Arthur A. Bonaldo

Company A 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

4th Infantry Division

KIA 01/02/1945

Arthur Alfred Bonaldo was born in New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut on January 20, 1925.

Prior to entering military service he was employed by High Standard
in Hamden, Connecticut.

He was drafted into the Army on March 24, 1943 at New Haven, Connecticut. His home of residence was listed as
New Haven, Connecticut and his civilian occupation was listed as Apprentices To Printing Trades.
He had completed one year of High School and was single with dependents.
His religion was listed as Catholic.

Arthur Bonaldo was assigned to Company A from the 4th Infantry Division replacement pool on June 13, 1944.

He was wounded in the forearm by shrapnel on July 19, 1944, recovered in hospital and returned to his Company
on August 5, 1944. ¹

On November 1, 1944 he was promoted to Private First Class.

On November 22, 1944 he was lightly wounded in action by shrapnel to his thumb,
and returned to duty on November 27, 1944.

During the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest when on December 1st, Company A had to cross an open field
under heavy German artillery, mortar and machine gun fire, Bonaldo remarked that
"Every step you'd take there'd be a shell to help you along." ² By the end of that day
casualties had reduced his Company down to 35 men, and with all officers and NCO's
either killed or wounded, Captain Don Warner, commanding Company A, placed
PFC Arthur Bonaldo in charge of one of the Company's Platoons. ³

He was a non-battle casualty in Luxembourg on December 5, 1944 and returned to duty
on December 12, 1944.

Private First Class Bonaldo was killed in action near Rosport, Luxembourg when his five man patrol was ambushed
by approximately 15 German soldiers on January 2, 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge.

He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in General Orders # 14 Headquarters 22nd Infantry
dated January 31, 1945.

Arthur A. Bonaldo was buried in the temporary U.S. Military Cemetery,
Hamm Cemetery, Hamm, Luxembourg and some time later
his remains were returned to the United States where he was
reinterred in Connecticut.

Burial:
Saint Lawrence Cemetery
West Haven
New Haven County
Connecticut, USA

Grave marker for Arthur A. Bonaldo

Photo by A Burke from the Find A Grave website

¹ Hell In Hürtgen Forest; The Ordeal & Triumph of an American Infantry Regiment
by Robert Sterling Rush Published by University Press of Kansas 2001 pp 257

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

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