Cornelius J Romano
MilitaryCornelius enlisted in the Army during WWII and was originally sent to Texas for training as a tanker. However, due to his exceptional eyesight, he was afforded the opportunity to transfer to the Army Air Branch as a bomber crew member. Cornelius served in the United States Army Air Corp. with the 100th Bomber Group and completed over 20 missions, including bombing Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin, Leipzig, as well as participating in Russian shuttle-bombing runs. Cornelius survived an emergency bailout when his B-17 "Bachelor's Heaven" caught fire during a training flight over England. After the war, Cornelius became a fireman for 25 years, retiring in 1983. He passed away Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at the Van Dyke Hospice Center, Toms River and is buried in Ocean County Memorial Park, New Jersey, United States.
Cornelius's first-borne grandson, SGT Paul Romano, enlisted in the United States Army in 2014 to carry on his family's legacy of service, which he continues to do to this day.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Bachelor's Heaven
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron 100th Bomb Group 96th Bomb Group 349th Bomb Squadron 413th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Revisions
Added an Association to “Thorpe Abbotts”, the home base of the 100th BG.
My name is Paul Romano, and I am the first-borne grandson of Cornelius Romano. I am in direct possession of my grandfather's medals, records, photographs, and war memorabilia and can corroborate all information listed in this entry. Please contact me if any confirmation is required.
Combat Sup / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia