Hometown Heroes of WWII
Sergeant Francis Chenette, U.S. Army
By Michael Rocchetti
Just north of a small town in France called Corny-sur-Moselle, there is a stone monument in a park along the Moselle River that commemorates the soldiers of the 5th Infantry Division who were killed in action crossing the river here during WWII. The monument is inscribed with the image of U.S. Army soldiers, about 10 of them, paddling an assault boat across the river while artillery shells splash all around them. The inscription says: “They Gave Their Tomorrow to Give Us Our Today”.
On the 8th and 9th of September 1944, elements of the U.S. Army 5th Infantry Division crossed the Moselle River here in the vicinity of Dornot, SW of Metz France. The 150th Engineer Combat Battalion (from Fort Devens, Mass.) was tasked with supporting the crossing. Company C moved assault boats to the water’s edge, but poor cover on the near shore drew enemy artillery and small arms fire every step of the way. The operation of ferrying troops to far shore and casualties to near shore continued all night under intense mortar, artillery and small arms fire. Company C had 3 killed and 12 wounded in action during this river crossing, including the Company Commander when their command post received a direct artillery hit.
Francis Chenette was seriously wounded during this operation on September 9th, and would later die of his wounds at a field hospital in France on October 12th 1944.
Technician Fourth Grade (T/4) Francis Chenette was born Jan. 29, 1924, in Worcester Mass., the son of Joseph Chenette and Delia Previe. He grew up in Putnam. He was drafted in 1943 and was a combat engineer assigned to Company C, 150th Engineer Combat Battalion from Fort Devens. He was single, but was engaged to Miss Rita Duclos of Putnam. In addition to his parents, he was survived by three brothers
and five sisters. He is buried at St Mary’s Cemetery in Putnam, CT.
Hometown Heroes is a series published in the Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger with this mission: We owe it to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to make sure that they are never forgotten, and that the memory of their service and sacrifice will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the grateful people of Putnam.
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