Staff Sergeant Andrew Vaseleski 

SSgt. Andrew Vaseleski, 27, was killed in action on April 11, 1945, while serving as an armorer-gunner on a Mitchell 25 that was shot down by German gunfire in Italy. He was a graduate of Hall Township High School with the Class of 1935. Andrew was inducted in July of 1942 and served as a Radio Operator and Gunner. His unit topped all others in the Mediterranean theatre in bombing accuracy. On the day of his death, Andrew’s plane received a direct burst of 88mm Flak, which shattered the entire tail assembly sending the plane into a vertical spin. One man was killed, and the remaining crew was forced to parachute from the plane, but Andrew’s parachute failed to open. He was awarded the Air Medal (Meritorious achievement in aerial flight) with Oak Leaf Cluster. Andrew’s wife gave birth to their son on May 9, 1945, just days after he was reported KIA. Sadly, the baby was only 5 months old when he succumbed to bronchial pneumonia. Andrew was one of three brothers serving.