-d'Elle. The family received minimal details regarding his death as was typical for men killed in high attrition units in Normandy.  The family was notified only that he was KIA near St Lo.

Primo was a two sport Highschool star athlete in both Baseball and Basketball in the Hershey, Pennsylvania area. He worked as an auto mechanic prior to enlistment. Primo originally volunteered in the Pennsylvania State Guard, 213th Air Defense Artillery Regiment when he was 18. Primo was the ""man"" of the household after his father died in 1932. His mother, Elisa raised a son and a daughter in the middle of the Great Depression. Being the only male in the household, the military categorized Primo as a hardship case and did not allow his enlistment before the age of 21 without his mother's permission when his national guard unit was federalized in 1940. Primo enlisted after his 21st birthday in 1941.  The local men of the 213th Air Defense Artillery Regiment all returned home to the Hershey Pennsylvania area safely from WW2. Primo's mother never forgave herself for not allowing him to enlist with his fellow guardsmen. Primo was engaged to be married to Mary Carmen Giovannetti in 1943, prior to leaving for Europe.