Keith Cormany

ASN:35289714

Keith Frank Cormany registered for the draft on October 6, 1940. Born June 14, 1912 in Summit, Ohio, he was employed at Kasch Roofing Company in Akron, Ohio at the time of his registration. 

This twenty-eight-year-old enlisted in the US Army on March 25, 1942 at Camp Perry Lacarne, Ohio. He was 5’-9”, 190 pounds with a light complexion, gray eyes, and brown hair. 

No identifying physical characteristics were listed at the time of his registration.   

Private Cormany trained with the Service Battery of the 319th Field Artillery at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, where he achieved the rank of Private First Class.

When the 319th was reorganized to a glider airborne unit in August 1943, he was attached for training at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He was assigned to the HQ-Battery, 319th Field Artillery, 82nd Airborne Division, and achieved the rank of Sergeant.

In late April 1943, Sgt. Cormany traveled with the 319th Glider Field Artillery to North Africa arriving in Casablanca on 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 for Keith Cormany were reported:

• July 3, 1943, attached to 325th Infantry for rations and quarters. Station: Kairouan, Tunisia.

• October 19, 1943, duty to absent sick on the 18th. Station: Naples, Italy.

• October 21, 1943, from absent sick to duty at 1900 hours. Station: Naples, Italy.

• March 20, 1944, appointed 1st Sergeant (Duty 585) from Sergeant on March 17, 1944. Station: Papillon Hall, Lubenham, Leicestershire, England.

• July 4, 1944, reported Killed in Action at 2020 hours on June 28, 1944. Station: Vindefontaine, France.

Keith Cormany, known to his fellow soldiers as “Buzz,” fought in the major campaigns of Sicily, Naples-Foggia, and Normandy.

On September 11, 1943, his unit sailed from Tunisia, North Africa, and received orders to land immediately at Maiori, Italy, with the mission of supporting an existing Ranger force. That evening the 319th landed on the beach at Maiori at 2250 hours and immediately occupied a mountainous position 5 miles north of the beach known as the “Chiunzi Pass.”

For the next 19 days the 319th fired more than 12,000 artillery rounds over the mountain range and through the pass targeting truck columns, troop movement and supply dumps, road junctions, enemy 88 gun positions and ammo supplies, tanks and rocket batteries as well as other enemy activity along Highway 18 just outside of Naples.

On October 1, 1943, the 319th entered Naples, Italy, for occupational duty. Their occupation duties included several days of combat duty beginning October 5th, at the Volturno River near Villa Literno, Italy.

The 319th sailed from Naples, Italy on November 18, 1943, enroute to a new base camp for training in Northern Ireland. During the winter of 1944, the 82nd Airborne Division was attached to a new station near Leicester, England, preparing for the Allied invasion of northern France.

During the Normandy D-Day invasion Keith Cormany glided into Normandy with HQ-Battery the evening of June 6, 1944. The battalion landed in the German front lines which resulted in 2 officers and 15 enlisted men killed, 6 officers and 86 enlisted men wounded upon landing.

While fighting near Le Poterie, France, battalion Chaplain William Reid recalled First Sgt Cormany in charge of a wire section while attached to a 508th Infantry command post in a forward combat position. He was part of an observation team with 1st Lt. Frank Poole and others.

At 2020 hours of June 28, 1944, the command post was shelled and both Keith Cormany and Frank Poole were killed, and two enlisted men were wounded. Ed Ryan of the 319th’s HQ-Battery later recalled that evening, “We had such intense artillery fire that day, I never saw the cows get down and crawl before, but they did there, it was so bad.” Ed Ryan added, “Cormany was a professional wrestler in civilian life and he could lick any man in the battery. He was our first sergeant when we had C-Battery with Captain Manning. He was a great guy. We took up a collection in the battery and sent his wife $500. She said she couldn’t accept it and sent it back, so we bought a savings bond for her family instead.”

Keith Cormany was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge, European/African Middle Eastern Service Medal, three Bronze Campaign Stars, Bronze Arrowhead, Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

He was laid to rest on June 22, 1949, in the Arlington National Cemetery, Section 34, Site 3659.

God Bless this hero.

Some content courtesy of the William Reid and Delbert Jackson families and Joseph Covais, author of BATTERY