Charles Grigus

ASN:36629037

Charles Anthony Grigus registered for the draft on June 29, 1942. Born January 26, 1922, he was from Chicago, Illinois. At the time of his registration he was employed by the Crane Company.

Inducted into the US Army on December 21, 1942 at Ft. Sheridan, Illinois this twenty-year-old was 6-1, 155 pounds with a light complexion, brown eyes, brown hair and no other obvious physical characteristics.

PVT Grigus became a member of the 319th Field Artillery, A-Battery of the 82nd Airborne Division, and traveled with the battalion to North Africa arriving in Casablanca May 10, 1943.

Company Morning Reports

Company Morning Reports were produced every morning by the individual Army units to record personnel matters. The following events were reported for PFC Grigus:

• January 11, 1944, from duty to furlough 9 days at 0930. Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland.

• January 20, 1944, from furlough to duty 9 days. Camp Ballyscullion, Northern Ireland.

• June 6, 1944, from duty to hospital wounded in action, 2 miles east of Ste Mere Eglise.

• July 8, 1944, from Absent Sick Hospital to dropped from the roles.

• September 21, 1944, assigned and joined from the 10th replacement depot at 2000 (battle casualty) duty 531. Station Papillon Hall, Market Harborough, England.

• From duty to Absent Sick at 0900, October 12, 1944. Station 2.5 miles west of Groesbeek, Holland.

• From Absent Sick to duty at 1600 (non-battle casualty) duty 531, October 25, 1944. Station 2 miles north of Nijmegen, Holland.

PFC Grigus fought in the major campaigns of Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Rome Arno, Normandy, Ardennes, and Rhineland.

During the D-Day Normandy invasion PFC Grigus was wounded in the glider landing and suffered a broken ankle. He rejoined the battalion during the Holland campaign.

The Adjusted Service Rating Score (ASR) was a system the US Army used at the end of the war to determine when soldiers were eligible for discharge. PFC Grigus was one of many “High Point” soldiers with a score over 85 points who returned to the USA arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on September 14, 1945.

His service was awarded with the European African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze Battle Star, Bronze Service Arrowhead, Good Conduct Medal, 4 Overseas Bars, Purple Heart, Belgian Fourragere, Distinguished Unit Badge with Oak Leaf Cluster, Glider Badge and World War II Victory Medal.

During the post war years Charles Grigus stayed close to several A-Battery soldiers and their families. Especially John Girardin and Bart Plassa, attending family functions, vacations and even as a godfather to their children.

He also remained a charter member of the 82nd Airborne Association which included attendance at annual conventions.

Below are photographs of Charles and his wife, Leona, having dinner at the Sherman House in Chicago, Illinois, with John (Olivia) Giardin, Bart (Peg) Plassa and Hjalmar Olkonen.

These airborne veterans proudly posed (see below) for a group photograph in 1967 made available by the family of B-Battery soldier, Myron Lepkowski.

Years later Charles Grigus visited the Normandy beaches, where he surely reminisced the evening of June 6, 1944, silently gliding into combat with 319th Field Artillery 50 years before. His service honored in a memorial brick with the Brown County Veterans, Green Bay, Wisconsin. (see photos below)

He also appeared in the A-Battery group photo taken June 20, 1945 in Epinal, France.

Charles Grigus, 81, died February 10, 2003. God bless this hero.

STL Archive Records