Name: Koisa, John Stephen, T/5, USA
Local address: 5 Dock Street, Matawan, NJ (the Koisa family lived in several area residences, The 1940 census indicated John lived in Matawan in 1935, and his parents and youngest sibling resided at the Dock Street address – in 1940 John was in the Army in the state of Washington.)
John was born in Cedar Grove, Old Bridge Township, on August 16, 1916, the eighth of ten children of Hungarian immigrants James Emory Koisa (1877-1953) and Theresa Dobozy (1885-1950). Residing in Madison Township on the border with Matawan, father James was initially employed as a worker in a local tile factory, but then supported the family as a carpenter.
John attended the Matawan public grade school, but apparently not the high school (he’s not listed as a graduate in 1934 or 1935). In 1935, while the family resided on Sutphin Avenue in Matawan, he enlisted in the Marines Corps and even tually served two years in the Fleet Marine Force, stationed at the Navy submarine base in New London, CT. After completing his Marine Corps obligation in 1939, he enlisted in the army, and the 1940 census indicates he was a PFC in Company L, 4th Infantry Division, Fort George Wright, Spokane, WA. John was subsequently promoted to Technician fifth grade, which indicated he had a special technical skill. He was then assigned to the 3rd Division’s 30th Infantry Regiment.
On November 8, 1942, the 30th took part in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa and then Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. During the latter operation, the regiment took 406 casualties, killed and wounded.
They then participated in Operation Avalanche, the invasion of Southern Italy, sustaining an additional 975 soldiers killed or wounded.
After two months recuperation in Naples, the 30th took part in Operation Shingle, the “end run” around the German lines which involved an amphibious assault on the Anzio beachhead, south of Rome, on January 22, 1944. Initially catching the Germans off guard, a delay to consolidate gave the enemy a chance to regroup and establish formidable defenses.
A breakout began with allied air forces carpet bombing the positions to the division’s front. The 30th Infantry Regiment quickly moved through the German defenses to the west of Cisterna and moved on to capture Cori on the May 25th. John was killed the next day, most likely on the road to the next objectives, the towns of Roccamassima and Guiglianello to the north. John was one of 2,851 casualties in this final operation.
John is interred in plot “G”, row 10, grave #21 in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Italy.
John’s brother’s James, Jr (1908-1987) and Francis (1920-1977) both served in the US Navy during WWII – James aboard the USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) and Francis aboard the USS Ranger (CV-4). The Ranger supported Operation Torch, and both Francis and his brother John were in close proximity at this time.
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