Matthew Mikrut

ASN:16001754

enlist…September 17, 1940, Chicago, Illinois

Trained at Camp Claiborne, Fort Bragg

MOS – 345 (Truck Driver Light Trucks),

MOS 014 (Auto Mechanic)

Mikrut was a glider artillery soldier with the 319th Glider Field Artillery of the 82nd Airborne. He fought in Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Normandy, Holland, Ardennes and Central Europe. 6 Battle Stars and a Bronze Arrowhead for Normandy. Received a Purple Heart wounded in action in Naples, Italy. They loaded men, jeeps, trailers, 75mm Howitzer, ammo, gear into gliders, towed them with a C-47 behind enemy lines then cut them loose and they crash landed. Half the men of the 319th were wounded or killed during the landing in Normandy. Holland wasn’t as bad but a dozen gliders overshot the LZ and landed across the border in Germany, they were either killed or taken prisoner, a few escaped.

Separated June 29, 1945

-       Pfc Matthew S Mikrut 16001754 MOS 014 (Auto Mechanic) Dy to trfd in gr to 6900 GFRC Depot APO 117 per SO 98 Hq 82d Abn Div 14 May 45 departed (EDCMR 22 May 45).

wounded in Action October 21, 1943

Excerpt from William Kick’s diary: “Another old friend and Jeep driver was “Dad” Hammett from Ohio – a 5’7” dark-haired smiley, happy, willing to go, person and everybody’s friend.  Then there was Crowley another Jeep driver who always looked a little sleepy, but a willing and cooperative man, also from Ohio, I believe.  I seem to recall Mansfield, Ohio as a place where several of our men came from.  Sgt. Mikrut (34 years old?) was an older man and in charge of B Battery Motor Pool.  One of his helpers was Sobosinski.  I and Mikrut shared the same two cot room at Fort Bragg. “

St.Louis Archive Records

The World War II personnel records for all soldiers were destroyed in a fire at the archives in 1973. A small portion of Mikrut’s record survived, as you can see they are fire damaged.