- My Father, Leo MaLossi was born January
29 1923 in Pittsfield Massachusetts. Soon after
- birth his family
moved to Albany New York, where he grew up. Like many born during the
- 1920s he was profoundly affected by growing up during the Depression years. A studious
- young man, he realized early on that getting a good education was the key to improving his
- future. He was an engineering student at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute when
World War II
- broke out. At R.P.I. he excelled at
scholastics and boxing (winning a University gold medal).
- The story
goes that he was so good at boxing, that other students
hesitated to join the team,
- not wanting to fight him. He enlisted in
the U.S. Army on December 14, 1942, a week after
- Pearl Harbor. He continued his studies until he was called into
service May 26, 1943 at
- Camp Upton, NY.
-
- Assigned to
the 103 Division, 411th Regiment, 2nd
Battalion, Company G as an infantry
- rifleman, he departed for the
European Theatre of Operations October 6, 1944. He landed
- in
Marseille, France with the 103d. Speaking both French and Italian, he was often called
- upon
to translate with locals for other GIs. He also was favored as a
company boxer. He
- became very close friends with BARman Allen
Thurman Jr. whom he described a really big
- Iowa boy. While some found him a bit surly, my Father
enjoyed a great friendship with him.
- They fought together through France, on the drive though the Vosages Mountains, and were
- together on the climb to Climbach. On
December 19th while assaulting German positions on
- the
high ground outer defenses of the Siegfried Line together, Allen was
killed in action.
- Minutes later my Father suffered a disabling
gunshot wound to his left arm, putting him out
- of action. Tucking
his mangled arm into his battle jacket, he was able to make it
to a German
- bunker occupied by fellow GIs where he was tended to by
a company medic and evacuated
- to an aid station. He mourned the loss
of his friend Allen even to his old age.
-
- Upon
returning to the USA, he went through rehabilitation to learn how to
use his right
- arm as he was a lefty before the war. Given a choice of rehab
projects, he chose to make a
- ring out of a 50 cent piece which he
gave to his brother Aldo. It exhibits the perfect form of
- an
engineer’s talent. Just before his death, my Uncle Aldo passed the
ring on to me. It is now
- one of my most cherished
possessions.
-
- Returning to civilian life, my Father
finished his Engineering degree at RPI. He was
- married to my Mother, Dolores Lockett of Montreal in 1951
and attended and graduated from
- George Washington law school. He
became a successful Patent Attorney, winning
a landmark
- Supreme Court case in June 1980 granting the “right to
patent life”, which became the legal
- foundation of bioengineering.
-
-
While his disabled arm
kept him from engaging in many of life’s activities like golf or
-
playing a musical instrument, he enjoyed a talent for singing. He was a
wonderful vocalist
-
performing with a well known local big band. His
other love was of his family. Married for
-
58 years, his
wife and children have always been his greatest joy.
-
While
suffering a hospitalized illness in January 2009, I began looking
into his military
-
service. Discovering that he never received his due Bronze Star, I
contacted the US Army
-
and in May of 2009 he was finally awarded his Bronze Star in a
ceremony by our NY State
-
Senator Hugh Farley. In September 2009 he suffered a stroke and now
resides in a nursing
-
home in Albany. His care, paid for up front in blood 65 years ago,
is being given by the
-
Veteran’s Administration. My Father never discussed his WWII
experiences with his family.
-
I will forever be disappointed that I did not press him sooner for
his WWII experiences,
-
perhaps returning with him to the Siegfried Line and visiting his
friend Allen Thurman’s
-
grave at
Neupre Cemetery. When he passes, he will be buried with Military
Honors at
-
Saratoga National Cemetery. I am indeed fortunate that I don’t have
to look any further than
-
my Father for my hero in life
|
