Anthony Bizzaro

Anthony "Tony" Bizzaro was born in Bradford, McKean County, Pennsylvania on May 18, 1921.
He was drafted into the Army on August 21, 1942 at Erie, Pennsylvania. His home of residence was
listed as McKean County, Pennsylvania and his civilian occupation was listed as Pressmen and Plate Printers, Printing.
He had completed four years of High School and was married. In 1938 he was the manager for the Bradford High
football team.

Bizzaro served as an enlisted man in the Army for not quite one year. In April of 1943 he was discharged
and given a temporary commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve Corps (AUS).
Within the next five years he would be promoted to 1st Lieutenant, Captain and Major.

Lt. Tony Bizzaro participated in the D-Day landings on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944.

Bizzaro was attached to Colonel Charles Lanham's 22nd Infantry Regimental Staff during Operation Cobra,
the breakout from Normandy in July 1944. Bizzaro was all over the battlefield during the operation, as Lanham
sent him back and forth from headquarters to the front lines and back again, in order to have an on the spot
officer who could communicate face to face with Lanham and his Battalion commanders and with the headquarters
of Brigadier General Maurice Rose's Combat Command A, to which the 22nd Infantry was attached for the breakout.

Daily Action Journal of the 22nd Infantry for July 30-31, 1944. The first entry shows a message from LT Tony Bizzaro to LTC John Ruggles,
the Executive Officer of the 22nd, at 10:30 p.m. indicating that Bizzaro has established a liaison with Combat Command A but he has pulled off
the road and stopped advancing while the Combat Command has continued to move forward. A further entry at 9:00 a.m. the next morning
from Ruggles to Bizarro instructs Bizzaro to join another Lieutenant at Combat Command A and establish a liaison between the Combat Command
and the 22nd Infantry Regiment (code named "Caisson".)

When his Company Commander was wounded during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest in November-December 1944,
Bizzaro, as a 1st Lieutenant, assumed command of the Company. He was in command of the Company during the intense action
the Company saw on November 27 when PFC Macario Garica of the Company earned the Medal of Honor.

As a Captain commanding Company B Tony Bizzaro was wounded in action on March 1, 1945
during actions involved in the crossing of the Prüm river. This was the third time he was wounded
during the war.

Tony Bizzaro spent three years (1945-1948) in hospitals recovering from the wounds he experienced during the war.
He was discharged from the Army as a Major and a highly decorated veteran in 1948.

Note: The award of this first Silver Star Medal to Tony Bizzaro is authorized in
General Orders: Headquarters, 4th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 31 (April 5, 1945)

From The Bradford Era newspaper Bradford, Pennsylvania January 4, 1946 page 11.

This article describes the action for which Bizzaro earned his 2nd Silver Star Medal.

Decorations for Anthony Bizzaro
which could be confirmed by
the 1st Battalion website

Combat Infantryman Badge

Silver Star Medal with oak leaf cluster,
Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart Medal
with 2 oak leaf clusters, American
Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern
Campaign Medal with arrowhead and 4 bronze
service stars, World War II Victory Medal

Presidential Unit Citation with oak leaf cluster

Belgian Fourragere

Death: Jul. 5, 2008
Bradford
McKean County
Pennsylvania, USA

Anthony "Tony" Bizzaro, 87, of Bradford, was a son of the late Anthony and Mary Ann (Amangeo) Bizzaro. On April 18, 1942
in Salamanca, NY he married Mary Jane (Kyler) Bizzaro who survives.
A graduate of Bradford High School, Mr. Bizzaro entered the US ARMY in August of 1942, and was commissioned in 1943.
He served with the Fourth Infantry Division as a platoon leader, company comander, and battalion comander. The many battles he served in
included the D-Day Invasion, The Battle of the Bulge and The Hurtgen Forest. He was awarded the Silver Star with one cluster, the Bronze Star,
Purple Heart with two clusters, the European Theater of Operations Ribbon with four battle stars, Presidential Citation with one cluster and the
Belgian Fourregare. He spent the last three years of service in the hospital recovering from his wounds and retired as a Major.
He had been employed as a Superintendent at Owens Illinois, now Georgia Pacific, for 44 years, retiring in 1985.
He was a member of LaStella Lodge, Knights of Columbus, Retired Officers Association of the Military and The Rambler Association
where he served as treasurer for many years.
In addition to his wife he is survived by two daughters: Toni Marie (David) Burton, and Lynn (Kevin) Owen, 6 grandchildren, 10
great-grandchildren, one great great grandson, one sister: Josephine Petillo and one brother: Ralph Bizzaro, and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, Ben, Patrick, Michael, and Frank Bizzaro, in addition to one sister: Marion Luzzi.
Military Honors and burial at St. Bernard Cemetery.