Dominic Charles Lepore
MilitaryDominic Lapore - Photo from Fields of Honor - the yearbook 1938 of Thomas Jefferson High School in Elizabeth, NJ.
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-3436, Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Dominic C. Lepore was born March 25. 1921 in Elizabeth, New Jersey and went to Thomas Jefferson High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey where he was captain of the wrestling team in 1938. He was a Sergeant in the Army during World War II. Dominic resided in Ocean County, New Jersey before enlisting on September 25. 1942. At the time of enlistment, Dominic was 21 years old, had a grammar school education and was single, without dependents. One year later, Dominic had to bail out after being injured by 20 mm shell in his plane (MACR 1034), then captured by the Nazis and sent to Stalag 17B near Krems - north of Vienna in Austria where 3,219 other American POWs were held.
From his son Dennis: ‘Very quickly he came home to Elizabeth NJ and married my mom, Margaret Lucille Crincoli. Dominic opened up a used car lot and worked very hard. The law permitted being open on Sundays at this time so he was rarely home. Dominic and Margaret had a daughter who they named Donna Michelle Lepore and later a son, me, named Dennis Charles Lepore.
By 1955 and working hard, Dominic became the owner of a General Motors Oldsmobile Dealership in Linden NJ. As that dealership and surrounding property grew he added on a Japanese Mazda Automobile Dealership to his property. They are all gone now and as the economy in the U.S. under President Jimmy Carter, went downhill and inflation rose, sales dwindled to a standstill. It was the deepest and longest recession in the U.S. and even took 2 years into Ronald Reagan's term to pull us out.
Both automobile franchises are gone now, however they gave the family a gracious and debt free living and growing up in the best private schools and universities.
He never ate potatoes after being a POW because when they did get food in the camp it was potato soup with no potatoes in it. So I will never forget the night my father was invited to eat over my father and mother in laws home in Edison, N.J. and they served all of us potato soup first before the main course. He excused himself from not eating it, we understood.‘
Mr Dominic Lepore did not want to remember anything about the war, let alone being a POW but one evening when his son Dennis was young at the kitchen table I asked him why there were no uniforms or really any military memorabilia in the house in Linden. He told me that he threw everything in the ocean on his trip back to the states.
His son Dennis: ‘One of he few times he opened up he told me that he had 3 ranks in one day while in England. Apparently he got into a fight with an officer during the night and that officer busted him down one rank. Next day his crew was ordered to fly a mission. But they were short a tail gunner for Dennis’ dad could not go because he was busted down a rank. So when he told his captain why he could now go, the captain replied: “OK so I just promote you a rank; lets go.” So my dad held 3 ranks in one day.’
His last known address was in Pompano in Broward County-FL (before that in Metuchen - Middelsex County-NJ). Mr Lepore died May 3. 1995 and is buried at Saint Gertrudes Roman Catholic Cemetery in Colonia - Middlesex County.
More see http://home.kpn.nl/slang075/breeden-crew-members-42-3436.html
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
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 14 October 1943
- Date: 10 October 1943
- Date: 9 October 1943
- Date: 8 October 1943
- Date: 4 October 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Aircraft crash site
- Site type: Aircraft crash site
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA | 25 March 1921 | |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Krems an der Donau, Oostenrijk | 14 October 1943 | Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikendorf Near Krems Austria 48-15 |
Revisions
Added an association to Stalag 17B per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography" - "bail" was misspelled.
Photo from Fields of Honor - the yearbook 1938 of Thomas Jefferson High School in Elizabeth, NJ.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1034 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database