Remembering SSgt. Arthur DeFranzo

Saugus veterans and family members of Saugus’ Medal of Honor recipient honor the fallen soldier 80 years later

By Mark E. Vogler

It was like a family reunion for the living relatives of Army Staff Sergeant Arthur Frederick DeFranzo Monday on the 80th anniversary of his fatal, but heroic duty that earned him the Medal of Honor for losing his life to save his men. Seven relatives from Saugus, a neighboring community and southern New Hampshire gathered in the VFW Post 2346 Hall named in DeFranzo’s honor after a 15-minute ceremony recounting the soldier’s role in the D-Day Invasion and how he sacrificed his life on the battlefield to save the lives of his fellow soldiers.

Most of the relatives were the children of DeFranzo’s siblings. As they sat at a table in the VFW Hall having pastries and donuts to go with coffee or other drinks, a photo of the fallen family member they never knew was set on the table. Some of them told stories they had heard over the years about Sgt. DeFranzo.

“Growing up, I heard the story a lot about how he was captured in North Africa and escaped and the guy that found Arthur was a Saugus resident who brought him back and cleaned him,” recalled Sean Walsh, 26, of Atkinson, N.H.

“What are the odds of that kind of thing happening? I do like the fact that somebody you grew up with finds you in the middle of nowhere and helps you out, “Walsh said.

One of the relatives was named Arthur DeFranzo. “My father was Arthur’s brother Raymond. I was the first born after my uncle’s death,” DeFranzo said.

“I was born on Sept. 29, 1946, and I’m a 1964 Saugus High graduate. I heard stories that when he was in High School, that he was a tough guy and that nobody messed with him,” he said.

Staff Sgt. DeFranzo’s niece Linda Call, of Saugus, said her uncle was probably about 5-foot-three and weighed close to 130 pounds. “He was a little guy, but brave, and people said he felt invincible and never believed he was going to die,” Call said.

“My father said he used to go down to the railroad tracks to collect coal from the trains,” she said.

Call said her favorite story came from a letter that Staff Sgt. DeFranzo wrote to his sister, who was Call’s mom, Mary. “I was going through my mother’s stuff and found the flowers all dried up in a letter. Arthur sent them from England before he went to Normandy for the D-Day invasion,” Call said.

“I took the flowers with me last year and left them in Normandy,” she said.

Call, her niece Colby and great-niece Claire went on a special trip to France last year. There, they met a war reenactor who took them on a tour to the place where DeFranzo fell on June 10, 1944, in Vaubadon. Call said she also went to the beach where her uncle landed “in the second wave between 11 o’clock and Noon” and she threw the rose petals that he had picked up in England before the Normandy landings.

The relatives broke out some scrapbooks with old news clips, which continues every time there’s a family function that focuses on Staff Sgt. DeFranzo. “All of us were born years before he died, and we’re learning more about him as the years go by and we’re trying to keep his legacy alive,” Call said.

“His memory is alive in the rest of us. He has brought this family back together,” she said.

Call called DeFranzo “a very family-oriented man who was very dedicated to his family and devoted to his mother.” “He was having $60 of his paycheck sent to his mother every month. He was a compassionate person. His father died two years before Arthur died. So, everything revolved around his mother.” DeFranzo had four brothers and six sisters.

He was a 1938 graduate of Saugus High School. Two years later, he became the first man in Saugus to volunteer for military service, according to a May 28, 1995, column in The Boston Globe by Jeremiah V. Murphy that was included in the scrapbook. At age 25, DeFranzo was also the first Saugus man killed during the D-Day invasion.

“It was Arthur DeFranzo and men like him that enabled the allies to win World War II and preserve our freedom,” Murphy wrote in his column. “So the years have gone by and the memories have become misty. We should never forget Arthur DeFranzo and the men like him who served so valiantly.”

DeFranzo was in the 100th American Infantry Division in the 18th Infantry Regiment of “The Big Red One.” He received the Silver Star because of his bravery during the liberation of Mandeville-en-Bessin. He lost his life in the fields behind the Chateau de Vaubadon.

The Citation for the Medal of Honor he received posthumously tells the story of his gallant sacrifice:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, on 10 June 1944, near Vaubadon, France. As scouts were advancing across an open field, the enemy suddenly opened fire with several machineguns and hit 1 of the men. S/Sgt. DeFranzo courageously moved out in the open to the aid of the wounded scout and was himself wounded but brought the man to safety. Refusing aid, S/Sgt. DeFranzo reentered the open field and led the advance upon the enemy. There were always at least 2 machineguns bringing unrelenting fire upon him, but S/Sgt. DeFranzo kept going forward, firing into the enemy and 1 by 1 the enemy emplacements became silent. While advancing he was again wounded, but continued on until he was within 100 yards of the enemy position and even as he fell, he kept firing his rifle and waving his men forward. When his company came up behind him, S/Sgt. DeFranzo, despite his many severe wounds, suddenly raised himself and once more moved forward in the lead of his men until he was again hit by enemy fire. In a final gesture of indomitable courage, he threw several grenades at the enemy machinegun position and completely destroyed the gun. In this action, S/Sgt. DeFranzo lost his life, but by bearing the brunt of the enemy fire in leading the attack, he prevented a delay in the assault which would have been of considerable benefit to the foe, and he made possible his company’s advance with a minimum of casualties. The extraordinary heroism and magnificent devotion to duty displayed by S/Sgt. DeFranzo was a great inspiration to all about him, and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the armed forces.”

See more photo highlights at: www.Facebook.com/advocate.news.ma